5 years post chemo
Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 12:37 am
Hi everyone - I found this wonderful forum in the fall of 2009 when my husband was diagnosed with stage IIIc colon cancer. He was 39. We had a two-year-old daughter and a three-week-old son at that time. I was feeding my son and writing thank-you notes when his colonoscopy unexpectedly ended much more quickly than expected. He had some bleeding and other relatively minor symptoms for a few months beforehand. Doctors suggested more fiber and a few other things before finally saying ok let's wait until the baby's born and then do a colonoscopy to ease your mind.
The colonoscopy ended quickly because they found a big tumor. Steve was still fairly groggy when I pushed the stroller back to the room and he blurted out, "I have cancer."
My mind didn't stop swirling for several weeks. Steve has the ability to look at things in a very straightforward way. He figured out what he needed to do and set out to do it. He had a colon resection a couple weeks later. They needed to do a full incision just because of the way he's built. The surgery was successful but more invasive and more recovery time than he had hoped for. Steve and I met several friends for a Jerry Seinfeld show on his 40th birthday a few days after the surgery. I still remember when we entered the restaurant before the show. We were late between getting a sitter for two small kids and Steve needing to walk very slowly from the car. Our friends had nervous looks on their faces. It ended up a nice evening aside from Steve trying not to laugh at a comedy show due to his stitches.
Steve went on to have six months of FOLFOX6. He was unplugged for the last time on May 26, 2010.
I share this story because I always found it extremely encouraging to read stories of others who had gone through similar colon cancer situations. We are thankful every day that Steve has remained NED with clear scans, now for five years post the end of treatment, which is supposed to be a key date. It's always stuck in my head so here I am writing. Steve isn't 100% but he's in very good health. Once this cancer has been in your body and you've gone through surgery and treatment, you never know when the smallest wrong food choice might set off a bad day (or sometimes for no apparent reason at all). Ultimately, though, we remain very thankful and hopeful the status quo will continue. To others going through colon cancer now and your families, we think of you and pray for your continued strength and medical breakthroughs. I hate that several people I followed and interacted with on this board are gone but I'm excited that I still see many familiar names, too. The Colon Club is a wonderful community that has helped us immensely. Thank you!
The colonoscopy ended quickly because they found a big tumor. Steve was still fairly groggy when I pushed the stroller back to the room and he blurted out, "I have cancer."
My mind didn't stop swirling for several weeks. Steve has the ability to look at things in a very straightforward way. He figured out what he needed to do and set out to do it. He had a colon resection a couple weeks later. They needed to do a full incision just because of the way he's built. The surgery was successful but more invasive and more recovery time than he had hoped for. Steve and I met several friends for a Jerry Seinfeld show on his 40th birthday a few days after the surgery. I still remember when we entered the restaurant before the show. We were late between getting a sitter for two small kids and Steve needing to walk very slowly from the car. Our friends had nervous looks on their faces. It ended up a nice evening aside from Steve trying not to laugh at a comedy show due to his stitches.
Steve went on to have six months of FOLFOX6. He was unplugged for the last time on May 26, 2010.
I share this story because I always found it extremely encouraging to read stories of others who had gone through similar colon cancer situations. We are thankful every day that Steve has remained NED with clear scans, now for five years post the end of treatment, which is supposed to be a key date. It's always stuck in my head so here I am writing. Steve isn't 100% but he's in very good health. Once this cancer has been in your body and you've gone through surgery and treatment, you never know when the smallest wrong food choice might set off a bad day (or sometimes for no apparent reason at all). Ultimately, though, we remain very thankful and hopeful the status quo will continue. To others going through colon cancer now and your families, we think of you and pray for your continued strength and medical breakthroughs. I hate that several people I followed and interacted with on this board are gone but I'm excited that I still see many familiar names, too. The Colon Club is a wonderful community that has helped us immensely. Thank you!
