Survival…Please tell us your latest milestone
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OK, I have to put in my 2 cents worth here. Cherry with a bit of almond sounds good to me.
As for the seasons, I prefer summer & the longer days. Indeed Julie, definitely time for one for you!! Biggest, tastiest cake ever I would guess! I do like a bit of cherry cake, especially at New Year, Scottish tradition and all that. Along with a wee dram or two of course!!
Looking forward to the Autumn too. I get fed up with it being practically day light here at 10.30 at night each night over the summer, and then once the night goes it starts getting lighty again at 3 or so in the morning! Makes sleeping a nightmare in the summer!
Hugs,
Gavin
Gavin, yes, I will make that celebration cake. After 29 years of making cakes for everyone else…all the customers….it’s high time that there was one for me.
I LOVE autumn…..the cooler temps and lower humidity …..just that slight “crisp” in the air. It’s the best time of the year to travel too, IMO. It can’t come soon enough.
Julie T/
Hi Julie,
Sounds like things are busy busy for you right now with everything that is going on and I hope that you will find time to make that celebration cake! Hopefully you will continue to feel good and get through rounds 5 and 6, then all fo that will have been worth it with good scans in August! My fingers are crossed for you on this! And I am looking forward to the autumn with you as well, my favourite time of the year!
Hugs,
Gavin
Lainy, if we get down south this winter….I’ll make a cake and bring it along…..a celebration cake
Had a meeting today with the cancer center Thrive Program…a cancer fitness and wellness program. I swear….I don’t know how I”m going to fit all this junk into a schedule and have any time left.. I had a session today to determine just how out of shape I am…..and then I’m to meet with a physical therapist for two days a week…40 min sessions…to try to regain some stamina. I know that at the end of round 3 chemo, I had about 5 days where I felt pretty great….energy level really ramped up…..but then knocked down again by day one chemo of round 4….and I still feel really fatigued and tired all the time. I’m guessing that it won’t take long after chemo is over and my energy level will be back up, but stamina may not be there. I think I walked 300 feet today…..as measured….but in about 4 minutes…and ended up feeling nauseous and back hurting. So, we will be starting out slowly. They seemed to understand my limitations…so maybe this may work. It’s going to be hard to do while doing chemo though…but I guess the point it….not to lose any “more” stamina.
Then, I also decided to meet once a week with a psychologist to try to deal with some of my emotional issues regarding having this cancer.
Add to that….the chemos yet to go….and blood draws weekly for Coumadin levels that change the medication amounts weekly…..a mother in law with a serious medical problem …..a trip to Mayo for followup scans….meetings with financial people since my husband just retired….I look up at the clock and it’s suddenly 11:30 at night….time for bed…and I have barely made a dent into the list of things I’d hoped to do that day….and most days the list only has one or two things on it. I am sooooo looking forward to autumn ….and this being over with….and we can get our lives back….or at least to the point of moving on to do something “fun”.
Iowa Girl
Julie, it all sounds so terrific! You can do it girl. just break through those walls and then we will celebrate. I know, you can make all of us cakes!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just finished the adjuvant chemo for round 4 of Gem/Cis following my resection in late Feb 2014. Mayo onc wants me to do 4-6 rounds as tolerated. My local onc said that I “could” stop now because Mayo wasn’t specific, but I think that is splitting hairs. As tolerated to me means…go for 6 if at all possible…and that is what I am going to do. At this point, I don’t want to look back some day and say , “What if?” But, I have to tell you that having gotten to the 4 rounds …felt pretty good when that port needle came out last Wed and I could put another star sticker on my chart. So, if my blood counts stay good….and I can stay on schedule…..get through the last four infusions of rounds 5 and 6, then the chemo is done in late August and my port will come out. I don’t know which I am looking more forward to. The chemo port was put in really wonky and is a constant trouble to access. Before that though, I will go back to Mayo for another scan on August 1 and blood work. For now, my doctors all say that Ihey are surprised at how well I’m doing at this point….and blood work looks really good so far…at least good enough to continue through more chemo.
The longest journey begins with the first step. My first step is one year. With God’s help, counting on many more. It took a while but I’ve come to terms with my new life.
Tumors are stable. Chemo is still easy. Alk-phos is hanging around 130-140 since March and CA 19-9 is 60-70 since November.
Unrelated note: My wife insists that I concentrate on doing things that are at least a 7 (0-10 scale). Trouble is, planting flowers and bushes is a 9 but weeding is only a 1.
Duke
Thanks Marion and Gavin. It has been quite an interesting 6 years. Just want to remind everyone that not all MDs are created equal and some will not admit they are over their head. Find a doctor at a major cancer center. That is your best chance, along with a lot of prayer.
So happy for you Evan! Congratulations on becoming a grandfather. We have 12 grandkids now, 3 added since the diagnosis. So thankful!
Love and prayers for each and every one of you.Anne
Brilliant to read these stories Evan and Wabals, love it!! Thanks to you both for sharing them with us all and yes, there is hope!
My thanks to you both,
Gavin
This is the best reading…..love the HOPE this brings to all of us.
Thank you for sharing these awesome stories.
LisaEvan and Wabals……How thrilling it is to hear from you. I just had to retrieve your very first posting on this site and place here for memories’ sake:
Evan and Wabals respectively:Mon, 16 Jan 2006 10:44:23
My wife Dawn (47) was just diagnosed with bile duct cancer. She had a sucessful liver resection done on 1/12/06 at Rush university Hospital in Chicago. We are searching for possible treatments as the prognosis is for return of the cancer and 3 to 5 years survivability.Sat, 05 Jul 2008 18:29:18
My husband has had cc since 2006 but we were not aware of it. He had a chest ct pre-op for bypass surgery and he had a 3 cm lesion on the liver. No one told us. A year later he had a ct for an unrelated problem and it was found-8cm. After a year of chemo for” cancer of unknown primary”, which was very rough, he had surgery and it was open and close. The surgeon said he was terminal. Then we went to Johns Hopkins and he had gemzar for10 mos. which shrunk the tumor to 2.5 cm. He is scheduled for surgery at Hopkins Tues., July 8th.2008, almost a year to the day of the last surgery. Dr. Choti is hopeful. Do not give up hope even if they say it is hopeless. Put it in God’s loving hands. He will guide you through it.
A huge, big thanks for spreading hope to others.
Hugs,
MarionMy husband will celebrate 6 years cancer free this week. He had stage 4 cc and was treated successfully at Johns Hopkins by Dr. William Sharfman and Dr. Michael Choti. There is hope!
CONGRATULATIONS, Evan and Dawn on your new title of Grandparents! There is nothing like it in the world! And then to top off everything 8 1/2 years CC free! YIPPEE! Dawn is truly a poster girl for HOPE and Miracles! And those word also hold true as in a Grandchild Miracle and hope for a healthy future for all! Keep your good news coming and wishing the whole family the very best!
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