A very Big Day

yensid683
yensid683 Member Posts: 349
in Head and Neck Cancer #1

I just returned from my final visit with the ENT, got scoped, poked, prodded, gagged and just about every other 'pleasant' experience you can have with a follow up visit and the good news is that everything is 100% normal ...and... I'M DONE with having to go to regular follow-ups.

I crossed the 5 years since the end of rads  mark on July 5th but didn't post as I still had the visit with the chancre mechanic to go and didn't want to jinks it.

So, going forward I was advised that I can come in when I have concerns, the incidence/probability of recurrence is in single digits and it is now time to resume life without the figurative sword of Damocles hanging over my head.

Time to celebrate!

Peter

BTW, Stage IVa, BOT, HPV+, medical oncologist gave me a 30% 5 year survival chance, I had induction chemo, rads with chemo, 2 selective neck dissections and the only tried 3 times to kill me!

Comments

  • soonermom
    soonermom Member Posts: 155
    #2
    Positive News

    For those of us still looking at the first PET and hoping it is NED, your story is so encouraging.  Your diagnosis matches my husbands.  Our first PET post treatment is Thursday.  Thanks for taking time to share such a positive report.

  • CivilMatt
    CivilMatt Member Posts: 4,724 Member
    #3
    Great

    Hi Peter,

    I am very happy for you, it is a milestone achieved with self-reward.

    Congratulations!

    Matt

    fm

  • Tilly26
    Tilly26 Member Posts: 30
    edited July 2017 #4
    Congrats!!

    thank you for sharing! Always glad to read good news!!

  • rsp
    rsp Member Posts: 103 Member
    #5
    Way to Go!

    Thank you for sharing!  It is so encouraging to hear the good news of others.  May you enjoy the rest of your life doing all of the things that make you happy!

  • swopoe
    swopoe Member Posts: 492
    #6
    Congrats! The best news!

    Congrats! The best news!

  • Joel4
    Joel4 Member Posts: 263 Member
    #7
    Congratulations

    quite the milestone, very happy for you!

  • mskitty137
    mskitty137 Member Posts: 73
    #8
    Such wonderful news! I will

    Such wonderful news! I will share with hubby as inspiration! !

  • Fritz
    Fritz Member Posts: 106
    #9
    Always good news

    Congrats!!  Enjoy this great news!!

  • tbret
    tbret Member Posts: 76 Member
    edited July 2017 #10
    Congratulations!!!

    That is really great news.

    I look forward to the day when any of us can wake-up in the morning and not-have a doctor's appointment, a scan, or a fear lingering in the backs of our minds.

    I am glad you were able to lead the way!!

  • Chicklette
    Chicklette Member Posts: 225
    #11
    Awesome!

    Thank you for sharing this wonderful news!  It really encourages those of us at the very beginning of this journey.  :)  May you have many many more years ahead of you!

  • donfoo
    donfoo Member Posts: 1,773 Member
    edited July 2017 #12
    Way to go.

    No better news than hearing another survivor cross the official finish line.

  • AnotherSurvivor
    AnotherSurvivor Member Posts: 384 Member
    edited July 2017 #13
    CivilMatt said:

    Great

    Hi Peter,

    I am very happy for you, it is a milestone achieved with self-reward.

    Congratulations!

    Matt

    fm

    Love the move into graphics.

    Love the move into graphics.

  • AnotherSurvivor
    AnotherSurvivor Member Posts: 384 Member
    edited July 2017 #14
    SO, details! How is your

    SO, details! How is your drymouth, what do you eat, what can you taste, did you gain none, some, all of the weight back, is beer back on the menu!  What does a clean 5 years post look like?

  • Andy13460
    Andy13460 Member Posts: 115
    #15
    Congratulations

    Great news no more waiting for results.

    Andy

  • yensid683
    yensid683 Member Posts: 349
    #16
    AnotherSurvivor said:

    SO, details! How is your

    SO, details! How is your drymouth, what do you eat, what can you taste, did you gain none, some, all of the weight back, is beer back on the menu!  What does a clean 5 years post look like?

    Life is "Abby"-normal

    The side effects are rather substantial, but I'll take them as it means I get to look at the leaves on the trees instead of up at their roots....

    Dry mouth is a challenge, some days it seems almost normal, others it seems like I have less than half of my normal.  I have found that I can eat most foods but it is not an issue of the food item itself, it is an issue of flavors.  I don't tolerate sour tastes very well at all.  I'd seen a TV show about sour candies and why they're so popular with kids and one of the comments was that your mouth floods with saliva when it gets a sour taste in order to dilute the sour.  I don't do that so I can't eat some of my favorite candies (Lemonheads are something i dearly miss)

    I do need to keep water available to me when I eat just about anything except very wet foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, pasta with sauce etc.  I find it frustrating at times that I can't simply pick up a handfull of chips or pretzels unless I've got a bottle of water handy. 

    I have gained back all of the weight I lost, it took me just about 4 years to do it, but I did and now could stand to lose a few pounds.

    I'm active, I work full time, I play golf on the weekends and when the weather is cooler I can walk 18 and carry my clubs, something I feel proud of given what my experience was and what my age is (63).

    I do have some stiffness in my neck muscles but that is, I'm told, a normal consequence of radiation treatments.  I work to stay limber but it is not easy.

    My biggest challenge is when something slips 'down the wrong pipe' when I am eating or drinking something.  It happens very easily (I have a pretty substantial divot in the left base of my tongue) so I try to be as careful as I can - not as successful as I would like.

    All in all, life if pretty good given all the challenges over the last 5 years, it's nothing I would ever wish on anyone, not even my ex wife who I dearly detest. 

    :-)

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