Courage this Sunday Morning

Minnesotagirl
Minnesotagirl Member Posts: 141
in Colorectal Cancer #1
Good Morning Colorectal Cancer Survivors and friends,

I am one of the quiet ones that sit back and read the Discussion Boards at least once a week if not more, but never respond, write or articulate my admiration and praise for this group of people that speak out on my/ our behalf. For all of you like me, I think it would be fun to just write something (even if it is "Have a Good Day everyone") because it will connect all of us (including quiet non-writers as myself) to each other.

Let's try it. Being my courage is at its highest this morning after reading the Discussion Boards for at least one year...my story is: I was diagnosed at age 49 with Stage 3 Rectal Cancer with 3 lymph nodes positive for cancer. I (as many of you) did not fit the category of candidate for this type of cancer. Wife, mother of 3, enjoyed the simplicity of Minnesota life...you know (the girl next door type). In October, 2010, started Chemo and Radiation...followed by Surgery in January, 2011...more Chemo thru June, 2011. NED in July, 2011... o.k. my courage is over and enough about me but I am here and I am a new survivor.

Guess, what I am trying to encourage this cold Minnesota Sunday morning is that we should all have a written voice this morning by acknowledging that we exist on this board...so let's try it.

Thank you to all (quiet ones and writers) who give me courage everyday..."We are, each of us, angels with only one wing and we can only fly by embracing one another"

~Minnesotagirl
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Comments

  • smokeyjoe
    smokeyjoe Member Posts: 1,425 Member
    #2
    I love your closing line :)
    I love your closing line :) So true!!!
  • plh4gail
    plh4gail Member Posts: 1,238 Member
    #3
    Very nice idea Minnesota
    Very nice idea Minnesota girl! It's cute...sounds like you're idea wraps up the end to Pepe's beginning. (even if it wasn't intended that way):)

    You and I started treatment only a few months apart. I hope life is getting a little easier for you, it seems to be for me.

    You are a huge encouragement to us too!

    plh4gail
  • christinecarl
    christinecarl Member Posts: 543 Member
    #4
    I like your quote, it is
    I like your quote, it is very fitting. I am from Minnesota too. I wish you continued good health from now on.
  • wolfen
    wolfen Member Posts: 1,324 Member
    #5
    christinecarl said:

    I like your quote, it is
    I like your quote, it is very fitting. I am from Minnesota too. I wish you continued good health from now on.

    Welcome Minnesotagirl
    Welcome from sunny Arizona. Beautiful sentiment at the end. I hope your NED status remains forever.

    Luv,
    Wolfen(mother of Johnnybegood)
  • tootsie1
    tootsie1 Member Posts: 5,044 Member
    #6
    Hi
    What a lovely first post! It's good to hear from you!

    *hugs*
    Gail
  • Minnesotagirl
    Minnesotagirl Member Posts: 141
    #7
    plh4gail said:

    Very nice idea Minnesota
    Very nice idea Minnesota girl! It's cute...sounds like you're idea wraps up the end to Pepe's beginning. (even if it wasn't intended that way):)

    You and I started treatment only a few months apart. I hope life is getting a little easier for you, it seems to be for me.

    You are a huge encouragement to us too!

    plh4gail

    Hip fracture
    Thanks for the response. Life was getting easier until I fractured my hip 2 weeks ago. Now, on crutches keeping weight off the right leg/hip. Went to a Orchopedic Dr. last week and he noted from the MRI that I had radiation damage to my bones and muscles in the pelvic area (saved my life but was the gift that kept on giving) :( Tomorrow, I have a bone density test to see how the rest of my bones are doing...oh boy.

    I am glad to hear that life is getting easier for you...wonderful. Keep up the good work and thanks for the encouragement :)

    ~Minnesotagirl
  • plh4gail
    plh4gail Member Posts: 1,238 Member
    #8
    Minnesotagirl said:

    Hip fracture
    Thanks for the response. Life was getting easier until I fractured my hip 2 weeks ago. Now, on crutches keeping weight off the right leg/hip. Went to a Orchopedic Dr. last week and he noted from the MRI that I had radiation damage to my bones and muscles in the pelvic area (saved my life but was the gift that kept on giving) :( Tomorrow, I have a bone density test to see how the rest of my bones are doing...oh boy.

    I am glad to hear that life is getting easier for you...wonderful. Keep up the good work and thanks for the encouragement :)

    ~Minnesotagirl

    Now see....I have complained
    Now see....I have complained to both my oncologist and radiation oncologist about my hip problems and they swear its not from my treatment. I think I know better!

    Get over that fracture soon!
  • steveandnat
    steveandnat Member Posts: 886
    #9
    Great hearing from you
    It was so great hearing from you and that you are NED. Sorry to hear about your broken bone...as the saying goes if it's not one thing then it's something else. Hope everything heals quickly for you.
    Jeff
  • MrsJP
    MrsJP Member Posts: 157
    #10
    ")
    Good Morning!
  • lauragb
    lauragb Member Posts: 370 Member
    #11
    Welcome and thanks for your
    Welcome and thanks for your post. I'm still in the treatment regimen for rectal cancer. Don't like hearing about those bone issues though since I still have pain in those areas post radiation but it is good to be alive!

    Sending light to all those angels out there.
  • Momto3boys
    Momto3boys Member Posts: 16
    #12
    Hi, my first time to post

    Hi, my first time to post here too. But I want to thank everyone for all the encouragement I have gained from reading everyones posts.

    I was dx stage IV CC 4/10. I was treated with Debulking surgery, then 6 mos Folfox/Avastin, then 1 year of Avastin/Xeloda. I have been NED for 1 year. Currently doing monthly bloodwork and scans every three months.
  • karen40
    karen40 Member Posts: 211 Member
    #13
    Momto3boys said:

    Hi, my first time to post

    Hi, my first time to post here too. But I want to thank everyone for all the encouragement I have gained from reading everyones posts.

    I was dx stage IV CC 4/10. I was treated with Debulking surgery, then 6 mos Folfox/Avastin, then 1 year of Avastin/Xeloda. I have been NED for 1 year. Currently doing monthly bloodwork and scans every three months.

    Welcome
    Welcome! Congrats on your NED status. That's awesome. I have 3 boys,as well. Mine are teenagers. Yep,I pray a lot. lol Feel free to post when ever you have a question or just want to comment on something. Lots of nice folks here.
    Karen
  • Matta
    Matta Member Posts: 39
    #14
    Thank you
    I don´t write much here but I read here almost every day. Minnesotagirl you could be writing my story, I was diagnosed in October 2010, colon cancer 3, 3 lymph nodes out of 12 were positive. I had surgery in November, 60 cm was cut away from my colon, I had chemo for 6 months and in July I was NED. I am also a mother of 3. I am not in USA, I live in Iceland. It took a long time for me to get diagnosed, I talked to so many doctors and they all said that I had depression and gave me medicine for that, this took many years and I slept almost 24/7 for nearly 3 years. At last I had to FIGHT to let the doctors listen to me. I am still not over that fear that I had in this situation, all my family desided to listen to the doctors so I had very little hope. But in the end I won :-)

    Thank you all who writes here, I don´t write good english but I understand it very well.

    Matta
  • Minnesotagirl
    Minnesotagirl Member Posts: 141
    #15
    Momto3boys said:

    Hi, my first time to post

    Hi, my first time to post here too. But I want to thank everyone for all the encouragement I have gained from reading everyones posts.

    I was dx stage IV CC 4/10. I was treated with Debulking surgery, then 6 mos Folfox/Avastin, then 1 year of Avastin/Xeloda. I have been NED for 1 year. Currently doing monthly bloodwork and scans every three months.

    First Time to Post
    Hi, I am so glad you posted. Congratulations on being NED for 1 year. I just had another CT scan last week ~ January, 2012 and it came back NED as well. I still am dealing with my fractured hip but who cares about that as long as the cancer stays away!

    I do bloodwork every 3 months but only scan twice a year. If you were Stage IV, did it go to your liver or lungs? I only ask, because it seems that is the place that colon/ rectal cancer likes to move to.

    I hope you are doing well (relatively speaking)...the new form of well after being treated for cancer. Good luck to you as we take this journey together...

    ~Minnesotagirl
  • Momto3boys
    Momto3boys Member Posts: 16
    #16
    karen40 said:

    Welcome
    Welcome! Congrats on your NED status. That's awesome. I have 3 boys,as well. Mine are teenagers. Yep,I pray a lot. lol Feel free to post when ever you have a question or just want to comment on something. Lots of nice folks here.
    Karen

    Hi Karen
    thanks for your nice note. I have twin boys that are 10 and my oldest is 13. I was diagnosed when I was 49....coming up on 51 now.

    I think the hardest thing I'm dealing with is trying to "live normally" and not worry so much. I worry about recurrence alot.

    I'm glad I posted.
  • Momto3boys
    Momto3boys Member Posts: 16
    #17
    Minnesotagirl said:

    First Time to Post
    Hi, I am so glad you posted. Congratulations on being NED for 1 year. I just had another CT scan last week ~ January, 2012 and it came back NED as well. I still am dealing with my fractured hip but who cares about that as long as the cancer stays away!

    I do bloodwork every 3 months but only scan twice a year. If you were Stage IV, did it go to your liver or lungs? I only ask, because it seems that is the place that colon/ rectal cancer likes to move to.

    I hope you are doing well (relatively speaking)...the new form of well after being treated for cancer. Good luck to you as we take this journey together...

    ~Minnesotagirl

    Doing Well
    Hi Minesotagirl,

    Thank you for your post. I used to live in Minnesota, really loved it. Anyway. When I was first diagnosed (at surgery) I had a 20cm tumor on my right ovary, 13/16 LN, met in my adominal wall, Endometrium, Omentum. I had no pet prior (or chemo). After surgery, the PET showed 1 met (1.4cm) to the liver and 3-4 LN. My lungs were clear.

    After a few cycles of chemo the liver met disappeared. The LN took about 8 months.

    Physically, I am good. The chemo was easy on me, and I worked through it. I feel fine physically. It's the mental part I struggle with...trying to live my life "normally", worrying about recurrence....anxiety of scans....

    Stay well.
  • SisterSledge
    SisterSledge Member Posts: 332 Member
    #18
    we can only fly by embracing one another
    Perfect, Minnie <3
    So glad you posted and brought some peeps out of the closet :)
  • pete43lost_at_sea
    pete43lost_at_sea Member Posts: 3,900 Member
    #19
    welcome to the board
    mother of 3, how wonderful.

    we have strange parallels,

    i am a father of 2, stage 3 rectal with 3 lymph nodes.

    alas with a poorly behaved cea.

    the strong point of our community is that its around the world.

    hugs,
    Pete
  • Minnesotagirl
    Minnesotagirl Member Posts: 141
    #20
    pete43lost_at_sea said:

    welcome to the board
    mother of 3, how wonderful.

    we have strange parallels,

    i am a father of 2, stage 3 rectal with 3 lymph nodes.

    alas with a poorly behaved cea.

    the strong point of our community is that its around the world.

    hugs,
    Pete

    Poorly behaved CEA
    Hi Pete,
    Thanks for the note. I have been following your story for some time now. I was saddened to see your current struggle with the CEA level rising and feeling your fear of the unknown as well. You, in this cancer journey, were diagnosed just a few months before I was, with seemingly the same cancer story...parallels to say the least.

    I, of course, am applauding your courage and willingness to fight the battle with alternative thoughts and ideas. I don't always understand everything that you are writing about but it makes me curious... which I think is a good thing if you have had or currently have cancer. We all should be willing to peek around the corners of the world to see what is being recommended or not recommended, what has worked or not worked, and open our mind to other opportunities that we may need to explore in the future!

    Being our journey was somewhat parallel, did you have hip problems like me? I am sitting with a non displaced fractured hip (sacral ala). I have been swimming this past year to try and loosen up my stiff joints/bones in the hip area. So stiff. I complained to my radiologist and oncologist and they said it would just take time. Went to Physical therapy and then on to a Chiropractor for help. In December, 2011, I thought I would take a month off swimming and started walking instead...about 2-3 miles per day. The walking caused a stress fracture which they are linking to radiation treatments to the pelvic area. Did you or anyone else for that matter have a problem with the same? Makes me mad that no one recommended to me to have a bone density scan until after the hip fracture took place...

    "What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for each other"...here's to you Pete and what you are doing to make a difference for all of us on this board!

    ~Minnesotagirl
  • Sundanceh
    Sundanceh Member Posts: 4,392 Member
    #21
    I Missed the Welcome Wagon....
    ...but howdy hey, MG:)

    Just wanted to say welcome to the group. I'm glad to see you "out of the shadows - and into the light."

    I can see you better that way:)

    -Craig

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