In Remission?

cats_toy said:

My doc told me
Everyone has cancer cells in their body, it just depends on whether they turn into what we all consider "cancer". So we can never say cancer free because that is an impossibility for anyone. That is why they say in remission. You can be in remission for life (as we all are!). But not cancer free.

=^..^=

cats_toy said:

Patty
fuzzball is growing fast, getting her color in, and being an absolute pain to the boys. As soon as they come in, she pounces, and they get mad. Loving every minute of it.
thanks!!!

=^..^=

inkblot said:

I agree
I agree cats_toy! No one, doc/nurse or anyone else, can state with certainty that they are cancer free, anymore than any one of us can. Just a fact of life. My onc told me, several years ago, that most people have some cancer within their bodies, one or more times in thier lives but that our immune systems take care of it...gobbles it up and it is no more. Everything I've read supports that. My onc, as well as my breast surgeon, both prefer the term "NED" (no evidence of disease). That's about as "on the money" as it gets I think and I kinda think that term has a better ring to it than "remission". Remission, to me, sort of implies that it's coming back, and the only question is when. As if maybe we're just taking a break from it or something? Mercy me...why not just say it's on "hiatus" until further notice???!!! Leave it to the medical community to apply a term with "iffy" connotations for us, right? Get our anxiety levels ramped up a notch or two...maybe good for business? LOL In all sincerity though, we've all been there...hours or even days spent very upset and stressed out about a term or something our doc or nurse said or implied and we go nuts trying to figure out what it means and how it applies to us.

We must take care during our emotional healing, not to get too caught up in such things as "stats" and "staging formulas", prognoses and the like. And if some rude stranger is bold enough to ask about your prognosis, well, just ask them about their own. I mean, it makes about as much sense. Crystal balls and all that...

Love, light and laughter,
Ink

inkblot said:

I agree
I agree cats_toy! No one, doc/nurse or anyone else, can state with certainty that they are cancer free, anymore than any one of us can. Just a fact of life. My onc told me, several years ago, that most people have some cancer within their bodies, one or more times in thier lives but that our immune systems take care of it...gobbles it up and it is no more. Everything I've read supports that. My onc, as well as my breast surgeon, both prefer the term "NED" (no evidence of disease). That's about as "on the money" as it gets I think and I kinda think that term has a better ring to it than "remission". Remission, to me, sort of implies that it's coming back, and the only question is when. As if maybe we're just taking a break from it or something? Mercy me...why not just say it's on "hiatus" until further notice???!!! Leave it to the medical community to apply a term with "iffy" connotations for us, right? Get our anxiety levels ramped up a notch or two...maybe good for business? LOL In all sincerity though, we've all been there...hours or even days spent very upset and stressed out about a term or something our doc or nurse said or implied and we go nuts trying to figure out what it means and how it applies to us.

We must take care during our emotional healing, not to get too caught up in such things as "stats" and "staging formulas", prognoses and the like. And if some rude stranger is bold enough to ask about your prognosis, well, just ask them about their own. I mean, it makes about as much sense. Crystal balls and all that...

Love, light and laughter,
Ink