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When I started chemotherapy...

Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2018 4:37 pm
by mobrouser
..the Doc said "Full steam ahead"
I can call her Dr. L
And Dr. L when you call me
You can call me NED
Call me NED.... :lol:


Just had to share, with wishes from the bottom of my heart that everyone here receives the good news we all deserve.
This is such an amazing support group.

Cheers,
mob 8)

Re: When I started chemotherapy...

Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2018 4:42 pm
by Cmac1275
This is always great to hear. Congrats on your milestone. Keep on doing your thing.

Re: When I started chemotherapy...

Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2018 6:24 pm
by peanut_8
HOORAY!!!!!

Re: When I started chemotherapy...

Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2018 10:20 pm
by Maggie Nell
Image

A man walks down the street.....

Yippee Ki Yay, mo!

:D :D

Re: When I started chemotherapy...

Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2018 1:42 am
by stu
Love it .
Stu

Re: When I started chemotherapy...

Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2018 7:32 am
by DarknessEmbraced
Congratulations! :D

Re: When I started chemotherapy...

Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2018 7:44 am
by susie0915
Awesome news!

Re: When I started chemotherapy...

Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 10:49 am
by bitchslapped
Congratulations NED :wink: , wonderful news!

Re: When I started chemotherapy...

Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 4:16 pm
by Caat55
Great News!!!! congrats :D
S

Re: When I started chemotherapy...

Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 6:40 pm
by CRguy
mobrouser wrote:..the Doc said "Full steam ahead"
I can call her Dr. L
And Dr. L when you call me
You can call me NED
Call me NED.... :lol:


Paul Simon would be proud !!!! :mrgreen:
and WE are MEGA CHEERS happy for you

CRguy

Re: When I started chemotherapy...

Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2018 12:24 am
by AppleTree
Folfox does seem like forever during treatment. But hearing NED makes up for it. Congratulations!

I'm cleaning house...

Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2018 1:24 pm
by mobrouser
Another step forward today. I am off to the pharmacy this afternoon to return my sharps bin and I won't be coming back home with an empty one!!!
I'm also returning a box of unused Lovenox shots, plus some unused anti-nausea meds. By my estimation I've self-injected 225 blood thinner shots (at $25 per shot) plus 35 Grastofil shots (Neupogen SEB at $150 per shot).
Another couple of weeks and my blood levels should be back to normal so I can crack open a bottle of wine to celebrate. Image

I have my 1 year colonoscopy scheduled for the first week of December. This will be done by my surgeon. I asked if I could watch, she seemed surprised that I didn't want to get knocked out. End result - we'll decide on the day of.

Cancer Care Ontario is in the middle of changing their follow up protocols and I could be in the old program or new, my oncologist wasn't sure which I would get although she has given me the test requisition paper work for new. The belief is that the risks from multiple scans over a year don't offset the delayed detection of recurrences. (Hope that makes sense-I'm trying to say that risk outweighs benefit.) The new standard is Ultra sound, Xray and blood test at 6 months; CT scan and blood test at 12 months for the first 3 years. I've forgotten what happens in year 4 and 5, but I have an appointment with the Nurse Practitioner in 3 weeks time to review the program so that I fully understand it.

Thank you all for the thoughts and support.

Cheers,
mob (aka NED) 8)

Re: I'm cleaning house...

Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2018 6:38 pm
by NHMike
mobrouser wrote:Another step forward today. I am off to the pharmacy this afternoon to return my sharps bin and I won't be coming back home with an empty one!!!
I'm also returning a box of unused Lovenox shots, plus some unused anti-nausea meds. By my estimation I've self-injected 225 blood thinner shots (at $25 per shot) plus 35 Grastofil shots (Neupogen SEB at $150 per shot).
Another couple of weeks and my blood levels should be back to normal so I can crack open a bottle of wine to celebrate. Image

I have my 1 year colonoscopy scheduled for the first week of December. This will be done by my surgeon. I asked if I could watch, she seemed surprised that I didn't want to get knocked out. End result - we'll decide on the day of.

Cancer Care Ontario is in the middle of changing their follow up protocols and I could be in the old program or new, my oncologist wasn't sure which I would get although she has given me the test requisition paper work for new. The belief is that the risks from multiple scans over a year don't offset the delayed detection of recurrences. (Hope that makes sense-I'm trying to say that risk outweighs benefit.) The new standard is Ultra sound, Xray and blood test at 6 months; CT scan and blood test at 12 months for the first 3 years. I've forgotten what happens in year 4 and 5, but I have an appointment with the Nurse Practitioner in 3 weeks time to review the program so that I fully understand it.

Thank you all for the thoughts and support.

Cheers,
mob (aka NED) 8)


That sounds brutal (I only had to do 28 Lovenox). Glad that you're NED though - it's one rough journey.

Re: When I started chemotherapy...

Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2018 10:18 pm
by Koreysue
Woooo-hooooo! Great news :D

Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2019 9:11 pm
by mobrouser
New Cancer Care Ontario maintenance protocol is, assuming there is no evidence to suggest that I'm not NED, an ultrasound and chest X-ray, plus CEA test at 6 months and then CT and CEA at 12 month for the next 3 years.
So on March 11th was my 6 month follow up after ending chemo.

The ultrasound was done by a 4th year student and then followed with the student's supervisor redoing the test so that they could match results.
I was asked before starting if I was OK with this, which I was. It was 45 minutes of "big breath in and hold". There were a few times when both of them pushed the "hold" to my limits, and I think my lung capacity is pretty good.
The X-ray was done by a well seasoned technician.

On the 19th I met with my GP to review my results. This appointment had been booked directly by my oncologist's office in September. My GP was not really sure why I was there until I told her that she was supposed to review the results with me. New to her. I suppose in some ways that is good news - it would seem that most of her patients are not relatively new cancer patients. However it doesn't reflect well on the conversation between Cancer Care and doctors.

Anyway end result, ultrasound and X-ray show no signs of lesions in liver or lungs, nothing abnormal in the abdomen and CEA has dropped to 2.5. I am still NED. :D
I asked why the only other blood test done was for creatinin and my GP agreed that there should have been at least liver function and haemoglobin tests done so more blood work has been scheduled.

I appreciate all the thoughts from posters here and wish good results to everyone. I'm especially thinking about some who haven't received the good news that I did.

8) mob