It’s my 20th anniversary today :) (stage 4)

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Irishduffy
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Aug 17, 2018 7:44 pm

It’s my 20th anniversary today :) (stage 4)

Postby Irishduffy » Fri Aug 17, 2018 8:06 pm

Hello all!

I just wanted to take a moment and share -it’s just so hard to believe I’m here today! I remember so well how scared I was -no shocked-to find out I had colon cancer at 31. I was so clueless that after they told me I was stage 4 I asked how many there were. I mean, come on, 10 stages seemed like the right amount! I remember how desperate I was to know that someone, anyone!, made it past the 5 year mark so to be here at 20 is humbling.

I started the day taking my mom to breakfast because we never got to go to the traditional after colonoscopy breakfast. I was admitted to the hospital immediately and operated on the next day. They took a foot of my colon (tumor at sigmoid bemd) and a lobe of my liver. I did 8 months of chemo (5FU and keucovorin-yes the “old drugs” everything else was In trials back then) and 28 days of radiation. I have been NED from the time of surgery. I’m trying not to big y’all down with details. I did the 3010 Colondar so there are more details there.

Today I am just feeling grateful, blessed and ever so lucky

child#6
Posts: 30
Joined: Wed May 16, 2018 7:51 pm
Facebook Username: John Smith

Re: It’s my 20th anniversary today :) (stage 4)

Postby child#6 » Fri Aug 17, 2018 8:22 pm

Congrats! Hope you are still here for the 3010 Colodar. That would be a miracle feat!

Koreysue
Posts: 258
Joined: Mon Apr 30, 2018 2:36 pm

Re: It’s my 20th anniversary today :) (stage 4)

Postby Koreysue » Fri Aug 17, 2018 11:02 pm

Thank you for sharing! I’m a year out from diagnosis and so scared. I love stories like these.
Dx: 6/2017 stage 3 CC
Sigmoid, 2 nodes
CEA at dx: 6.1
Sigmoid Colectomy/folfox (last chemo (1/31/18)
CEA 4/2018: 2.4
CEA 7/2018: 3.7
Colonoscopy 8/18 clean
PET scan 8/20/18 NED
CEA 11/2018: 3.8
CEA 2/2019: 3.2
CT NED 6/18/19 / CEA : 3.4
CEA 10/21/19: 3.2
CEA 3/9/20: 3.8
CT NED /CEA 6/17/20: 3.8
CEA 11/4/20 4.6 <——— whyyyy? (will retest in a few weeks)
CT NED 12/1/20 CEA: 3.5
CEA 5/21 4.2
CEA 10/21 3.4
colonoscopy 10/21 10mm polyp
CEA 4/22 3.7
CEA 7/22 3.8
CEA 12/22 4
CEA 1/22 3.2 and NED 5yr scan

tater
Posts: 133
Joined: Wed Jul 19, 2017 5:53 pm

Re: It’s my 20th anniversary today :) (stage 4)

Postby tater » Sat Aug 18, 2018 12:34 am

Thank you for sharing that is awesome that you are 20 yrs out.
DH to 38 wife w/kids
Stage 3C DX 3/3/17 CEA 29
5-fu and radiation ended May 17, 2017
Stage 4 External iliac node July 17, 2017
FOLFOX + Avistan July 18 2017 CEA 2.3
Nov 9, 2017 Coloanal Anastomosis, Hysterectomy & External Nodes Removed W/ileostomy
Clear Margins NED
CEA 1.5 12/17, 2.1 2/18, 2.3 6/18, 1.1 9/18, 1.3 12/18, 1.8 3/19, 2.5 6/19
Clear CT and MRI on 2/5/2018, 9/18 Clear Scans
Reversal Surgery 6/26/18
Small Spot on right ureter surgery 10/30/19 adhered to artery
Dec. 2 start 12 rounds FOLFIRI

stu
Posts: 1613
Joined: Sat Aug 17, 2013 5:46 pm

Re: It’s my 20th anniversary today :) (stage 4)

Postby stu » Sat Aug 18, 2018 3:16 am

Thank you so much for sharing . That’s quite incredible.
Enjoy your day ,
Stu
supporter to my mum who lives a great life despite a difficult diagnosis
stage4 2009 significant spread to liver
2010 colon /liver resection
chemo following recurrence
73% of liver removed
enjoying life treatment free
2016 lung resection
Oct 2017 nice clear scan . Two lung nodules disappeared
Oct 2018. Another clear scan .

Ron50
Posts: 699
Joined: Fri Feb 10, 2006 7:04 pm

Re: It’s my 20th anniversary today :) (stage 4)

Postby Ron50 » Sat Aug 18, 2018 7:18 am

Congratulations on making the twenty years, I know how hard it is. I was stage3c into 6 nodes. I made it to twenty in Jan this year. I still have regular checks , $ polyps up to 11 mm last scope. Wishing you continued good health, cheers Ron.
dx 1/98
st 3 c 6 nodes
48 sessions 5Fu/levamisole
no recurrence cea <.5
numerous l/t side effects of chemo

Irishduffy
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Aug 17, 2018 7:44 pm

Re: It’s my 20th anniversary today :) (stage 4)

Postby Irishduffy » Sat Aug 18, 2018 7:44 am

Thank you all for your kind wishes :)

DarknessEmbraced
Posts: 3816
Joined: Sat Nov 01, 2014 4:54 pm
Facebook Username: Riann Fletcher
Location: New Brunswick, Canada

Re: It’s my 20th anniversary today :) (stage 4)

Postby DarknessEmbraced » Sat Aug 18, 2018 8:49 am

Congratulations! That's wonderful! :D
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! :)

jmn
Posts: 48
Joined: Sat Aug 11, 2018 8:20 pm
Location: New York/Philadelphia

Re: It’s my 20th anniversary today :) (stage 4)

Postby jmn » Sat Aug 18, 2018 12:10 pm

Wow! Twenty years! Congratulations and best wishes for continued good health.
DX: CC, 7-9-18 @ age 61, male
Severe anemia (4.5 g/dl), 5-11-18; colonoscopy, 6-29-18
Lap-assisted right hemicolectomy, 7-16-18
G2, cecal adenocarcinoma, 4.2 x 3.7 x 0.7 cm
Stage IIB, pT4aN0 (first pathology DX: pT3N0)
0/24 lymph nodes, LVI present, PNI present, surgical margins clear, MSS
CEA: 3.0 (pre-op, 7-10-18); 0.7 (post-op, 8-8-18)
TX: Xeloda (capecitabine), 10-16-18 to 4-21-19
5 years of clear scans and colonoscopies :D
Released from MSK surveillance, 7-20-23 - NED :D

Danielito82
Posts: 28
Joined: Sat Aug 11, 2018 1:53 pm

Re: It’s my 20th anniversary today :) (stage 4)

Postby Danielito82 » Sat Aug 18, 2018 12:12 pm

Wow!!!! ...... :D


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