2nd recurrence

shirleyroberta
shirleyroberta Member Posts: 15
in Ovarian Cancer #1
My cancer returned after 8 months of being cancer free. Just had my follow up appointment with the oncologist after completing 6 sessions of chemo. The CT125 is 8 and the CT scan is clear. The oncologist said that when, not "if" but "when" the cancer returns again, that it will be in a shorter period of time. Has anyone found that this is how it happens?

Comments

  • Lisa13Q
    Lisa13Q Member Posts: 677
    #2
    Dear Shirley,
    How unfortunate that your doctor used those terms. First I'd like to say "CONGRATULATIONS" on being cancer free....enjoy every second of it!!! YEAH!!! Second, no one knows when and if the cancer will return. There are people here who have been in remission for years, and those (like my mother) who never got one. No one can predict. Those little cells are buggers and I think they do what they damn well please. Most of the oncologists I have run into have been very clear about that. So enjoy your day!!
  • kikz
    kikz Member Posts: 1,345 Member
    #3
    Lisa13Q said:

    Dear Shirley,
    How unfortunate that your doctor used those terms. First I'd like to say "CONGRATULATIONS" on being cancer free....enjoy every second of it!!! YEAH!!! Second, no one knows when and if the cancer will return. There are people here who have been in remission for years, and those (like my mother) who never got one. No one can predict. Those little cells are buggers and I think they do what they damn well please. Most of the oncologists I have run into have been very clear about that. So enjoy your day!!

    I am so glad
    to hear that your numbers are good. This is how my gyn/onc put it to me. He said if it never comes back I am cured but if it comes back once then it is treatable. I just pray it doesn't come back but if it does I'll fight the fight like the rest of my teal sisters. Here's to a long remission for you.

    Karen
  • lovesanimals
    lovesanimals Member Posts: 1,366 Member
    #4
    kikz said:

    I am so glad
    to hear that your numbers are good. This is how my gyn/onc put it to me. He said if it never comes back I am cured but if it comes back once then it is treatable. I just pray it doesn't come back but if it does I'll fight the fight like the rest of my teal sisters. Here's to a long remission for you.

    Karen

    Congratulations
    on finishing your chemo and having good numbers. I agree that no one knows when or even if cancer will return. Enjoy each day and I hope you have a very long remission!

    Kelly
  • LaundryQueen
    LaundryQueen Member Posts: 676
    #5
    lovesanimals said:

    Congratulations
    on finishing your chemo and having good numbers. I agree that no one knows when or even if cancer will return. Enjoy each day and I hope you have a very long remission!

    Kelly

    Cancer vaccine
    You may want to see if you are eligible for the cancer vaccine clinical trial. What the oncologists know is that once cancer has recurred, you can't be cured by chemo alone -- BUT that doesn't mean your immune system can't keep your cancer away.

    Celebrate your current remission! I'm very happy for you.
  • Mwee
    Mwee Member Posts: 1,338
    #6
    Do the happy dance
    I'm thrilled that you are "normal" after 6 rounds of chemo. I say enjoy, enjoy. None of us what's ahead for us and that brings with it all kinds of anxiety. You've beaten that beast twice now and IF you need to fight again, you will.
    (((HUGS))) Maria
  • angel3
    angel3 Member Posts: 5
    #7
    2nd recurrence
    I also have been going through a second recurrence, and am going through Chemo. I find that I am having more side effects this time. My muscles in my legs, and arms have been damaged from 1st Chemo treatments. This time the pain is more severe in legs, but it subsides after 4 or 5 days after treatment. Has anyone ever had to go through this? I am on my 2nd chemo treatment. My next one is in December. When they took a Catscan they found 4 new tumors, but they are small so I am hoping chemo will take care of them. I would of been Cancer free for 2 years before this reacurrence.
  • shelfish
    shelfish Member Posts: 18
    #8
    Celebrate your remission, even if temporary. I just posted something relating to this. Doctors are so negative, but I guess they see so much that they become discouraged and do not want to give false hope. But do not give up hope. Take it one day at a time.

    Angel 3, I am sorry this chemo round is harder for you.

    What stage are you? When were you diagnosed? My mother was diagnosed 9/23/11 stage IV. She has had 3 rounds of taxol/carbo so far and her ca-125 is now down to 48. Getting ready for debulking surgery Dec 8th. Have you had surgery to remove anthing?
  • angel3
    angel3 Member Posts: 5
    #9
    shelfish said:

    Celebrate your remission, even if temporary. I just posted something relating to this. Doctors are so negative, but I guess they see so much that they become discouraged and do not want to give false hope. But do not give up hope. Take it one day at a time.

    Angel 3, I am sorry this chemo round is harder for you.

    What stage are you? When were you diagnosed? My mother was diagnosed 9/23/11 stage IV. She has had 3 rounds of taxol/carbo so far and her ca-125 is now down to 48. Getting ready for debulking surgery Dec 8th. Have you had surgery to remove anthing?

    I was diagnosed in 2009. Stage 4. This is my second round with Taxol/carbo. I already had debulking surgery...
  • LaundryQueen
    LaundryQueen Member Posts: 676
    #10
    angel3 said:

    I was diagnosed in 2009. Stage 4. This is my second round with Taxol/carbo. I already had debulking surgery...

    Terminology
    Just to be clear about the cancer terminology: when the cancer returns, that's when the episode is called a recurrence. If you have been NED after having the first round of chemo & then the cancer returned, that's the first recurrence rather than a second recurrence.
  • shirleyroberta
    shirleyroberta Member Posts: 15
    #11
    LaundryQueen said:

    Terminology
    Just to be clear about the cancer terminology: when the cancer returns, that's when the episode is called a recurrence. If you have been NED after having the first round of chemo & then the cancer returned, that's the first recurrence rather than a second recurrence.

    Yes, I am aware that this is
    Yes, I am aware that this is my first recurrence. My questions to others who have had a 2nd recurrence, is how long of a remission was there between bouts.
  • kayandok
    kayandok Member Posts: 1,202 Member
    #12
    shirleyroberta said:

    Yes, I am aware that this is
    Yes, I am aware that this is my first recurrence. My questions to others who have had a 2nd recurrence, is how long of a remission was there between bouts.

    Hi Shirley,
    welome to the board! Love the number 8!!! I had a recurrence after being in remission for 8 months or so. I had surgery to remove the tumors and then did a pretty intense chemo routine for 6 cycles. I then enjoyed a few another few month remission. I think everyone is different, and I often wonder if those of us who have the shorter remissions (less than a year) are just more prone to the cancer coming back sooner (I did read a study about that at one point.) Of-course it does have a lot to do with the grade of the cancer.

    The good news is that many many enjoy long 2d and 3rd and 4th remissions! So, if you have any ability at all to NOT WORRY about the next shoe dropping, enjoying your life to the fullest and taking a break from cancer is the way to go in my opinion!!!

    Wishing you the best,
    kathleen

    DX 6-07
    On carbo/gem right now
    I'm alive! Life is good!
  • leesag
    leesag Member Posts: 621 Member
    #13
    Hi Shirley,A recurrence is
    Hi Shirley,

    A recurrence is not a death sentence. And certainly, you can enjoy a long remission after any recurrence. I had a recurrence (brain mets) 10 months after I finished chemo. Not one single doctor has even implied that I need to be on the lookout for another recurrence. In fact, I just had an MRI of my brain because my radiation oncologist is uber confident that I'll be just fine. (otherwise he would have put it off till after the holidays.)

    I guess what I'm trying to say is this...if you spend your life waiting for the next recurrence, you won't have much of a life. On the other hand, if you live as if you'll be around for decades, imagine how much you can experience! I'm trying , really really hard, to live like that....like I have a million tomorrows, but at the same time, I'm making sure that I say what is in my heart no matter how mushy or sappy it is.

    I see my Radiation Oncologist on Dec. 6. He's confident my head is empty...I'm counting on it!

    Hugs to all!

    Leesa

    (My current remission is 4 months and counting)

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