Today I met with Dr Sharma to get results from a CT scan that was performed Monday. It was good news. He couldn't find any trace of cancer anywhere! Ha ha stupid cancer.
It now comes down to the end goal of staying cancer free for two years. If we get there my doctor would declare me cured! As mentioned before, the likelihood of this is only 15%, but that's better than zero! This is because it is metastatic, which means it has traveled in my body (from my colon to my liver). There could be dormant cells, which chemo doesn't kill, that could get angry later.
To continue the fight, we will do 5-7 more chemo treatments, two weeks apart. The first one was this afternoon. We will do another CT after the fourth one. How many I end up doing depends on my tolerance. I am planning to go back to work on August 8 which is a few days after my second treatment. So it seems we are moving closer to normal 😜
Thank you again to all who have offered prayers, brought over meals and treats, helped in our yard, called, texted, etc., etc., etc. you come to realize that people really care! It is overwhelming and deeply gratifying, and has left us with great peace in our home.
As always, Go Fight Win!
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Back to Chemo
We finally have something new to report!
We're going on three weeks since colon surgery. Last Friday we had a follow up with our colon surgeon, Dr Pickron. He confirmed that cancer was found in three of the thirteen lymph nodes they removed. This was not a big surprise, though we had hoped it wouldn't be there. Otherwise, he said things went very well and that I'm ahead of schedule as far as recovery is concerned! He suggested a couple more weeks of rest before returning to normal activities.
Yesterday we met with Dr Sharma, our oncologist, to see what the next steps are. His plans are as mentioned in the last post, where I will have 3-7 more chemo treatments, two weeks apart as before. A new addition is a CT scan next Monday to see if there is any identifiable cancer running around. Theoretically, since my liver tumor, colon tumor, and cancerous lymph nodes have been removed, I am currently "cancer free"!
The next goal is to say those words two years from now! Cancer treatment has come a long way. Dr Sharma says that I am a candidate for a total cure, meaning no recurrence of this cancer ever! The key is to stay clean for two years. The odds of this? A mere 15%. We know that doesn't sound like much, but we'll take it. When we consider where we started six months ago, with a colon mass and a metastatic liver mass, we feel very blessed to be in this position. It's better than zero, and we're perfectly willing to be part of that 15%!
Our plan for the next few months? Continue to fight hard, to accept whatever number of chemo treatments Dr Sharma suggests, and to have the strong, positive attitudes that he says often carry patients to success. We will continue to pray for that somewhat elusive cure, and will always appreciate continued support and prayers from all of you who are praying along with us. We know that those prayers have been a big part of us getting to this point, and we will forever be grateful for all who have offered them.
We will update again as news develops. Thanks again to all for your support. Go Fight Win!
Cliff and Arvonne
We're going on three weeks since colon surgery. Last Friday we had a follow up with our colon surgeon, Dr Pickron. He confirmed that cancer was found in three of the thirteen lymph nodes they removed. This was not a big surprise, though we had hoped it wouldn't be there. Otherwise, he said things went very well and that I'm ahead of schedule as far as recovery is concerned! He suggested a couple more weeks of rest before returning to normal activities.
Yesterday we met with Dr Sharma, our oncologist, to see what the next steps are. His plans are as mentioned in the last post, where I will have 3-7 more chemo treatments, two weeks apart as before. A new addition is a CT scan next Monday to see if there is any identifiable cancer running around. Theoretically, since my liver tumor, colon tumor, and cancerous lymph nodes have been removed, I am currently "cancer free"!
The next goal is to say those words two years from now! Cancer treatment has come a long way. Dr Sharma says that I am a candidate for a total cure, meaning no recurrence of this cancer ever! The key is to stay clean for two years. The odds of this? A mere 15%. We know that doesn't sound like much, but we'll take it. When we consider where we started six months ago, with a colon mass and a metastatic liver mass, we feel very blessed to be in this position. It's better than zero, and we're perfectly willing to be part of that 15%!
Our plan for the next few months? Continue to fight hard, to accept whatever number of chemo treatments Dr Sharma suggests, and to have the strong, positive attitudes that he says often carry patients to success. We will continue to pray for that somewhat elusive cure, and will always appreciate continued support and prayers from all of you who are praying along with us. We know that those prayers have been a big part of us getting to this point, and we will forever be grateful for all who have offered them.
We will update again as news develops. Thanks again to all for your support. Go Fight Win!
Cliff and Arvonne
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