From dead to NED.

snommintj
snommintj Member Posts: 601
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
I just left the Cancer Center. My oncologist shook his head, laughed and said I had no evidence of disease. I asked really. He said he couldn't believe it either. What a year! It's been 1 year and 1 week since my first chemo treatment, 9 months since my first colon/liver resection, 3 months since my second liver resection. If I can make it to July without a recurrence in my colon or lymphatic system the doctor seems to think a have a really good chance of dying from something other than colon cancer.

So there you have it. I was told by my first 3 doctors there was no hope and by my current doctors that it would take a miracle. I've needed 4 major surgeries, 7 minor ones, 75 days in ICU, 31 days in monitored hospital, 21 CT scans, 6 PET scans, 6 bouts of septic shock, 12 rounds of chemo, an iliostomy bag, 2 stints in my liver, a J-P drain for 3 months, and $2,000,000+ in medical bills.

Hey, you can do it too.
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Comments

  • VickiCO
    VickiCO Member Posts: 917
    WOW!
    What a trip you have taken! We are so glad you are here to tell us about it.

    Many blessings for you and your family!

    Vicki
  • Sonia32
    Sonia32 Member Posts: 1,071 Member
    I'm speechless
    Well done!
    Sonia
  • mom_2_3
    mom_2_3 Member Posts: 953 Member
    So very happy...
    I am so very happy for you.

    Amy
  • kimby
    kimby Member Posts: 797
    Wow!
    What a RIDE! You have had such a rough year, but are truely my inspiration. Umm....I'll have what he's having....LOL

    Congrats to you and your family. You should be very proud of your unending persistance. What a true testamony you are!

    Kimby
  • PhillieG
    PhillieG Member Posts: 4,866 Member
    Great news
    I bet you feel like a million bucks, maybe even 2 million...
    :-)
    You're a great example of why one should never give up.
    Keep it up Bud
    -phil
  • dianetavegia
    dianetavegia Member Posts: 1,942 Member
    Wow! What a great testimony!
    Wow, that is just the thing so many have needed to hear! Praying that God grants you a long, long and healthy future to watch your GRANDCHILDREN grow up!

    God is good!

    Diane
  • msccolon
    msccolon Member Posts: 1,917 Member
    awesome!
    Like Phil said, you are why we should never give up!
    mary
  • Starleen
    Starleen Member Posts: 40 Member
    but where there's a monster
    There's a miracle! God bless you and your many years of life ahead!
  • midnte0708
    midnte0708 Member Posts: 166
    Amazing!
    I love to read stories like this to know miracles still exist. Thanks for sharing your story. You just gave me a burst of hope for my Dad.

    Sue
  • tootsie1
    tootsie1 Member Posts: 5,044 Member
    Wonderful!
    That's just fantastic! I'm so happy for you! You are a living miracle.

    *hugs*
    Gail
  • ADKer
    ADKer Member Posts: 147
    tootsie1 said:

    Wonderful!
    That's just fantastic! I'm so happy for you! You are a living miracle.

    *hugs*
    Gail

    Yea!
    Congratulations! That is great news! May it continue without interruption!
  • ldot123
    ldot123 Member Posts: 272
    ADKer said:

    Yea!
    Congratulations! That is great news! May it continue without interruption!

    Way to Go!!
    You brought a big smile to my face. I am continued to be amazed at all the great stories here. It is a beautiful thing!!! Time to celebrate.

    Cheers, Lance
  • angelsbaby
    angelsbaby Member Posts: 1,165 Member
    wow
    That is great news
  • dixchi
    dixchi Member Posts: 431

    wow
    That is great news

    Wonderful
    Such encouraging news to all of us who have no idea where this road is going to
    take us next; you are testimony to hanging in there.

    What concerns me is the cost of treatments and how people really manage....some
    people just don't. Guess I could say that I am lucky in that it didn't hit me
    until my 60s and by then I was on Medicare but there are over 1 million people
    on Medicare being treated for cancer alone......no wonder Medicare is running
    out of money. And my supplemental insurance from retirement from my state
    government job has a cap of $3 million. And have you ever noticed the cost
    of chemo treatments on your bill or your insurance statement?.....my god,
    I know some of it goes to research and development but even at that, you
    wonder if we are not being scammed. Something has got to give here.....if
    it ain't broke, don't fix it but our health care system is way past being
    broke to now rust and decay. Wow!
  • snommintj
    snommintj Member Posts: 601
    dixchi said:

    Wonderful
    Such encouraging news to all of us who have no idea where this road is going to
    take us next; you are testimony to hanging in there.

    What concerns me is the cost of treatments and how people really manage....some
    people just don't. Guess I could say that I am lucky in that it didn't hit me
    until my 60s and by then I was on Medicare but there are over 1 million people
    on Medicare being treated for cancer alone......no wonder Medicare is running
    out of money. And my supplemental insurance from retirement from my state
    government job has a cap of $3 million. And have you ever noticed the cost
    of chemo treatments on your bill or your insurance statement?.....my god,
    I know some of it goes to research and development but even at that, you
    wonder if we are not being scammed. Something has got to give here.....if
    it ain't broke, don't fix it but our health care system is way past being
    broke to now rust and decay. Wow!

    Put it on my tab
    I was self employed. I made decent money. When my step father had a heart attack my wife forced me to get insurance. I got the absolute best insurance money could buy. Everything was covered 100%, no copay, low deductible. I had the option of choosing $1 million or $2 million in coverage. The premium was about 25% higher for the $2 million plan. I did the math and somehow came to the conclusion that 1 million would be enough coverage. I figured I could get a heart, lung, liver and kidney transplant for 1 million. I never contemplated cancer. Who knew I would be diagnosed. Because I had incredible insurance, I never looked at my hospital statements. Then, about 7 months into treatment the hospital told me I had maxed out my insurance. WHAT? So insurance wasn't going to pay for my last 3 rounds of chemo. Well I kept all my bills and found many things the hospital had charged my insurance for that they shouldn't have. Including a charge for two port placement surgeries. I did in fact have 2 ports placed, but only because they put they 1st one in backward. I found enough to get my last 3 rounds covered. After that, no insurance. Well, I told them to put the rest on tab and I would get to it when they fixed me. My treatment didn't change, noone has said anything to me. They keep treating me and billing me.

    If anyone ever asks, tell them to pick the $2 million option.
  • rmcgraw
    rmcgraw Member Posts: 15
    snommintj said:

    Put it on my tab
    I was self employed. I made decent money. When my step father had a heart attack my wife forced me to get insurance. I got the absolute best insurance money could buy. Everything was covered 100%, no copay, low deductible. I had the option of choosing $1 million or $2 million in coverage. The premium was about 25% higher for the $2 million plan. I did the math and somehow came to the conclusion that 1 million would be enough coverage. I figured I could get a heart, lung, liver and kidney transplant for 1 million. I never contemplated cancer. Who knew I would be diagnosed. Because I had incredible insurance, I never looked at my hospital statements. Then, about 7 months into treatment the hospital told me I had maxed out my insurance. WHAT? So insurance wasn't going to pay for my last 3 rounds of chemo. Well I kept all my bills and found many things the hospital had charged my insurance for that they shouldn't have. Including a charge for two port placement surgeries. I did in fact have 2 ports placed, but only because they put they 1st one in backward. I found enough to get my last 3 rounds covered. After that, no insurance. Well, I told them to put the rest on tab and I would get to it when they fixed me. My treatment didn't change, noone has said anything to me. They keep treating me and billing me.

    If anyone ever asks, tell them to pick the $2 million option.

    Congrats!
    It is always wonderful to hear someone's good news. I feel a renewed sense of hope everytime I read that someone has reached a positive milestone. My initial diagnosis put me in bankruptcy. Group health insurance but no savings and my deductibles had to be met in order for insurance to pick up. I quickly found myself behind on everything, trying to get the prescribed meds. My part of the Xeloda was almost $1,000!!! Ouch!! I'm founding out now that even though they are receiving 100% payment through my bankruptcy plan, they can and will refuse to continue to treat you unless you make payments personally as well. My GYN Oncologist demanded 100% payment of her outstanding bill of $315 before my next exam. She was included in the plan and would have received all monies owed but....if I wanted to continue my treatments with her I had to pay.....I'm doing the best I can these days, pay what I can, when I can....I don't know how people without insurance make it through. By the way, do you really think the $2 million option is enough?
  • CherylHutch
    CherylHutch Member Posts: 1,375
    Congratulations!!!
    That is the most phenomenal news and I wish there were some way on this forum that this post of yours could be posted at the top of all posts! THIS is the news that everyone... newbies as well as those who are still fighting years later... that this result can happen and DOES happen so there is never any reason to give up!!

    I'm so happy for you snommintj!!

    Huggggs,

    Cheryl
  • CherylHutch
    CherylHutch Member Posts: 1,375
    dixchi said:

    Wonderful
    Such encouraging news to all of us who have no idea where this road is going to
    take us next; you are testimony to hanging in there.

    What concerns me is the cost of treatments and how people really manage....some
    people just don't. Guess I could say that I am lucky in that it didn't hit me
    until my 60s and by then I was on Medicare but there are over 1 million people
    on Medicare being treated for cancer alone......no wonder Medicare is running
    out of money. And my supplemental insurance from retirement from my state
    government job has a cap of $3 million. And have you ever noticed the cost
    of chemo treatments on your bill or your insurance statement?.....my god,
    I know some of it goes to research and development but even at that, you
    wonder if we are not being scammed. Something has got to give here.....if
    it ain't broke, don't fix it but our health care system is way past being
    broke to now rust and decay. Wow!

    So true, Dixchi!
    That is something I think about all the time. A lot of the statistics that we all try NOT to read, are taken from studies/data gathered from the States. I haven't found too much information on "universal" or "global" statistics and I think they will probably really differ from country to country.

    BUT, I forget how many people in the US do NOT have medical insurance of any kind and out of those, how many of them have cancer? Obviously, if they are not able to afford the doctors, the treatments, the meds... or have to get a watered down version of them... then it only stands to reason that is going to skewer the survival statistics. You can be a 35 year old male/female with Stage IV colon cancer and your odds of surviving are not going to be as good if you don't have medical insurance... vs someone of any age who does have insurance.

    So again, another reason why the stats are just that... stats. They don't take into consideration why people die from cancer... and I strongly believe a big reason is that some people just can't afford the care it takes to beat this monster... and that really upsets me. I think everyone should be given the same fighting chance and that is just not so.

    Hugggggggs,

    Cheryl
  • jenben59
    jenben59 Member Posts: 136 Member
    Thank you ...
    for posting this. I'm stage 3c and worry more about reoccurance than anything. You have gone through so much, surgeries, sepsis, etc. and are alive and NED. Please, keep us up to date...it makes me feel good to know there is a chance of non-reoccurance.
  • kmygil
    kmygil Member Posts: 876 Member
    $$$$$$
    It's only money. Yeah, I know; blah, blah, blah, but YOU'RE HERE!!!! Gotta be grateful. I'm going to say a special prayer of thanksgiving for your NED!!!!!!!!

    Hugs,
    Kirsten