I received the radiologist's report from my recent MRI and CT, and it's better than expected.

When I met with the CRS+HIPEC surgeon this week, he mentioned that two of the four lesions were no longer detectable. But the radiologist went further: complete imaging response. None of the nodules show up anymore — not the peri-hepatic implants near the liver, not the pelvic implants behind the sigmoid. Two scans, two modalities, same day, same conclusion.

I'm ecstatic. I'm also cautiously optimistic, and I'm going to stay that way. Not visible doesn't mean gone. That reminder is permanent now. My 3- and 6-month scans after the chemo season 1 showed no visible signs either. Then the 9-month scan lit up.

There's a dandelion analogy that fits cancer well, so I'll borrow it. You spray Roundup on the lawn, and the dandelions vanish for a while. But you can't see every spot you missed. Some roots are still down there.

That's the whole point of CRS+HIPEC. The CRS is the surgeon cutting out what imaging couldn't see. The HIPEC is soaking the whole yard — my abdomen — in chemo, hitting what's left. But who knows what comes up next season, or the one after that?

I'll keep prioritizing cruciferous vegetables — broccoli, cabbage, arugula — not because they kill cancer, but because the evidence suggests they can tilt the terrain in my favor: nudging the pathways involved in cancer growth, detox, and inflammation. Not a knockout punch. More like keeping a thumb on the scale.

The gap between the last chemo and surgery is usually 8 weeks. I asked the surgeon if we could stretch it to 10 so I could take my son to the Foo Fighters concert. He was fine with it but floated adding another chemo session to fill the extra two weeks — though that call is my oncologist's, and I'm still waiting to hear from her.