Been gone for a while; just checking in.

Hello all.  I haven't been on here for 18+ months or so, and I actually don't know what I did to my phone to bring up the site, but I figure things happen for a reason so I re-registered as there was no way I remembered my password.  LOL!

First off for the newbies, I am almost a six year survivor.  I started tx 4/13/09; two rounds of chemo (mito and 5 FU) and 28 radiation tx.  I ended my tx on 5/20/09.  Some dates such as diagnosis (tentative on 2/27/09 with a DRE and anoscope and confirmed two weeks later with biopsy results) you just never forget.  I was T3M0N0.  Butt (get it?), all is good.  (I joked my way through my journey.  Just my personal coping mechanism.) Sure I still have issues such as vaginal stenosis; intermittent hip pain; and frequency and sometimes control issues.  (My 4cm tumor was right on my sphincter muscle).  They are not totally debilitating (sp?) though, so I am just thankful that I am still here to complain about them.  

I read a few of the most recent posts and will add my two cents for what they are worth.  As we have all heard countless times from our Drs., each case is different.  And so are our approaches and decisions.  This board is a wonderful resource and I wish it had been around during my treatments.

I chose not to tell my parents (who are out of state) that I had cancer.  My mother was elderly and in poor health.  I was afraid of what the news would do to her.  My father would have been fine, but he would have messed up and told my mother.  I did tell my father after my mother's death in 2012.  My sister and brother were supportive and I had/have a wonderful group of friends that really stepped up and helped out.  I was single my entire life until recently (married for the first time this past December), so I was very independent.  I was OK by myself most of the time, but I did have family and friends come stay with me during the last 1.5 weeks of tx and for about a week afterwards.  I was on painkillers around the clock at that point, so I didn't need to be driving a car.  And they also took care of my animals and kept my pain pill schedule straight.

I also saw where someone posted that anal fissures can be a precursor to anal cancer.  I had never heard this, but I did have a chronic anal fissure for which I eventually had surgery.  My only other risk factors were being female, over 50, and multiple sexual partners.  (See above about not marrying until age 57.). I also do not have HPV as my gyno tested me for several strains.

Lastly it was great to see that wonderful Martha is still involved (great presentation BTW), and good to hear from Sandy too.  I'm sure if I read more posts I will see more names that I recognize.

I will tell all that I am very open about what type of cancer that I had.  I remember when First Lady Betty Ford had breast cancer.  I believe that was the start of openness about cancer in general and especially (gasp!) breast cancer.  And look now, breast cancer has bumper stickers that say "Save the ta-tas".  Everyone has an anus and most of us use it on a regular basis (some of us more than others.). Also since many of my friends have teenagers/young adult children, I am a strong advocate of HPV vaccinations.

No one would dare to say that the tx is easy, but it is doable and there can be a good life after anal cancer.