Postby MikeManess » Fri Jun 01, 2018 5:38 pm
I met with my surgeon today. There are two ways to go with this .. chemo, surgery, then more chemo. Or surgery up front, and chemo. He prefers the chemo, <month break> surgery <continue break for recovery>, resume chemo route. The Tumor Board will meet next Wednesday and come to a decision. Whichever way they decide, they're jumping all over this. The tumor in the liver has already grown to 1.5 inches (3.3cm) since my last scan on November - it's growing and growing fast. The surgery this time will not be robotic, but open .. taking about 1/3rd of my liver. ICU, longer hospital stay, longer recovery time. That's okay, I can deal with that (don't want to, but no real choice).
Biggest concern is if I should take disability retirement or continue working. I'm 62 and had planned on waiting for full retirement, but that's 4 years away (66 for my age). My employer is great and will keep me on the payroll while recovering from surgery, but really - do any of us want to work until we die? To retire, I'll have to downsize home so I can have a mortgage-free house with sales proceeds (and maybe a bit from 401K). Not sure what I want to do, yet, but this cancer return is having me considering getting my affairs in order just in case. Ever since my initial diagnosis I believed that I would be okay. Today, I'm not so certain that it's all sunshine and daffodils.
The meeting with the surgeon is making me consider options ... not only for me, but for my wife as well. What's best for her if I should assume room temperature? Big questions to consider.
3/11/16 Colonoscopy - 9 benign polyps, 1 large cancerous tumor in right ascending colon
4/19/16 Right colectomy
6/3/16 Two liver spots detected, added Avastin to Folfox
12/20/16 Liver surgery. Pathology shows no active cancer cells
6/7/17 Final chemo
12/5/17 Port removed
05/23/18 Liver tumor discovered in scans
04/04/19 Radiation treatment
08/15/19 Additional radiation treatment
08/21/19 NED again