[69goatboy]

I received some damned good news today.
I finished up chemo last week and had a CT scan on Tuesday.
I got the official "all clear" message from my Oncologist earlier today.

So, I am now officially cancer free.

I'll still have to go the docs a few times a year the next 5 years for various pokes, prods, and scopes. They tell me that if I can remain cancer free for 5 years, the re-occurrence rate is statistically zero.

I was diagnosed with stage 3b colon cancer back in February. That resulted in surgery to shorten my exhaust pipe by about a foot. 18 lymph nodes were in the portion that was removed, with 8 of them showing cancer activity, a high number I'm told. So the next step was 8 chemo infusions. During the 6th, I became severely allergic to the main chemo drug, so I stopped there and went into 28 radiation treatments and chemo pills. When that was done, I took even more chemo pills for 3 more months (to replace the almost 3 infusions that I didn't get), the last of which I took last week.

So, now I get the distinct pleasure to go home and tell my kids that I am no longer sick and they can have their daddy back.

Christmas came early for me this year.

My thoughts and prayers go out to those still fighting the fight and their loved ones that are going through the battle as well.

[b-man]

Congrats.

You're one of the lucky ones.

Merry Christmas.

Bart

[PONTIAC LARRY]

Great to here! Congrats and keep up the good fight !

[pugslyx234]

Merry Christmas "Only God" !

[Trulyvintage]

Can't get a better gift than a Clean Bill of Health !




Jim

[goatmanmitch]

That's great news!

[Old Goat 67]

What a Christmas present!!!!

We are at M D Anderson in Houston as I type. My wife is undergoing the first PET scan and radiation treatment today.

Hoping we get to go home for Xmas week, but we just don't know.

God Blessed you, live life and hug em often.

Charles

[PunchT37]

Good news. Doesn`t happen that often.

Mom`s pet scan shows "clean" now after stage 4 colon cancer that spread to the liver. She just finished the infusions and the xeloda was finished in January. The chemo fried her ears so she`s mostly deaf now, but it`s better than what we were expecting to do now, at this time last year.

How`s your feet and hands? That stuff seems to tear up those areas.

[Rob B]

Awesome, awesome news! congrats!

[Icefan71]

Great news. Have an extra Merry Christmas this year!

[69goatboy]

Originally Posted by PunchT37

Good news. Doesn`t happen that often.

Mom`s pet scan shows "clean" now after stage 4 colon cancer that spread to the liver. She just finished the infusions and the xeloda was finished in January. The chemo fried her ears so she`s mostly deaf now, but it`s better than what we were expecting to do now, at this time last year.

How`s your feet and hands? That stuff seems to tear up those areas.

Xeloda was indeed the chemo pills that I was taking. I didn't get the peeling of the hands and feet that is a common side affect of that drug. The Oxaliplatin (the drug that caused the allergic reaction) that I was getting in the infusion did leave me with nerve damage in my feet and to a lesser degree, in my finger tips. My feet feel like they are half asleep 100% of the time. The doc says that it "should" pass in time.

[PunchT37]

Originally Posted by 69goatboy

Xeloda was indeed the chemo pills that I was taking. I didn't get the peeling of the hands and feet that is a common side affect of that drug. The Oxaliplatin (the drug that caused the allergic reaction) that I was getting in the infusion did leave me with nerve damage in my feet and to a lesser degree, in my finger tips. My feet feel like they are half asleep 100% of the time. The doc says that it "should" pass in time.

She was also on Oxaliplatin and the Avastin infusions. They took out 16 inches of her pipe. Seems they have learned to target the types of cancers and tune the chemos for it these days.

She says "Miss Murphy" is calling. As in, minus 16 inches, when it`s time to go, it IS.

Cancer is still everywhere though.

[Old Blue 66]

The best news ever! Telling your kids has to be the best part. They may not show it but they worry more than they lead on.

Merry, Merry Christmas!

[David Jones]

That IS wonderful news.
Congratulations.
I am about a year from being released by my oncologist to return to my "regular" doctor....so I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak......and it was not a train. Telling my kids I had cancer was a tough job, trying to make them understand what that meant. Watching them as I went through chemo/radiation was tough. Telling them I was cancer free was great beyond words.........
Merry Christmas!!!!!!!

[johnta1]

Congratulations!

A very Happy Merry Christmas to you and your family.

[69goatboy]

Originally Posted by PunchT37

She was also on Oxaliplatin and the Avastin infusions. They took out 16 inches of her pipe. Seems they have learned to target the types of cancers and tune the chemos for it these days.

She says "Miss Murphy" is calling. As in, minus 16 inches, when it`s time to go, it IS.

Cancer is still everywhere though.

I here ya on the "time to go" part.
The good news is that, over time, the body will cope and the colon should eventually grow back to it's original length. At least that's what they told me.

[SRR]

Great news glad to hear it!

[tigergto]

69goatboy I hope you and your loved ones have the Merriest Christmas ever. It is great to hear good news.

[Alf ista]

Congratulations!! Good news!

[ta6point6]

Wow that is good for you, no better gift in the world I bet than to recieve that news