2nd opinion at Vandy Monday at 1..........*******UPDATE with GOOD NEWS*******

I have an appt with another Onc to see how my protocol matches up with my wants against the Onc I now have here at home. I am now looking at maybe getting another opinion that gives me a wider range of choices in the longevity of my lifespan in case something comes back up and exactly how I can do more with less so that the long term quality is not diminished. I have gotta stick around here for another 40 years just to meet a deadline with a very dear acquaintance...so I am gonna have to get off my butt after a month long break from it all and start to relocate my game plan towards higher standards of care and disease interception. I have gotten my head wrapped around where I am going when I do pass away but I will not go gently, I never have been a quitter so most likely I won't start now. I will update when I get home.....if in fact I am placed on a maintenance chemo that will cause me to lose my hair I have already made arrangements at our church with our Childrens Ministry Leader to hold a drawing for strictly donations to see who gets to shave it off...and donations will help the outreach for children in need in our community...Although the kids won't know that it would come out anyway I can make it ok for all to get use to it, and get a smile to boot.............ya know, in life it makes no difference which way you go if you have your heart right, for every step will be uphill..........Love to you all, and good night...Clift

**************UPDATE************

My "NEW" onc is a female at Vandy and when I asked her several questions about all going on...

First off....I will not be doing any post op chemo....She is saying what I was thinking so we are pretty much in the same ballpark on treatment options....There were no nodes affected and all margins were clear so we both agreed that if there is nothing to treat then there should not be any adjuvant chemo. Yay for me !!!

Secondly...She informed me that in her opinion that there could have been lymphatic drainage during and after surgery that expelled the cells into the system and placed them in areas then they simply went dormant ( there is a word for that but I didn't write it down so dormant will have to suffice). She explained also that this was an educated guess and not a fact but it was along the same thought process that I had, that this may arise again somewhere else, or it may never show itself again and simply stay dormant, or that there are no more cells out there........again, Yay for me !!!

Thirdly.......I had a CEA Baseline done today at Vandy for my new Onc there and then I will not have to return until January for another blood draw...its back to square one on the 3 month interval blood checks (thats Ok also) but, she is going to do a CT scan in 6 months and then a CT once a year for a year or two and that is what my thinking was as well, for the most part one of the main reasons that I am changing Oncs is that CEA is not a good indicator for everyone and I was skeptical as to why a CT was never done..Maybe the pros and cons of radiation vs need, dunno, nevertheless, it will be a part of my regimen now. I do value what my first onc did for me, he was a great man with a great demeanor and wise, but I was at a point to where in my opinion I could maybe "leave my yard" for a bit and see what else is out there. Im glad I did...

Fourth....I did learn that Colon cancer has the tendency to re occur more often in the liver and rectal cancer more often in the lungs...news to me but news just the same...

Fifth...She asked me why I still had my port in, I said that my onc wanted me to keep it in until the end of the 5 year mark in case ...She told me that I should get rid of it, It does nothing but cause you to have to have it flushed every 3 months and if there ever was a need for it it was a simple task to put it back in...sooooo, its coming out...Yay for me again !!!

and last but not least....one of the things most noted on this trip, she asked where all my knowledge and where all the questions came from...I informed her of this place and all my friends here and let her know that without this place, I would have never had the knowledge to even begin to know what to ask, much less take control of my treatment. I feel like this site (my mother hen) has kept me in the loop on treatments and precise protocols and questions and answers that make people stand up and listen when we go into appointments...Its much easier for us to understand what we need and for them to explain the reasoning behind their calls made and for the both of us to come to agreeable terms on treatment regimens. For that, and all of the other wonderful things that all of you do in here , I sincerely thank you, and so does my family. I really think this place I call my second home has saved my life, I will always think that........I love you all and I wish the best for all of us......"Yep, Life is Good"

Buzz