Snowed In

stevenl
stevenl Member Posts: 587
in Head and Neck Cancer #1
Hi Everybody!!

Just sitting here this morning in Texas snowed and iced in. Very unusual for Fort Worth,
It happens every couple of years. Temp 13 - wind chill -11. So I finally get a chance to post again. For all you newbies, I used to be a regular on here. I had scc right tonsil Sage 4, W/ mets to lymph nodes. Diagnosed 13 months ago and went through Right side neck dissection, Tonsillectomy, 7 teeth pulled and more dental work done before my port and peg were installed. Then 7 weeks of chemo- weekly Cisplatin and 5FU and 33 daily rad treatments. I wrote all that to try to reassure those of you that are just being diagnosed or are beginning treatment or whatever point you are at, this battle can be won!!

I have been given a clean bill of health by all my doctors and had my port removed last Friday!! The last of the cancer paraphernalia finally gone!!!! My chemo doc said, oh you are going to be one of those long term survivors, and I told her You sure do talk sweet.
That got a big smile from her. I am doing great, I have some side effects but nothing I can't LIVE with.

So to all my friends here who helped me through this, a great big THANK YOU!!!, and to all who are somewhere in the beginnings of this journey, stay strong and know, THE C CAN BE BEAT!!!!

Best to everyone,
Steve

Comments

  • Landranger25
    Landranger25 Member Posts: 210 Member
    #2
    Snow here too
    Hi Steve. I am glad to hear you are doing so well. Like you I feel fortunate to have made it to the place where I am too. Stage 4 BOT cancer with mets to one node. No surgery but 33 rads and 3 chemos with cisplaten and 5FU. I am coming up on the 2 year anniversary (if you can call it that) of my diagnosis. (May 2009) I am back to work and told my bacl around new years that I thought I was back to where I was before all this started. It has been a long road. As for the snow, here on the shores of sunny Lake Huron it's not so sunny today. A foot or better of snow last night and maybe 5" more today. Will head out in a bit with the snow blower and head over to my Dad's and dig him out as well. Take care Steve. Good to read your post.

    Regards, Mike
  • D Lewis
    D Lewis Member Posts: 1,581 Member
    #3
    Fog in California
    Just hanging out in the clammy, near freezing fog here in the Sierra Foothills, but it should heat up to a balmy 45 degrees or so today. Not enough to keep me home from work. Eight weeks of radiation and three rounds of cisplatin chemo for base of tongue SCC with mets to lymph nodes on both sides of my neck. Didn't have a neck dissection, but did have one 3-cm lymph node cut out of my neck. Diagnosed just over 12 months ago, and now I'm around nine months post treatment. I've been back at work for about six months now and life is pretty normal, except for those pesky side effects that keep on giving. I anticipate being another one of those long-term survivors. I can attest to Steve's comments above - this CAN be beat! Life can be great again!

    Couldn't have done it without ya, Steve! Couldn't have done it without the entire group here. Thanks again, folks.

    Deb
  • JUDYV5
    JUDYV5 Member Posts: 392
    #4
    Snow is an understatment
    looking at the 6 foot drifts along the back fence I am afraid to open the garage door and it is still snowing. It is wonderful that you are doing so well and I absolutely love your words of hope. "stay strong and know, THE C CAN BE BEAT!!!!"
  • Greg53
    Greg53 Member Posts: 849
    #5
    JUDYV5 said:

    Snow is an understatment
    looking at the 6 foot drifts along the back fence I am afraid to open the garage door and it is still snowing. It is wonderful that you are doing so well and I absolutely love your words of hope. "stay strong and know, THE C CAN BE BEAT!!!!"

    Ice and Snow
    Hey All!

    1/2" of ice with 8" snow on top here in St. Louis makes for a fun ride in to work.

    For the newbies I'm like Steve, a former regular who took a 2 month hiatus from the site. I'm 10 months post tx from right tonsil SCC with mets to nodes in both sides of neck. Have some of the typical issues to deal with (little/to no spit, tinnitus, dealing with the new me, etc.) but overall doing great and as JUDYV5 says - c can be beat!

    I haven't checked on the site for a couple of months and did really miss all the regulars. I guess I just needed to get my shxx together in finding my "new normal". I think I'm well on my way in that regards. Hope everyone is doing well!

    Steve - Great to hear you're doing good, as well as seeing some other familiar faces! And as Deb said, I couldn't have done it wothout this group!!

    Positive thoughts!

    Greg
  • buzz99
    buzz99 Member Posts: 404
    #6
    Snow in Albuquerque
    It is a warm 1 degree with wind here today. We received about 6 inches of snow (that is a lot for us). Thanks, Steve, for your story of survival. My husband, Buzz, just finished treatment for Stage IV BOT cancer. We are looking forward to the day he gets the port and peg removed.
  • Jimbo55
    Jimbo55 Member Posts: 590 Member
    #7
    Way to go Steve
    Great to hear things are good with you Steve. I vaguely remember this thing you folks refer to as snow....Cheers

    Jimbo
  • sweetblood22
    sweetblood22 Member Posts: 3,228
    #8
    Jimbo55 said:

    Way to go Steve
    Great to hear things are good with you Steve. I vaguely remember this thing you folks refer to as snow....Cheers

    Jimbo

    Snowed in with a layer of ice to boot!
    Hey Steve! Great to see your post. Wonderful to hear that your port is out.

    I have some serious cabin fever!!! Its been miserable here and more nasty snow to come. :(

    Right now I don't believe Phill and his early spring prediction, but I sure hope it true.
  • Kent Cass
    Kent Cass Member Posts: 1,898 Member
    #9
    sweetblood22 said:

    Snowed in with a layer of ice to boot!
    Hey Steve! Great to see your post. Wonderful to hear that your port is out.

    I have some serious cabin fever!!! Its been miserable here and more nasty snow to come. :(

    Right now I don't believe Phill and his early spring prediction, but I sure hope it true.

    Steve
    Port out? OH YEAH! Major congrats, Steve.

    We got 10-12" in the Quad Cities, but Ratface and Dave took more of hit, and I heard about Greg's ice last night when it was happening. Winds put us in the blizzard catagory. They even had Route 80, the major east-west coast highway closed west of Dave in Illinois, and lotsa people are stranded. Worst of it, though, is all the people without power. Supposed to get down to -8 tonight, and that is hairy. Reckon the groundhog in my back yard stayed put inside it's hole home, for good reason.

    kcass
  • sue5749
    sue5749 Member Posts: 170
    #10
    a lot of trouble here
    My husband is in the hospital now yesterday he had a feeding tube put in. Today he had a port but in. He stopped breathing on the table the doctors had to put in a tube in neck to help him breath. Has anybody had this much trouble?????
  • Hondo
    Hondo Member Posts: 6,636 Member
    #11
    Hi Steve

    Glad to hear the last part of the treatment left you body last Friday, here is to better health my friend.

    PS: Keep the snow we don’t need it here in Lafayette, lol
    Hondo
  • train-nut
    train-nut Member Posts: 101
    #12
    Texas vs. Oklahoma
    As usual Oklahoma has beat Texas. Here in Tulsa last night's low was -6, 14" of snow remains on the ground and the wind chill is somewhere in the North Pole. Want to play a varsity sport? SKI TULSA. Rich P.S. Glad to hear that your treatment was a complete success. Best of health to one and all.
  • ratface
    ratface Member Posts: 1,337 Member
    #13
    train-nut said:

    Texas vs. Oklahoma
    As usual Oklahoma has beat Texas. Here in Tulsa last night's low was -6, 14" of snow remains on the ground and the wind chill is somewhere in the North Pole. Want to play a varsity sport? SKI TULSA. Rich P.S. Glad to hear that your treatment was a complete success. Best of health to one and all.

    got hammered in Chicago
    and No, I wasn't drinking! Shoveled snow with darling wife all day long. Side drive in Chicago is a killer! 1967 was worse as a storm but I honestly don't remember as a "Kid" it wasn't a big deal then. This one hurt my back.
  • buzz99
    buzz99 Member Posts: 404
    #14
    sue5749 said:

    a lot of trouble here
    My husband is in the hospital now yesterday he had a feeding tube put in. Today he had a port but in. He stopped breathing on the table the doctors had to put in a tube in neck to help him breath. Has anybody had this much trouble?????

    A lot of trouble
    Hi Sue, I hope your husband is recovering and that he will be out of the ICU soon. I think that the breathing problem necessitating a trach is very unusual. The drugs given during the procedures can cause respiratory depression but most people come through fine. Buzz did have a major drop in blood pressure and pulse after he had the g-tube put in. Hopefully things will go better for the two of you. Keep us posted.

Discussion Boards