Stage 4, 5 years cancer free

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cecioboe
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Joined: Mon Oct 17, 2011 9:08 pm
Facebook Username: Ceci Lagarenne (Higgins)
Location: Texas

Stage 4, 5 years cancer free

Postby cecioboe » Sun Mar 26, 2017 11:26 pm

It's hard to believe Jim was diagnosed in 2011. And after the hell year and a half of chemo, radiation, surgeries and more chemo, Jim is still cancer free.

He had his annual CT and Colonoscopy 2 weeks ago and was declared cancer free again. The oncologist told us since he has hit the 5 year mark, he didn't need any more CT scans and didn't need to come back. Hallelujah!!! Colonoscopies are still yearly since he is a polyp machine.

Bless you all. The info and support on this board has always been invaluable. Jim never visited, but I frequently did and was able to relay your similar experiences so he knew he wasn't going it alone. And you helped me keep my sanity as well. Thank you for all your kind support and wealth of knowledge. I'll still stop by from time to time but will keep each one of you in my thoughts and prayers every day.

Best to you,
Ceci and Jim
Wife to Jim Stage IV RC w/liver mets
DX 9/16/11
T3N1M1
Oct - Dec 2011 chemo/rad
1/04/12 ileo
1/16/12 LAR, liver resection
2/29/12 blockage, emer surg, ileo rev
4/16/12- 9/16/12 chemo
NED since 10/22/12
De-ported 6/24/16

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Jacques
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Location: Occitanie

Re: Stage 4, 5 years cancer free

Postby Jacques » Mon Mar 27, 2017 1:12 am

Thank you for checking in again, and thank you for sharing Jim's success story four and a half years ago, and for being an advocate for timely colonoscopy screenings.

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Bev G
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Facebook Username: Bev Golde
Location: Quechee, VT

Re: Stage 4, 5 years cancer free

Postby Bev G » Mon Mar 27, 2017 10:42 am

Thank you for sharing this wonderful news! Warm best wishes to you for the rest of your lives.

Bev
58 yo Type1 DM 48 years
12/09 Stage IV 2/22 nodes + liver met, colon resec
3 tx FOLFIRI, liver resec 4/10
9/10 6 mos off chemo, Neg PET&CTC CEA nl
2/11 finished total 10 rounds chemo

9/13 ^17th clean PET/CT NED for now

DarknessEmbraced
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Facebook Username: Riann Fletcher
Location: New Brunswick, Canada

Re: Stage 4, 5 years cancer free

Postby DarknessEmbraced » Mon Mar 27, 2017 5:03 pm

That's wonderful news! :) Congratulations!
Diagnosed 10/28/14, age 36
Colon Resection 11/20/14, LAR (no illeo)
Stage 2a colon cancer, T3NOMO
Lymph-vascular invasion undetermined
0/22 lymph nodes
No chemo, no radiation
Clear Colonoscopy 04/29/15
NED 10/20/15
Ischemic Colitis 01/21/16
NED 11/10/16
CT Scan moved up due to high CEA 08/21/17
NED 09/25/17
NED 12/21/18
Clear colonoscopy 09/23/19
Clear 5 year scans 11/21/19- Considered cured! :)

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cecioboe
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Facebook Username: Ceci Lagarenne (Higgins)
Location: Texas

Re: Stage 4, 5 years cancer free

Postby cecioboe » Mon Mar 27, 2017 11:09 pm

Jacques wrote:Thank you for checking in again, and thank you for sharing Jim's success story four and a half years ago, and for being an advocate for timely colonoscopy screenings.


Thank you. I post on Facebook regarding colonoscopies. We've had numerous friends and colleagues get theirs due to our reminding them. Plus I've been phone support for a couple of them during prep. And a few have had pre cancerous polyps, so we feel like we are making a difference.
Keep on keeping on!
Wife to Jim Stage IV RC w/liver mets
DX 9/16/11
T3N1M1
Oct - Dec 2011 chemo/rad
1/04/12 ileo
1/16/12 LAR, liver resection
2/29/12 blockage, emer surg, ileo rev
4/16/12- 9/16/12 chemo
NED since 10/22/12
De-ported 6/24/16

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cecioboe
Posts: 597
Joined: Mon Oct 17, 2011 9:08 pm
Facebook Username: Ceci Lagarenne (Higgins)
Location: Texas

Re: Stage 4, 5 years cancer free

Postby cecioboe » Mon Mar 27, 2017 11:11 pm

Bev G wrote:Thank you for sharing this wonderful news! Warm best wishes to you for the rest of your lives.

Bev

Thank you! Warm wishes to you too!! (Glad to see your NED status! Go girlie!!)
Wife to Jim Stage IV RC w/liver mets
DX 9/16/11
T3N1M1
Oct - Dec 2011 chemo/rad
1/04/12 ileo
1/16/12 LAR, liver resection
2/29/12 blockage, emer surg, ileo rev
4/16/12- 9/16/12 chemo
NED since 10/22/12
De-ported 6/24/16

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cecioboe
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Joined: Mon Oct 17, 2011 9:08 pm
Facebook Username: Ceci Lagarenne (Higgins)
Location: Texas

Re: Stage 4, 5 years cancer free

Postby cecioboe » Mon Mar 27, 2017 11:13 pm

DarknessEmbraced wrote:That's wonderful news! :) Congratulations!

Thank you!!
Wife to Jim Stage IV RC w/liver mets
DX 9/16/11
T3N1M1
Oct - Dec 2011 chemo/rad
1/04/12 ileo
1/16/12 LAR, liver resection
2/29/12 blockage, emer surg, ileo rev
4/16/12- 9/16/12 chemo
NED since 10/22/12
De-ported 6/24/16

Tim UK
Posts: 76
Joined: Fri Jun 12, 2015 1:05 am

Re: Stage 4, 5 years cancer free

Postby Tim UK » Tue Mar 28, 2017 6:32 am

Fantastic. So inspiring to read this.

Thank you,
Tim
https://youtu.be/qoQbY4A5RNA
05/15 L hemi-colectomy
05/15 Dx st 3 T4N2M0 @43
kids: now 13, 10
BRAFm mucinous - KRASw
06/15 liver mets
06/15 CEA 9, CA19-9 400+
06/15 - 09/15 6 x FOLFOXIRI+Avastin
09/15 markers 4/50
10/15 drain-site met
11/15 CRS+HIPEC
1-8/16 BRAF triplet (dabrafenib, panitumumab, trametinib)
CEA;CA19-9: range 16;650 to 1;36 back to 4;135
8/16 progression
10/16-6/18 : NCT02650713
7/18-9/18 : anti-GITR; ERK inhib
10/18-4/19: folfoxiri+avastin
7/19-9/19 enco+cetux+Bini
10-19 starting regonivo

fumaros
Posts: 273
Joined: Sat Jul 02, 2016 10:26 pm
Location: Syracuse, NY
Contact:

Re: Stage 4, 5 years cancer free

Postby fumaros » Tue Mar 28, 2017 8:11 am

Congratulations. This is amazing and inspiring.
Diagnosed 4/8/16, age 29
Colectomy 4/20/16
Stage III, T4bN1 Tumor 7x6.5x2. Muscinous Adenocarcinoma with SRC features
2/16 lymph nodes
Stage IV, Peri mets 5/2019
CEA 4/14/16 - 16.8
CEA 6/2/16 - 1.9
CEA 6/17/16 - 0.87, 7/16 - 1.33, 12/16 - 1.14, 4/17 - 0.6, 7/17 - 0.5, 10/17 - 0.9, 3/19 -5.8, 4/19 -10
FOLFOX began 6/24/16 - 11/25/16, FOLFIRI - 5/10/19
10 round FOLFOX, 2 round 5-FU & Leucovorin, 1 round FOLFIRI
MRI & CT 8/16 - NED, CT 12/16 - 10/17 - NED

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

Re: Stage 4, 5 years cancer free

Postby dianetavegia » Tue Mar 28, 2017 9:17 am

HI Ceci and Jim,
I hope you'll continue with CEA twice a year for another 5 years or so. I've read several times that rectal cancer tends to recur later than colon cancer.

Check out my thread on Long term stage IV survivor and scans for some other people's thoughts.

I'm 8 years 3 months post original dx and 5 years post HR with one tiny liver met and colon, not rectal. I'm refusing the 'no more CT scans' mindset.

I celebrate five years with you, but please remain on the alert and diligent with those CEA's!

Best of luck,
Diane
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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cecioboe
Posts: 597
Joined: Mon Oct 17, 2011 9:08 pm
Facebook Username: Ceci Lagarenne (Higgins)
Location: Texas

Re: Stage 4, 5 years cancer free

Postby cecioboe » Tue Mar 28, 2017 2:29 pm

dianetavegia wrote:HI Ceci and Jim,
I hope you'll continue with CEA twice a year for another 5 years or so. I've read several times that rectal cancer tends to recur later than colon cancer.

Check out my thread on Long term stage IV survivor and scans for some other people's thoughts.

I'm 8 years 3 months post original dx and 5 years post HR with one tiny liver met and colon, not rectal. I'm refusing the 'no more CT scans' mindset.

I celebrate five years with you, but please remain on the alert and diligent with those CEA's!

Best of luck,
Diane


Thank you. I'll read your thread. His CEA was never an indicator, though we will have yearly blood work and have them include that marker anyway.
Best to you, Ceci
Wife to Jim Stage IV RC w/liver mets
DX 9/16/11
T3N1M1
Oct - Dec 2011 chemo/rad
1/04/12 ileo
1/16/12 LAR, liver resection
2/29/12 blockage, emer surg, ileo rev
4/16/12- 9/16/12 chemo
NED since 10/22/12
De-ported 6/24/16

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LeonW
Posts: 358
Joined: Sun May 03, 2015 4:59 pm
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Re: Stage 4, 5 years cancer free

Postby LeonW » Tue Mar 28, 2017 5:50 pm

dianetavegia wrote:. . . continue with CEA twice a year for another 5 years or so . . .

Are you saying that, once 5 years have passed, monitoring CEA suffices? I'm approaching 5 yrs and my current treatment plan shows no need for any surveillance once 5yrs are over. Docs also agree that CEA is a good indicator for me. Would CEA monitoring suffice, possibly with a scopy every once in a while - say every 2 or 3 years?
L
Dec 2012 - CC 2 unresect liver mets, CEA 41.8 (MM 65yrs)
Jan 2013 - colectomy @ spleen 2/26 nodes IVa T3N1bM1a
Feb-Jul - 1x Xelox-7x Xelox/Avastin, shrinkage from #3
Aug - 2x PV embolization (both failed)
Sep 2013 - R liver resect, 25d hosp (liver failure/delirium, lung emboli, encephalopathy), no living cancer (pCR)
2014/15 - recovery, scopy: 2 polyps
2016 - new town/life
2018, scopy: 2 polyps
2018/20 low (1.0-1.4) CEAs/clean CTs: 4x2014, 6x2015-17, 3x2018-20
next June 2021!

justin case
Posts: 4269
Joined: Sun Sep 04, 2011 8:26 am
Location: Katy, Texas

Re: Stage 4, 5 years cancer free

Postby justin case » Tue Mar 28, 2017 6:10 pm

Well, hell yea, I'm with you on that one ! My last surgery was on March 3rd, 2012, and we all would miss the beautiful music that Jim could supply, should he not be with us !
7/11 diagnosed Stage 2 colon and rectal cancer
chemo/rad
lar/temp ilio
Reversal & port removal
21 round of chemo Folfox 9tx, 5fu 12 tx
Last treatment July 2012

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CRguy
Posts: 10472
Joined: Sun Feb 10, 2008 6:00 pm

Re: Stage 4, 5 years cancer free

Postby CRguy » Tue Mar 28, 2017 6:35 pm

would that be Happy Dancin' Music ???

Time for the squirrel

Image

best wishes on another 5, and another, and another =>>>>>> you know the drill !

Cheers
CR
Caregiver x 4
Stage IV A rectal cancer/lung met
17 Year survivor
my life is an ongoing totally randomized UNcontrolled experiment with N=1 !
Review of my Journey so far

TXLiz
Posts: 249
Joined: Thu Sep 22, 2016 3:31 pm

Re: Stage 4, 5 years cancer free

Postby TXLiz » Tue Mar 28, 2017 10:29 pm

Thank you.
Vomiting and blockage 9/19/16 46 y F
R hemi colectomy 9/20/16
Stage 3 B CRC, located in cecum
3 out of 16 lymph nodes positive
perineural invasion/lymphovascular invasion
infiltrating, mod differentiated adenocarcinoma with a mucinous component
separate tumor nodules present in pericolonic adipose tissue
MSI-high
Baseline PET scan clear 9/16 CEA 0.5
FOLFOX 10/16- 3/17
April 16th, CT scan clear. CEA 1.1
Lynch "inconclusive"
Colonoscopy 10/5/2017 clear


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