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Re: STAGE IV RC GUYS AND GALS

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2024 1:21 pm
by stu
:D Just wrote a big reply and it disappeared!

That’s a very accurate description Roadrunner ! :D
Never worried much about cancer but did about her family and hated osteoporosis !
We should have paid more attention to her bone density .
We only use chemo for visible disease here , so only every had 12 cycles of chemo to get on top of her liver spread way back . Then ten months of a biological agent last year when she recurred in her mediastinal Lymph nodes and one lung met .
She had a great response and the lymph nodes disappeared and the lung node went right down .
A scan two weeks before she died showed an extensive spread , too many to count .

How she contained that level of microdisease is a mystery .
She had a good immune system . Looked after her gut biome . Ate fruit and nuts for breakfast but had a good appetite. Liked to be out and about and continued that right up to the week before she died .
Her tumour sample is being tested as part of a longevity study . There was a lot of questions about her diet , her approach to life . The focus seemed to be on the role of T cells .

A dr told her it would be good to add in pomegranate seeds when on a her biological treatment as it had a role to play with the gut absorption. She did as recommended and the oncologist told her she had great results but wanted to go back and speak with the radiologist as she was not convinced they could be real ! However we had seen this way back when she was on chemo .

What causes the shift in either direction who knows but I do hope some scientists is working on it .
She stayed connected to life and family to the end . I class that as a win !

I wish you all every success going forward !
Stu

Re: STAGE IV RC GUYS AND GALS

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2024 1:43 pm
by roadrunner
Stu: That is a win of epic proportions! Reasonably regarded, she beat Stage IV CRC, and on her terms. Yes, it may technically have played a role in her death, but I think nearly all of us would’ve taken an 82-yr. run if offered at the start (of life, not cancer), and clearly she enjoyed it nearly to the end, which is far better than most perfectly healthy people do. She was the equivalent of an Olympic champion, really. And in the sport that matters most.

Re: STAGE IV RC GUYS AND GALS

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2024 3:15 pm
by claudine
Many thoughts to you and yours, Stu. This is pretty amazing, what your mom did, keeping cancer at bay for so long with minimum treatment! Someone posted somewhere (apologies if it was on this forum and one of you recognizes themselves!) that "unless the proverbial bus hits you, eventually your cancer is likely to get you", but that eventuality took many years for your mom, during which she had a good life.
Losing a parent is hard no matter how you slice it, so you are in my thoughts; thank you for dropping by, and giving us the news.
Much love,
Claudine

Re: STAGE IV RC GUYS AND GALS

Posted: Wed Sep 11, 2024 11:23 am
by IDF108
Stu,

Please accept my condolences, and may your dearest Mum rest in peace reunited with your Dad.

Re: STAGE IV RC GUYS AND GALS

Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2024 7:01 pm
by JP66
Paige,

I wanted to ask you directly as to how you are doing and didn't know where else to pose the question other than a PM so I hope this is okay.

Anyways, how are you doing?

You are truly inspiring here with your positive attitude and comments.

Re: STAGE IV RC GUYS AND GALS

Posted: Tue Oct 22, 2024 7:46 am
by utahgal7
Hi Joe,

Thank you for the kind words. That is really sweet of you. I am doing ok. CT scan in September and MRI of brain in October did not show any progression. That was a relief to hear. Again, I am feeling good physically. Mental health is a daily challenge though. I have just resigned myself to think of at least 1 happy thing each day. Not gonna lie, it's hard, trying to be positive especially when negative thoughts come creeping in. Therapy, medication, acceptance and silent meditation have helped me quite a bit.

How are you feeling? Were you able to have fun this past summer and spend time on your boat? Hope you were able to make cherished memories with your family.

Ok, I don't know if you follow baseball but I want to ask if you are a Yankees fan. If you are a Yankees fan, I won't hold it against you, lol. My prediction is Dodgers 4 games to 3 over the Yankees. What do you think?

Take care,

Paige

Re: STAGE IV RC GUYS AND GALS

Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2024 6:55 am
by JP66
utahgal7 wrote:Hi Joe,

Thank you for the kind words. That is really sweet of you. I am doing ok. CT scan in September and MRI of brain in October did not show any progression. That was a relief to hear. Again, I am feeling good physically. Mental health is a daily challenge though. I have just resigned myself to think of at least 1 happy thing each day. Not gonna lie, it's hard, trying to be positive especially when negative thoughts come creeping in. Therapy, medication, acceptance and silent meditation have helped me quite a bit.

How are you feeling? Were you able to have fun this past summer and spend time on your boat? Hope you were able to make cherished memories with your family.

Ok, I don't know if you follow baseball but I want to ask if you are a Yankees fan. If you are a Yankees fan, I won't hold it against you, lol. My prediction is Dodgers 4 games to 3 over the Yankees. What do you think?

Take care,

Paige


Hah! I grew up during the era of Tom Seaver (actually met him once on an airplane when I was a pilot for United Airlines flying out of JFK!) and so to me the Yankees have always been the evil brother, LOL. Nothing I'd like more than to see the Dodgers trounce the Yankees and so far looks like your prediction is possible if not likely!

Yes to enjoying this summer with the fam. I was a little slow and certainly couldn't take part in water sports like years past, but I was able to drive my new boat and that made me feel almost normal, at least while I was driving. Lucky me this issue has allowed me to tap financial savings and receive resources from my generous union benefits so I actually have purchased a Porsche GT4 which was a "Bucket List" item that I drive exclusively on a race track in CT. I also am super lucky and purchased a small two engine airplane that I'm taking delivery of on Thursday, and in which I hope to fly with my wife (she's actually a qualified pilot as well and I was her flight instructor back in '89 which is how we met) and me down to Florida on vaca and out to California to visit one of my daughters. I'm hoping that LARS won't be so bad as to keep me from making 2-3 hour flights as I am planning ileostomy reversal in December, but meanwhile I'm definitely trying to enjoy life to the fullest each and every day.

Anyways, so great to hear from you and just know that I take inspiration from your online positivity!

All the Best - Joe

Re: STAGE IV RC GUYS AND GALS

Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2024 1:53 pm
by beach sunrise
Hi Paige, just catching up on here and read your 10-22 update. I am very happy that scans were good. I hate to hear about the mental issues. I found out in August how terrible it is. I checked out mentally for 3 1/2 weeks and do not remember anything. It was a devastating thing to come out of it and thinking it was still mid Aug when in actuality it was Sept.
You have grit and it's to be admired!
Beach

Re: STAGE IV RC GUYS AND GALS

Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2024 1:15 pm
by utahgal7
Joe,

Wow, a Porsche and a plane! Sounds like you are having a blast. I am happy for you. It's good to hear that your ileostomy is not preventing you from having fun! Good luck with your ileostomy reversal surgery in December. I am sure it will be a success!

Take care and keep in touch,

Paige

Re: STAGE IV RC GUYS AND GALS

Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2024 1:25 pm
by utahgal7
beach,

It's so good to hear from you. I hope that you are doing well. Wow, it was a tough summer for all of us. Grit, perseverance and stamina are some of the essential attributes needed to fight this beast of a disease.

I think of you often.

Keep fighting and take care,

Paige