2 year TAE for T3 follow up
Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 10:51 am
Greetings all.
It has been awhile since I checked in on the board and wanted to share how I'd doing 2 years since my transanal excision surgery for my T3 rectal cancer.
The short form is great.
Surveillance on possible reoccurrence:
Quality of life:
For more of the back story, you can check these threads out.
If anyone has any questions ask here or feel free to PM.
I remain indebted to the people on this forum whom helped me thru this tough issue and I hope tho information can help others.
I'm so sad to read about a number of folk whom help me that are no longer with us. I hope my current outcome provides some comfort to folk - there is hope, and life post this disease.
I wish you all the best - health, success, and happiness.
It has been awhile since I checked in on the board and wanted to share how I'd doing 2 years since my transanal excision surgery for my T3 rectal cancer.
The short form is great.
Surveillance on possible reoccurrence:
- Quarterly endoscopes since 2010 continue to show no reoccurrence. I will now only needs these every 6 months
- Blood test have been good
Quality of life:
- I have no side effects from the surgery; some due to chemo and the radiation.
- I have no eating or bowel issues other than I seem more sensitive to fruit juices - i.e. next day frequent bathroom visits - manageable. I think due to the chemo. Otherwise same as prior to having colon cancer.
- Skin irritations at the radiation site - only an issue when using sandpaper toilet paper at cheap work and public place rest rooms!
- Some sexual dysfunction... radiation and chemo impact plus an issue with age, weight gain and lax exercise.
- Still fighting some fatigue and chemo brain (forgettfulness). This has greatly improved over the past year.
- Post cancer depression - see this thread for context: http://coloncancersupport.colonclub.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=25276 I've made some significant choices about how I want to spend the rest of my life - I changed to working part time. (I'm very lucky to have an incredibly supportive employer!!!)
And really doing what I want to do - not childish/selfish indulgences, but simply not automatically deferring what's on my "to do" list in order to handle work, nonprofit or others requests for my time. So my means to address my depression was to assert control on this "second chance/wake up call" I got.
For more of the back story, you can check these threads out.
- Post chemo and back to work: http://coloncancersupport.colonclub.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=20059
- Mid Chemo brain fun: http://coloncancersupport.colonclub.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=16481#p128784
- Immediately after the surgery in 2010, and my rationale for the chemo/surgery choice I made (read all threads): http://coloncancersupport.colonclub.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=13877
If anyone has any questions ask here or feel free to PM.
I remain indebted to the people on this forum whom helped me thru this tough issue and I hope tho information can help others.
I'm so sad to read about a number of folk whom help me that are no longer with us. I hope my current outcome provides some comfort to folk - there is hope, and life post this disease.
I wish you all the best - health, success, and happiness.