What happens after Chemo is Over?

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running girl
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Joined: Fri Jan 24, 2014 1:45 am
Facebook Username: tammy mckay

What happens after Chemo is Over?

Postby running girl » Fri Jan 24, 2014 1:56 am

I'm completely new and completely new to being diagnosed....

I'm in the middle of chemo...just about to start my 8th chemo of 12.

What happens after chemo? How long do we just sit and wait to find out if the cancer spreads or if the lymph nodes were responsive to chemo? I've just moved on with my life...3 kids, running, etc.. despite chemo, but I'm thinking at some point I need to figure out what happens next.

HELP~ :D

Tammy 42 yrs old
Stage IIIC 15/26 lymph nodes Dx 10/4/13
no idea what my ostomy is whether it's a ileostomy or something else and really don't care just can't wait for reversal. lol
Still running.....still living. no prior cancer in my family.

janklo
Posts: 1567
Joined: Wed Mar 03, 2010 11:10 pm
Facebook Username: JanetKlostermann

Re: What happens after Chemo is Over?

Postby janklo » Fri Jan 24, 2014 8:34 am

After chemo is over. . .you will probably have a CT scan or PET scan and the usual blood tests. Then, you'll meet with your oncologist and go over the results. If everything is good, you will be set up on a monitoring schedule with scans and blood tests, etc. Sometimes that is every 3 months, sometimes every 6 months, depending on your individual situation. And of course what scans your insurance company will allow. Then you go back to living your normal life! :) It can take awhile, but you can eventually forget about cancer.
Mom to 28 yo daughter
colectomy 2/22/10, stage 3C, signet cell
7/2011 peritoneal mets
HIPEC September 2012, difficult recovery
Hospice 10/31/2012, Died 11/16/2012

rp1954
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Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2011 1:13 am

Re: What happens after Chemo is Over?

Postby rp1954 » Fri Jan 24, 2014 9:22 am

Some people have increased their surveillance program to prevent surprises, say a CT at 4-6 months and blood tests at 1-2 month intervals. Some people that were "stage II" or "stage III" turned out to be missed stage IVs or mCRC and really needed their tests sooner or more often.

Likewise, some people are using less toxic regimens to try to improve their odds post chemo with things like exercise, lower carb diets, PSK, low dose aspirin, green tea, vitamin D3 and B6, and other supplement programs. Metformin, celebrex and cimetidine have been proposed and used in specialized circumstances. Search the archives and you'll find many sources, experiences and views.
watchful, active researcher and caregiver for stage IVb/c CC. surgeries 4/10 sigmoid etc & 5/11 para-aortic LN cluster; 8 yrs immuno-Chemo for mCRC; now no chemo
most of 2010 Life Extension recommendations and possibilities + more, some (much) higher, peaking ~2011-12, taper chemo to almost nothing mid 2018, IV C-->2021. Now supplements

janderson
Posts: 679
Joined: Tue Mar 27, 2012 11:46 am

Re: What happens after Chemo is Over?

Postby janderson » Fri Jan 24, 2014 9:48 am

Typically scans every 6 months and blood work every 3 months. Your oncologist should review a follow up plan with you once you are done with treatment. As far as waiting goes everyone and every situation is different. They say you are cured if you go 5 years without a recurrence but know of people who have recurrence after 5 years. For me my first recurrence was after 18 months and the second recurrence was after 4 years.
DX 10-05 stage IV
liver resection 12-05 Folfox1-05 to 7-06
Liver resection 8-07 Folfiri 9-07 to 3-08
Liver resection 12-11
Recurrence 2/7/2014, liver, chestwall mets, 16 rounds chemo
7/3/14, y90 radioembolization, steady shrinkage
12/8/14, cryoablation to liver and chest wall
6/1 to 6/26 SBRT radio surgery
7/2 more cryo ablation to right lung
7/16 lung infection drain tube installed
9/4 chest wall resection to remove 2 ribs

dianne052506
Posts: 1651
Joined: Sun Nov 02, 2008 11:57 pm
Location: North Carolina

Re: What happens after Chemo is Over?

Postby dianne052506 » Fri Jan 24, 2014 11:52 am

Tammy,
When you finish chemo, it is easy to feel like you've been turned loose from someone who was watching closely over you, and that all of a sudden you're on your own. It doesn't have to be that way, but it make take some deliberate questioning by you to make sure everything is covered.
Assuming you had a port for chemo, you will still have to go back to the onc's office every 4-6 weeks to have the port flushed. They will most likely do blood work at that time. I would ask to be sure they are checking CEA at least every other visit. That appointment is also a wonderful time to bring up any concerns or worries you have, and ask for which things you should see your regular doctor, and what needs to be brought to the onc's attention. Somewhere in that first 6 months, I would see my regular doc, and make sure he/she has been kept in the loop with medications, scan reports, etc.
I was dx'd stage IV, and had CT scans once a quarter. I would think something similar would be appropriate for you, too. Make sure before you leave the clinic after your last chemo that you've asked the questions to get your onc's plan for the next year. Just knowing you have those regular appts will make you feel better. Best of luck,
Dianne
'
May 06 Stage IV CC: liver,ovarian mets
Oct 07 inoperable lung mets
Feb 08 - Apr'12 chemo
allergic to oxaliplatin, irinotecan
Aug '12-Feb'14 Genentech PD-L1/Avastin trial
Mar '14 -radiation to largest lung nodule
still recovering; looking at trials again

Idonotfeelsick
Posts: 25
Joined: Fri Nov 08, 2013 12:42 pm

Re: What happens after Chemo is Over?

Postby Idonotfeelsick » Fri Jan 24, 2014 12:49 pm

Jumping in here...

How long do they usually wait to remove the port? I had no idea you had to get it flushed every 4-6 weeks! :(
50F-Mom of 2 college aged kiddos (So grateful that they are old enough to understand.)
DX CC after routine colonoscopy 9/13, no symptoms
PT Scan-clear except for colon
Sigmoid colon resection 10/13; Stage 3a- 2/34 lymph nodes
Folfox 11/13
Glass Half Full!

dianne052506
Posts: 1651
Joined: Sun Nov 02, 2008 11:57 pm
Location: North Carolina

Re: What happens after Chemo is Over?

Postby dianne052506 » Fri Jan 24, 2014 7:56 pm

Have never had mine removed --recurrence came too soon-- but my onc had said to wait at least a full year of clean scans before taking it out.
dge
May 06 Stage IV CC: liver,ovarian mets
Oct 07 inoperable lung mets
Feb 08 - Apr'12 chemo
allergic to oxaliplatin, irinotecan
Aug '12-Feb'14 Genentech PD-L1/Avastin trial
Mar '14 -radiation to largest lung nodule
still recovering; looking at trials again

gtownguy
Posts: 151
Joined: Thu Nov 22, 2012 7:57 pm
Location: Washington, DC

Re: What happens after Chemo is Over?

Postby gtownguy » Sat Jan 25, 2014 12:48 pm

How long do they usually wait to remove the port?


Guess every oncologist has a different opinion. I had a clean scan about a month after finishing chemo, and the doctor told me to go ahead and have the port removed (which I did the same time as my ileostomy reversal).

I was just in the hospital for a week with a bad sinus infection and the flu and every time they pricked me in the arm I wished I still had my port. Oh well...
Sep 12 - dx rectal cancer - stage 3B - T3N1M0
Oct/Nov 12 - 6 wks daily radiation & Xeloda
4 Feb 13 - LAR w/ temp ileostomy
18 Mar 13 - install port
19 Mar - 02 Jul 13- FOLFOX chemo
23 Jul 13 - clean CT scans
26 Sep 13 - reverse ileo & remove port

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dianetavegia
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Facebook Username: Diane Weldy Tavegia
Location: Villa Rica, Georgia

Re: What happens after Chemo is Over?

Postby dianetavegia » Sun Jan 26, 2014 4:32 pm

My port was removed 3 weeks after chemo ended. I had a liver met 3 years later but newer studies don't show chemo being of any help after liver resection if the spot was small, only one or a few mets and clear margins. I didn't have chemo after resection.

There's a divot in my chest where the port was. I'd developed a bit of scar tissue around it and doc had a hard time getting it out (in office). I was very traumatized by the yanking, pulling, cutting and wish I'd had it done with some anesthesia just so I didn't have to go through that.
Stage III cc surgery 1/7/09. 12 tx FOLFOX
Stage IV PET = 1.5cm liver met. HR 4/11/12

14 years since dx and 11 years post liver resection.
Pronounced CURED and discharged by onc

“O Lord my God, I cried out to You, And You healed me.” Psalms 30:2

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O Stoma Mia
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Location: On vacation. Off-line for now.

What happens after Chemo is Over?

Postby O Stoma Mia » Sun Jan 26, 2014 9:52 pm

running girl wrote:I'm completely new and completely new to being diagnosed....

I'm in the middle of chemo...just about to start my 8th chemo of 12.

What happens after chemo? How long do we just sit and wait to find out if the cancer spreads or if the lymph nodes were responsive to chemo?
========================================================
Tammy 42 yrs old
Stage IIIC 15/26 lymph nodes Dx 10/4/13
no idea what my ostomy is whether it's a ileostomy or something else and really don't care just can't wait for reversal. lol Still running.....still living. no prior cancer in my family.



Hi Tammy - Welcome to ColonClub, and it's good to see that you are reaching out to get feedback from others in your same situation.

What happens after your first 12-rounds of chemo will probably depend on what they find on your scans after the last round. They may wait about a month for things to settle down after your final chemo round, and then they will to do a CT-scan, MRI, or a PET-CT scan, plus a CEA tumor marker test, to see what they find. If they find nothing suspicious then they will put you on a schedule of surveillance requiring lab tests and scans every 3 months or so to check for possible recurrences. These periodic tests will go on for the next 3 to 5 years. (At least that's what is happening in my case.)

At about the same time they will schedule you for an ileostomy reversal operation to remove the stoma-bag connection. Then you will have to re-train your bowel to function well again.

Your general question is also addressed on several web-site pages:

ASCO Expert Corner: What Comes Next After Finishing Treatment?
Last edited by O Stoma Mia on Wed Apr 24, 2019 1:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.

kiwiinoz
Posts: 1170
Joined: Thu Jan 03, 2013 11:44 pm

Re: What happens after Chemo is Over?

Postby kiwiinoz » Mon Jan 27, 2014 6:23 pm

Hi Tammy

This cartoon sums up for me what happens after chemo http://xkcd.com/931/

Running on Chemo huh? I kept running on Folfox until around 8 when I was hospitalized with a blockage, lost about 8 lbs and then when I started to run again my feet were so numb that it hurt to run. After almost 5 months I am starting to get some feeling in the soles of my feet but my fingers are still pretty numb and I feel cold a lot due to that.

Live your life, keep on running, eat well and pretend you have not had cancer. There have been studies that have shown that regular exercise decreases your risk of recurrence and healthy eating plays into that too. I see no other way to live your life apart from trying to keep the fear of cancer recurring as far away from you as you can and do what you can to reduce it.

Kiwi (who enjoys running too)
Stage IV Rectal Cancer (39 Year old male at dx)
pT3N0M1 (wish that was M0)
Diagnosed 05 Dec 2012
LAR 05 Jan 2013
VATS 27 Feb 2013
FOLOFX April 2013 - Sep 2013
Clear Scan 03 Dec 2013 - August 2020
Port Out 26 March 2015

ranger
Posts: 351
Joined: Sat Nov 14, 2009 2:02 pm
Facebook Username: cancerIsSOfunny
Contact:

Re: What happens after Chemo is Over?

Postby ranger » Mon Jan 27, 2014 9:28 pm

great cartoon!
here's one of mine:
http://cancerissofunny.blogspot.com/201 ... -same.html

best wishes for improved health, everybody!
colon resection 3/09
liver resection and takedown 8/09
11 rounds of folfax, avastin. plus AM655 or placebo, completed jan 2010
hernia repair 3/11
http://cancerissofunny.blogspot.com/
https://m.facebook.com/Cancer-is-SO-fun ... 100303900/
@cancerissofunny
age 70, never thought I'd make it. happy.
NED a long time.
Essential Thrombocytosis, monitoring
still here.

nkoske
Posts: 442
Joined: Fri Feb 22, 2013 2:00 pm
Location: California

Re: What happens after Chemo is Over?

Postby nkoske » Tue Jan 28, 2014 3:55 pm

It's definitely strange when Chemo is over. Going from looks of doc visits to once every couple months is strange.

The feeling reminded me a lot of leaving the Hospital with my first kid. So that's it huh...it all on us now...mmmmkay. :wink:

There will be a surveillance plan. For me a Colonoscopy right after chemo because they could check out my entire colon due to a blocking tumor, then CT and Blood 4 months later. Now blood every 3 months and I'm out to yearly CTs and Colonoscopies. We'll see how that changes going forward, but the guideline is out to five years.
Nick, DX @ age 34, IIIB Rectal Cancer 10/2012
ChemoRad IMRT 11/2012
Laparoscopic LAR 1/2013 (No Ileo)
Post Surgery Path IIIB (2/15 LN)
Chemo 2/2013 (XelOx)
Currently NED, Graduated from Med Onc 10/2017


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