The Colon Club

Just a short note to let y'all know that I have now completed my 8th year in remission.

That's about all the news for now.

Warm wishes to all. Take care, and keep safe!

Congrats!! That’s amazing! Love reading those kind of posts! Wishing you continued health!

How wonderful!!!!! So happy to see and hear this! Please fill out your signature with your diagnosis and what you have gone through so that others looking for hope can see that this is possible!!!
Cynthia

So happy to hear that, and also so grateful for all of the excellent information you have dispensed over the years.

Fantastic

Congratulations!

Best

Claudia

I am so happy for you!
You have been such a good supporter of everyone here. I have learned alot from you. Thank you for that.

Congrats!

AWESOME JOB!! Keep it up

Lee

Thanks to everyone for the kind, encouraging comments.

For those who would like to see my signature, here is an abridged version.  It doesn't contain everything, but it covers most of the essentials:

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2012 - Colonoscopy: DX, Rectal Cancer: very large, invasive, obstructing tumor found; colonoscope was unable to proceed past the blockage; impossible to examine the rest of the colon. Colonoscopy biopsy: Adenocarcinoma, moderately differentiated.

2012 - Initial bloodwork and scans: CEA normal; initial scans, ultrasounds and xrays showed no lymph node involvement and no distant (liver or lung) involvement.

2012 - LAR + ileostomy surgery (long, extensive open surgery, 8 hours in operating room, followed by one day in the ICU)

2012 - Pathology report: T4bN0M0. Mid- and upper rectum removed; recto-sigmoid junction removed; part of sigmoid colon removed, and parts of several adjacent organs also removed due to T4b tumor invasion. Altogether, two different tumors removed, one in upper rectum and another one in lower sigmoid colon. No genomic or genetic testing ever done.

2012 - Five weeks of post-surgery, adjuvant chemo-radiation beginning one month after surgery.

2013 - Four months of XELOX adjuvant chemotherapy commencing 5 weeks after completion of the adjuvant chemo-radiation regimen above (Xeloda + Oxaliplatin via peripheral IV to vein in hand).

2013 - Ileostomy reversal surgery performed 5 weeks after completion of XELOX regimen.

2013 - Discovered Colon Club in June and registered under screen name of "O Stoma Mia "

2013 - Started five-year surveillance period that required quarterly bloodwork and annual CT scans.

2018 - Completed five-year surveillance period. All quarterly CEA measurements over five years turned out normal and less than 1.5 ng/ml. None of the  annual CT scans or PET/CT scans showed any evidence of a recurrence.

2019 - Discharged by oncologist. No more quarterly bloodwork; no more annual CT scans.  Any scans and bloodwork required in the future to be ordered by family doctor.

2020 - My 19-year old orange tabby cat died of old age.  He had been my constant companion throughout all my months of treatment and recovery.

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Congrats! Your story gives a lot of people hope. So happy for you!

2020 - My 19-year old orange tabby cat died of old age. He had been my constant companion throughout all my months of treatment and recovery.

Aww sorry about losing your pet - 19 years, what a long life! We recently had to say goodbye to our sweet Gali, she was 16; and now are the happy parents of two 6-month-old black kittens that definitely bring a lot of energy to the house! I have been slowly trying to prepare myself mentally for many losses - my aging parents are still doing really well, but they won't be with us forever; and of course my beloved husband, I am an eternal optimist but also trying to be lucid in the face of stage 4 cancer. So, kittens to bring new life into the house, and accompany us along the way, now that our human children have left the nest

thanks for checking back in OSM !

Cheers and best wishes moving forward on your Journey
HEY don't be a stranger around here !!!!

AND ... I belive you will know how I feel about fur buddies,
so I am sending my sympathies over you losing yours.

In Harmony
CRguy