6 year checkup

ERomanO
ERomanO Member Posts: 323 Member
edited May 6 in Head and Neck Cancer #1

Hello, everyone. Last Wed I had my 6 year checkup, and all is good. A week from Friday I'll have a CT neck scan done for no other reason than I haven't had one since finishing up with treatments.

I still have a little dry mouth, but Act dry mouth lozenges as needed during the day, and one XyliMelt tab at night is all I need to deal with it. Neuropathy is still a thing, but I often don't notice much throughout most of the day, and then take 2 or 3 gabapentin capsules (300 mg) from the late afternoon until I got to bed. I've gotten into a groove with those and using fluoride gel with my metal trays, so they've just become part of my daily life.

Apparently my thyroid function has decreased a bit more, so my doctor upped my Synthroid (levothyroxine) dose from 75 mg to 88 mg.

In general, life its good. I hope yours is too!

Comments

  • wbcgaruss
    wbcgaruss Member Posts: 2,482 Member
    #2

    Mr. Romano, so good to have you stop in and give us an update on your post-cancer situation and the effects you are dealing with. And it sounds like overall the effects you are left with after enduring treatment are pretty minimal and manageable. You are adding the cancer-free years rather quickly, as I am amazed it has been 6 years since you showed up on the discussion board here, my oh my time goes so fast and I think that is what cancer in our lives highlights, it makes us extremely aware of how precious our lives are and helps us cherish each day, each hour, each minute. It also helps us cherish our loved ones, relatives, and friends around us every day more because we now see life circumstances can change in a minute. It gives us awareness we never had before and also helps us be more forgiving.

    Mr. Romano, I am so glad life is good for you and so glad you checked back in here to give inspiration to other H&N patients that there is light at the end of the tunnel and hope beyond a cancer diagnosis. You are living proof that we can be positive and beat cancer and live on.

    Mr. Romano, this calls for a celebration, I Celebrate with you….

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    Wishing You The Best

    Take Care, God Bless

    Russ

  • ERomanO
    ERomanO Member Posts: 323 Member
    #3

    Thanks, Russ. I’m amazed, too, that it’s been 6 years! Sorry for not checking in more often. My life is pretty busy, and when things slow down I tend to want to relax. I’ll try to change that.

  • ricksmithgolfer
    ricksmithgolfer Member Posts: 88 Member
    #4

    Hi Mr Romano,

    Glad to hear you are doing well. You may recall, we had basically the same cancers and treatments. I finished 4 months after you. I'm doing well and all is clear. The only real side effects for me was a dead Thyroid at 1 year and I get neck cramps on the side of the neck I received 70 greys of radiation. Teeth are doing well. Have not been on site much since they changed the format. I do not find it as user friendly as the site we started out on. Take care and God bless. Rick

  • ERomanO
    ERomanO Member Posts: 323 Member
    #5

    Hi Rick. Yes, I remember you following in my footsteps, so to speak. I'm glad you're doing well. I think a dead or dying thyroid is pretty common, and considering the kind of damage that's possible with radiation to the neck, I'll take a dead thyroid. I've noticed that there isn't nearly the activity there was before the format change, but such is life. But I still try to check in each year later my latest follow-up. Once I hit the 10 year mark in 4 years, they'll cut me loose. I don't think there will be any fanfare, but that's fine. It'll be nice not having to make the hour drive for my appointments. Take care.

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