The Colon Club

Hi! A lot of people do not digest milk (lactose) after they are 12. I had a genetic test showing that I am in the group of people who should limit milk intake to one glass a day. Actually, I drank a big latte each day at work and did not have any problems. But when I got the cancer simptoms, the doc thought it might be lactose intolerant and did the test.

How is it going with training?

Best

Claudia

Atoq wrote:Hi! A lot of people do not digest milk (lactose) after they are 12. I had a genetic test showing that I am in the group of people who should limit milk intake to one glass a day. Actually, I drank a big latte each day at work and did not have any problems. But when I got the cancer simptoms, the doc thought it might be lactose intolerant and did the test.

How is it going with training?

Best

Claudia

The training is decent. Six miles today but it's on and off. I started a new job but all of the old work is following me around. So it's like doing two jobs. I likely have the gene as a lot of Asians do.

Winter has been mild and it's been above freezing during the day so I'm running a bit outside.

It sounds like your are pretty much back to pre-cancer normal these days.

susie0915 wrote:I have found that dairy causes me gas pains also. I will use gas X and it helps. I try to stick with non dairy creamer. Sometimes hard cheese will cause gas as well.

I really hate taking supplements and things and try to keep them to a minimum. I'm eliminating half and half in my coffee and will do some experiments with cheese - that is I will just monitor it more closely. Giving up pizza would be rough.

Mike,

Funny you should bring up dairy. I have been avoiding it but Sunday after church I tasted a little bit of my daughter’s milk shake. It tasted so good that I had a little more... I think I may have invented the best tasting colon prep. It definitely cleared things out!

Glad you are able to continue training. I just got done coaching middle school Nordic skiing. Skiing sure is easy on the joints. Today I am going to restart running and really can’t wait!

Dave

Gravelyguy wrote:Mike,

Funny you should bring up dairy. I have been avoiding it but Sunday after church I tasted a little bit of my daughter’s milk shake. It tasted so good that I had a little more... I think I may have invented the best tasting colon prep. It definitely cleared things out!

Glad you are able to continue training. I just got done coaching middle school Nordic skiing. Skiing sure is easy on the joints. Today I am going to restart running and really can’t wait!

Dave

I'm looking to buy a used Keiser m3. They are $2,300 new and there are lots of them used for about $600 in my area. These are coming off 3-year lease at clubs. There's some stuff on the internet about how to buy these things - what to look at and what to look for. It would be a nice option in the basement for cardio. We have bicycles at my four gyms but I always just gravitate to the indoor tracks or treadmills when I am in the gym. It's hard not to run.

Annual CT scan this morning. Weather was awful (freezing rain) but got in at 5:00 AM and got it done. I have to park at the Brigham and Womens parking garage. I tried to park at Dana Farber and their garage wasn't open yet. I was the first person in when it opened but the place filled up really quickly. One difference I noticed - you have to ask for masks now. They use to just have dispensers everywhere. I think that the Corona Virus has supplies short.

I had to stop twice on the drive back to the office to pee. That prep drink + contrast IV adds a lot of fluid.

You quite literally dodged a bullet by being there so early.

Hope you have great scan results.
Cheers,
mob

Saw the Oncologist this morning. Scans were clean and I assume that bloodwork was too as he didn't mention it. He asked how I was doing and I showed him the VO2Max stuff and he asked some questions about the tracker. He said next visit is 6 months. So 1.5 years of 3-month and I guess 6-months for a while and then maybe 12.

That was really good news! I am glad for you!

I have my scan in March, 6 months from the last.

All the best

Claudia

Lungs: Minimal septal thickening along the bibasilar dependent portion probably related to atelectasis. Unchanged, lingular atelectasis. No nodules or masses.

Atelectasis (at-uh-LEK-tuh-sis) is a complete or partial collapse of the entire lung or area (lobe) of the lung. It occurs when the tiny air sacs (alveoli) within the lung become deflated or possibly filled with alveolar fluid.

Atelectasis is one of the most common breathing (respiratory) complications after surgery. It's also a possible complication of other respiratory problems, including cystic fibrosis, lung tumors, chest injuries, fluid in the lung and respiratory weakness. You may develop atelectasis if you breathe in a foreign object.

Atelectasis can make breathing difficult, particularly if you already have lung disease. Treatment depends on the cause and severity of the collapse.

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The oncologist did check out my breathing. I showed him my VO2Max chart so lung capacity is decent for my age but I can't perform anywhere near where I was before diagnosis. I have not noticed any breathing issues. It says unchanged which is good. I'll just see what it says next year. I don't recall reading this on the 2019 CT scan but I'll go back and check.

Atoq wrote:That was really good news! I am glad for you!

I have my scan in March, 6 months from the last.

All the best

Claudia

Best wishes for a clean scan.

It wasn't mentioned in the CT scan a year ago. I guess different pathologists report different things and the report in 2019 was focused more on cancer. I'll just keep training.

NHMike wrote:Saw the Oncologist this morning. Scans were clean and I assume that bloodwork was too as he didn't mention it. He asked how I was doing and I showed him the VO2Max stuff and he asked some questions about the tracker. He said next visit is 6 months. So 1.5 years of 3-month and I guess 6-months for a while and then maybe 12.

Mike,

That is pretty much the same schedule as me. I have been every 6 months after the 1 1/2 year mark. I still get my CEA checked locally every 3 months between visits to Mayo. I am taking it as a good sign! At my last visit they said every 6 months for the first 5 years then yearly until year 10. 10 years is when Mayo defines cure from stage 4. I have to admit, I kind of appreciate the check ups. It is like every 6 months I get to make a check mark on my countdown to cure!

Glad your VO2 is good for your age. I have found that my lung capacity is not what it once was and I know I had issues during chemo and surgeries. It is getting better and I was able to run several miles at 8:30 pace on the treadmill Wednesday. Last year at this time I was trying to get under 12 min. pace so I have come a long way. It is nice to have benchmarks to see the progress!

Dave

Congrats on the good news/clear scans!

"It wasn't mentioned in the CT scan a year ago. I guess different pathologists report different things and the report in 2019 was focused more on cancer."

Yes, that's for sure.

I have been monitored by a pulmonologist since my ct scan after finishing treatment. Lung showed inflammation and scarring. Nothing mentioned on scans before treatment. My oncologist doesn't believe it is caused by chemo, but I'm not so sure. I do breathing tests every six months and also am being monitored for an auto immune disorder as they can cause lung issues. Tests are inconclusive for sjogrens, scleroderma, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis. I do have raynauds and have since before cancer so that is why an auto immune disorder is being looked at. So far everything has been pretty good, but I do see more doctors than ever. I also am being monitored by a rheumatologist. I dont know if it's good that these issues are being picked up since we have so much testing or not knowing since I feel fine would be better.