Good update from Impaction

impactzone
impactzone Member Posts: 555 Member
in Colorectal Cancer #1

Dx Stage 4 August 2006 with liver and lung mets. I just had my CT scan and it is clean (NED) and CEA is below 1. This is now just a little over 3 years since my last thoracic surergy (12/2011) with NED. I don't pretend to have any answers or wisdom but do want to thank all who helped me especially early here. Many have passed and it is personally really hard to see that. I know long term survivors were a source of strength and hope to me when I was first dx. I just wanted to let others know that even if you don't eat as well as you should, pray as hard as others, go get surgeries anywhere in the world and just plug along, you have a chance. All my best to everyone and their caregivers. 

 

Chip

Comments

  • Cathleen Mary
    Cathleen Mary Member Posts: 827 Member
    #2
    Wonderul news, Chip!!!

    Wonderul news, Chip!!! Celebrate well. Your 'plugging along' is an inspiration in itself.

    i am very happy for you.

    CM

     

     

  • LivinginNH
    LivinginNH Member Posts: 1,456 Member
    #3
    That's really great news

    That's really great news Chip, congratulations on your continued NED status!  :)  

    All my best, and just keep doin' what you're doin'!!  :)

    Cynthia

  • hippiechicks
    hippiechicks Member Posts: 509 Member
    #4
    Thank you so much for sharing

    Thank you so much for sharing such inspiration!  It is so good to hear news like yours every now and again .. Congrats to you and wishing you continued health and NED!  

  • tootsie1
    tootsie1 Member Posts: 5,044 Member
    #5
    glad you're here!

    Very inspiring!

     

    *hugs*

    Gail

  • Easyflip
    Easyflip Member Posts: 588 Member
    #6
    Way to go

    Chip. You beat the odds and are an inspiration to those in the fight. It's good of you to stay around for others, thank you!

    Easyflip/Richard

  • ron50
    ron50 Member Posts: 1,723 Member
    #7
    all the best for the new year Chip

    On the 22nd of this moth I end year 16 and start year 17. Stay well mate,Ron.

  • tanstaafl
    tanstaafl Member Posts: 1,313 Member
    #8
    Great, keep on keeping on

    Great, Chip.  Keep on keeping on. Survivors like you carry the seeds of hope and survival for many others.

  • herdizziness
    herdizziness Member Posts: 3,624 Member
    #9
    Still plugging away

    Thanks for the update, just wonderful, keep on living the life!!

    Winter Marie

  • lilacbrroller
    lilacbrroller Member Posts: 412 Member
    #10
    herdizziness said:

    Still plugging away

    Thanks for the update, just wonderful, keep on living the life!!

    Winter Marie

    Amazing

    youre pretty amazing, and congrats on your longevity. What I want to know is how I'm the world did you find a surgeon who would take out all of your mets? That's the real challenge for people like us, isn't it?

    You had a primary tumor, liver and lung mets. Where did you have the surgery, what was different (or lucky) about your mets/cancer staging, and how much research did you have to do to find the surgeon? if you wouldn't mind, would you tell your story again or link to an earlier post where you may have written about it already? 

    Much obliged 

    karin

  • janderson1964
    janderson1964 Member Posts: 2,215 Member
    #11
    Thats awesome Chip. Thanks

    Thats awesome Chip. Thanks for the great update. You inspire me as i am sure you inspire many others here.

  • UncleBuddy
    UncleBuddy Member Posts: 1,019 Member
    #12
    Great news!

    Thank you for the encouragement! Many people on here need to hear this. Hope is such an important thing in life!

    Lin

  • UncleBuddy
    UncleBuddy Member Posts: 1,019 Member
    #13
    lilacbrroller said:

    Amazing

    youre pretty amazing, and congrats on your longevity. What I want to know is how I'm the world did you find a surgeon who would take out all of your mets? That's the real challenge for people like us, isn't it?

    You had a primary tumor, liver and lung mets. Where did you have the surgery, what was different (or lucky) about your mets/cancer staging, and how much research did you have to do to find the surgeon? if you wouldn't mind, would you tell your story again or link to an earlier post where you may have written about it already? 

    Much obliged 

    karin

    Hi Karin

    My brother had a doctor who was willing to remove my brother's lung mets. http://www.mountsinai.org/profiles/andrew-kaufman

    He would have done it if my brother's heart wasn't so weak. My brother's heart function is very low, so doing surgery could kill him. Our oncologist also sent us to a liver surgeon who would have have taken care of his liver. http://www.montefiore.org/body.cfm?id=1827&action=detail&ref=2943

    Both of these doctors gave him the option if his health was good, but his health ended up being a lot worse than we thought. He goes next week to see if his heart function has gotten better from taking meds. Don't give up! There are doctors out there who will do it if they feel you are fit.

    Lin

  • Phil64
    Phil64 Member Posts: 838 Member
    #14
    Congratulations Chip and

    Congratulations Chip and thank you for the update. I just had surgery 7. I'm currently NED and CEA is under 1. Just need it to last. And reading your update gives me hope.

  • maglets
    maglets Member Posts: 2,576 Member
    #15
    Phil64 said:

    Congratulations Chip and

    Congratulations Chip and thank you for the update. I just had surgery 7. I'm currently NED and CEA is under 1. Just need it to last. And reading your update gives me hope.

    Chip

    haha Chip....your post made me smile out loud.  It's true.....it may be possible to survive just by being our imperfect selves.  Thanks so much and many many congrats on your NED status ....well done and thanks for staying in touch.  I do think it is important that new people see that there is hope......well done......

    maggie

  • impactzone
    impactzone Member Posts: 555 Member
    #16

    Regarding surgery:

    I had colon cancer and surgery immediately to remove it in Santa Barbara. That went well as there was blockage and I used a good local surgeon. They noticed mets immediately and the complications of locations. I went to Stanford and onc put me on Folfox for 6 months and there was both CEA dropping (from 40 to 1, and liver and lung mets shrinking. Actually CEA went up and then down during chemo but this can be normal as cells die and are replaced. A PET scan ws done and lung mets did not light up. At Stanford there is a nice team approach so Dr Soo (liver surgeon) used that window to do liver surgery and took a large part out. I had chemo after that. The liver has never shown any signs of recurrance. The lungs kept getting mets ( confirmed after surgery). I had 2 wedge resections  and 2 thoracotomies over the years as the mets kept appearing. Scans were every 3 - 4 months and sometimes a met would not show up for 6 months. It was a kind of whack a mole game when a met popped up we'd hit it. I was lucky in that the locations allowed surgery but I could have opted for ablation or cyberknife. I use surgery as often as possible as I am young ( 50's) and will do that if I can.

    I had to go to the surgeons and convince them that that was what I wanted and that I could do it. After recoveries from the liver and first couple lung surgeries, the surgeons knew that I was in good shape and could get up and around quickly. 1 month after thoracotomy I sent my 1st thoracic surgeon a picture of me at the top of Mammoth Mountain (11,000 feet) skiing. (I think he uses it in his ads....). The key was timing and going after it when they first appeared.

     

  • Annabelle41415
    Annabelle41415 Member Posts: 6,742 Member
    #17
    Great

    So glad that you updated us with this great news.  Continued best health.  It was good to see your post again.  It's been a long time and you are bringing good news so thank you.

    Kim

     

  • Fight for my love
    Fight for my love Member Posts: 1,522 Member
    #18
    Thank you for this fantastic

    Thank you for this fantastic news! Please stay NED forever.

  • Kathleen808
    Kathleen808 Member Posts: 2,342 Member
    #19
    Chip

    Chip,

    It is so good to hear from you!  I celebrate that you are doing well my friend.  Thank you for sharing with us.  

    Next time you're on a wave, think of ****.  I know he is loving the ride with you!

     

    Aloha,

    Kathleen

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