Thank you everyone

good and given so much hope by stopping in today.  I see you were given a 17 % chance of surviving 5 years and here you are 11 years later. I am so happy for you.  

I clicked on your name and read your advice. I had to learn all that stuff through experience! I had a surgeon who was pretty much useless after my surgery, and not only that, was horrible when I asked questions (got angry and defensive), and prior that, conducted a very inappropriate exam on me (no gloves!), although after it became apparent that he didn't intend to put gloves on and had started, I stopped him and told him to glove up. "Ob gyns didn't use to have to do that!" he said. Well. Lovely.

Anyway, I couldn't agree more about getting yourself to a large teaching hospital. That is EXACTLY what I did. I'm now being cared for at OHSU here in Oregon. Much better. 

Four Bee, thanks for coming in with your encouragement.  I'm approaching 10 years since my original diagnosis, and  four years since my recurrence was found.  Still not NED, but remain hopeful of achieving that status again.

FourBee, I had hip pain prior to my original surgery, which persisted.  They did a scan two years after surgery but it didn't show anything. It continued, I continued to report it, and the assumption was that it was arthritis since it was intermittent.  Eventually I went to my orthopedic doctor, who did an MRI and found the recurrence.  It was a pelvic tumor that invaded the hip joint.  PET scan showed additonal mets in both lungs.

FourBee, you made my day. Thank you so much for stopping by! Wishing you a long, healthy, and happy life!

You do write so well. I write too much like I speak and think--a bit rapid fire and direct. I have been keeping a journal since early in this journey although it's been sporadic the last few months--I think because I've been feeling pretty decent. I will be on a continuous journey and there will be struggles ahead--and that's why I find other's trials so compelling. They give me the emotional strength not just to carry on and survive but to live while surviving.

Love to all and so happy you are here Four Bee!

Deb 1

I was on a pretty good writing trajectory before 2020 vacuumed the wind from my sails, but I'm getting my chops back and writing a bit more. Coming in to read and write here has been so helpful. I strongly belive that we MUST share our stories. When I was initially diagnosed, I felt so alone. I did find the book "Cancer Schmancer" online, and it was a comfort, but Fran Drescher is much richer, younger, etc. than I am, and I found myself getting angry at her insistence that cancer wasn't her fault! She wasn't post menopausal! She wasn't obese or even overweight. Well, good for you, Fran. How about those of us plunking down good money to get your book, you little twit, ha ha!

Initially, I lost my ability to research, dig, figure things out. I was that miserable and brain dead. The FB resources weren't satisfactory. I found a lot of the women there simply turning to prayer, posting peach stuff (yawn), and emojis. Not enough for me; I needed a more engaged community. I found it here. 

FourBee,

Thanks for letting us know how well you're doing after so many years. That's so encouraging for others to read.

And thanks for sharing the info about Immerman's Angels. While other support services are discussed here occasionally, your post prompted me to add a new topic to the FAQ.