When can I expect to be released by doctor
Karen
Comments
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Hi Karen,
I am not sure what you mean by "being released". Some people continue working through chemo and some people do quit work. It all depends on how you feel and handle the treatment. It also does depend on the chemo. I sailed through the carbo/taxol but had a very difficult time with the cisplatin/gemzar, for example.
I think if you can quit work, though and take care of yourself, then go for it!!!
Wishing you smooth sailing on the surgery and chemo!!
kathleen0 -
follow up after chemo
For me, I returned one month after completing my last chemo. Then every 3 months. I believe a typical schedule would be every 3 months for the first 2 years. At minimal it would be every 3 months for 1 year. The surgeon and the oncologist would probably each see you at the every 3 month intraval.
Age 41 when diagnosed stage 4 I quit working. My job too was very stressful and I had two young boys at home.
Good luck with your upcoming surgery.0 -
Hello Karen,
As far as
Hello Karen,
As far as "being released". That depends on everything from the stage of the cancer , the results of your treatments, how well you fare, etc.
For me, and being a stage IV ovca survivor for the last 3 years; I am still currently under the continued care of my oncologist. From time to time depending on my remission period we may have a break from one another, but I will probably always have regular visits during the duration of my treatments/remission or recurrence.
You sound ready to get on with your life, but be patient with dealing with your cancer by making sure you receive sound/reliable advice from your doctors and patiently work through this.
What stage are you?
Sharon0 -
The day I received mymsfanciful said:Hello Karen,
As far as
Hello Karen,
As far as "being released". That depends on everything from the stage of the cancer , the results of your treatments, how well you fare, etc.
For me, and being a stage IV ovca survivor for the last 3 years; I am still currently under the continued care of my oncologist. From time to time depending on my remission period we may have a break from one another, but I will probably always have regular visits during the duration of my treatments/remission or recurrence.
You sound ready to get on with your life, but be patient with dealing with your cancer by making sure you receive sound/reliable advice from your doctors and patiently work through this.
What stage are you?
Sharon
The day I received my diagnosis, I was basically told by a gastroenterologist that I was stage IV and there was nothing they could do. I saw the surgeon a couple of weeks later and he stated I was stage III to IV. I told him what the gastro guy said and he said, that's why you're here, I am not a gastroenterologist. I asked, so this is not a death sentence? He said no. After he explained everything, I asked, are you saying I have a fighting chance? He said yes. I said that's all I have been praying for. I am so happy to hear you are a three-year survivor. Time is more precious now. I want to feel I have a future or else how can I continue to live each day to the fullest?
I understand that from now on I will be under continued care. I have been unable to work as I have had such a lack of energy and stamina since I first felt ill. I had my last chemo four weeks ago and I feel so good right now. But I still have a problem with stamina. I guess nobody can really answer my question. I just wanted a ballpark estimate of when I would feel recuperated after surgery and chemo. I don't want to start my retirement now because I would have to start paying for my medical insurance but I know I don't want to go back to work. I guess I'll talk to my doctors to get a better idea about the timing.
Thank you so much for your response.
Karen0 -
Hello Again Karen,
I am so
Hello Again Karen,
I am so glad to know you feel a lot better about your prognosis.
Since you are still newly experiencing your treatments; you may not believe this, but if/when you continue along this new way of living, your energy does get better. Between the chemo breaks and the body adjusting and getting stronger, you will find that you will even be able to do quite a few things that you used to do before. Depending on what medication at the time, you just may not be able to do them with as much vigor.
I work, volunteer, exercise, party (smile), again in a much smarter way i.e. preserving my energy more when I anticipate say my next chemo day.
I am currently on my fourth round of chemo maintenance (once a week chemo/taxol for 12-weeks this coming Tuesday)upon which I hope to have a very long break. Oh yes even though I am in remission for a month now my doctor wanted me to endure one more month of this regimen just for that good ole 1,2 punch. Currently my last ca-125 was 3. Soooo.
You are absolutely right about enjoying life to the fullest and don't focus so much on the ne-gative aspects and opinions of this malady that we suffer.
I hate to say it, but until this challenge came into my life, I have never lived as much as I have now and I am having a ball with each day God has given me and counting my blessings to be able to give/receive joy with each passing day.
Please stay strong and push the negative things out of your life.
Love and Prayers,
Sharon0 -
Your lack of stamina may also be some depression. Whats not to be depressed about? It's tough to say when you may feel recuperated. I was 41 and in great health and it took me awhile to bounce back after the surgery. It is important not to rush things and don't be so hard on yourself. I was always such a 'busy' person. I finally accepted the fact that some of things will just have to wait. Be prepared to give yourself ample time to bounce back after the big surgery.kikz said:The day I received my
The day I received my diagnosis, I was basically told by a gastroenterologist that I was stage IV and there was nothing they could do. I saw the surgeon a couple of weeks later and he stated I was stage III to IV. I told him what the gastro guy said and he said, that's why you're here, I am not a gastroenterologist. I asked, so this is not a death sentence? He said no. After he explained everything, I asked, are you saying I have a fighting chance? He said yes. I said that's all I have been praying for. I am so happy to hear you are a three-year survivor. Time is more precious now. I want to feel I have a future or else how can I continue to live each day to the fullest?
I understand that from now on I will be under continued care. I have been unable to work as I have had such a lack of energy and stamina since I first felt ill. I had my last chemo four weeks ago and I feel so good right now. But I still have a problem with stamina. I guess nobody can really answer my question. I just wanted a ballpark estimate of when I would feel recuperated after surgery and chemo. I don't want to start my retirement now because I would have to start paying for my medical insurance but I know I don't want to go back to work. I guess I'll talk to my doctors to get a better idea about the timing.
Thank you so much for your response.
Karen
Is COBRA an option with your insurance? SSI disability? Once the surgeon gets in a looks around you may be eligible for SSI disability. Metastatic ovarian, I believe, is an automatic in. I think a year or so on disability you will be eligible for medicare benefits.
I know a women personally who is an 18 year survivor of stage III ovarian and has never had a recurrence. Others have shared long term survival stories.
GOOD LUCK!0 -
Living lifemsfanciful said:Hello Again Karen,
I am so
Hello Again Karen,
I am so glad to know you feel a lot better about your prognosis.
Since you are still newly experiencing your treatments; you may not believe this, but if/when you continue along this new way of living, your energy does get better. Between the chemo breaks and the body adjusting and getting stronger, you will find that you will even be able to do quite a few things that you used to do before. Depending on what medication at the time, you just may not be able to do them with as much vigor.
I work, volunteer, exercise, party (smile), again in a much smarter way i.e. preserving my energy more when I anticipate say my next chemo day.
I am currently on my fourth round of chemo maintenance (once a week chemo/taxol for 12-weeks this coming Tuesday)upon which I hope to have a very long break. Oh yes even though I am in remission for a month now my doctor wanted me to endure one more month of this regimen just for that good ole 1,2 punch. Currently my last ca-125 was 3. Soooo.
You are absolutely right about enjoying life to the fullest and don't focus so much on the ne-gative aspects and opinions of this malady that we suffer.
I hate to say it, but until this challenge came into my life, I have never lived as much as I have now and I am having a ball with each day God has given me and counting my blessings to be able to give/receive joy with each passing day.
Please stay strong and push the negative things out of your life.
Love and Prayers,
Sharon
It's funny that what I'm reading here today coincides with the conclusion I came to yesterday. This is as good as it gets. Right now I am feeling as I say "like nothing is wrong with me" other than the lack of energy. So I realize how important it is to seize the day. Of course it is hard to oome out from under the cloud of this disease. I am currently restricted from going out to eat or go to public places. I am normally such a homebody but I after 3 1/2 months of home, I have a bit of cabin fever. I may have a bit of depression but I am generally in good spirits. I sometimes cry at night and once that happens I feel good again.
I went through some really painful stuff almost four years ago. The breakup of a 27 year relationship. I went through such hearbreak, I thought I would never recover but I did. It's funny that I am not as devastated by this illness as I was then. At the time I thought that once I worked through that pain I had paid my dues, sort of speak, and the rest of my life would be calm. Well that didn't pan out. I am not happy about being part of this club but since I am, I am proud to be among such caring and courageous women.
Karen0 -
Why do you want to be
Why do you want to be "released"? I see my doctor every 4 weeks now, as opposed to every 3 weeks while I was on active treatment. I would happily see him every week (and have my numbers monitored). I was talking to a long-term survivor at last week's support group meeting, and she was upset that he (we use the same doctor) just put her on annual, as opposed to bi-annual, checkups. She begged to keep coming in every six months. He said, okay but only one scan a year, unless you have symptoms.
For many of us, those labs are our security blanket. We want to know ASAP if something starts to look off kilter. But you may feel differently. Certainly, there is no right or wrong way to live with cancer. We all just do the best we can.
Carlene0 -
Hi CarleneHissy_Fitz said:Why do you want to be
Why do you want to be "released"? I see my doctor every 4 weeks now, as opposed to every 3 weeks while I was on active treatment. I would happily see him every week (and have my numbers monitored). I was talking to a long-term survivor at last week's support group meeting, and she was upset that he (we use the same doctor) just put her on annual, as opposed to bi-annual, checkups. She begged to keep coming in every six months. He said, okay but only one scan a year, unless you have symptoms.
For many of us, those labs are our security blanket. We want to know ASAP if something starts to look off kilter. But you may feel differently. Certainly, there is no right or wrong way to live with cancer. We all just do the best we can.
Carlene
What I mean by released is if/when I am deemed ready to go back to work, the doctor will release me for that. I still have surgery and chemo so I am talking about when all that is done. I know the ov/ca will have to be monitored for the rest of my life and I know the possibilty/probability of recurrence. My surgeon has already told me I will be able to go back to work. What concerns me is the timing. I have already made the decision to retire but I don't want to do that until I have to. Once I retire I will have to assume payment for my medical. It is something I can afford but why do it now if I don't have to? My concern is I do not want to go back to work at all. My job is extremely stressful and I don't want to put myself through that with my health situation. I was planning on retiring soon anyway but until this happened it did not seem as urgent. I am on disability right now and also using sick time from work. I am worrying about this prematurely I am sure but I want my life to go as smoothly as possible. Hopefully my doctors can give me some sort of time frame so I will have time to get my retirement paperwork in timely.
Sorry if I confused you.
Karen0 -
Karen,kikz said:Hi Carlene
What I mean by released is if/when I am deemed ready to go back to work, the doctor will release me for that. I still have surgery and chemo so I am talking about when all that is done. I know the ov/ca will have to be monitored for the rest of my life and I know the possibilty/probability of recurrence. My surgeon has already told me I will be able to go back to work. What concerns me is the timing. I have already made the decision to retire but I don't want to do that until I have to. Once I retire I will have to assume payment for my medical. It is something I can afford but why do it now if I don't have to? My concern is I do not want to go back to work at all. My job is extremely stressful and I don't want to put myself through that with my health situation. I was planning on retiring soon anyway but until this happened it did not seem as urgent. I am on disability right now and also using sick time from work. I am worrying about this prematurely I am sure but I want my life to go as smoothly as possible. Hopefully my doctors can give me some sort of time frame so I will have time to get my retirement paperwork in timely.
Sorry if I confused you.
Karen
I was "released" to go back to work 6 weeks following my 2nd surgery. (The first surgery was full hysterectomy, the 2nd was lymph node/omentum removal). I had my first chemo about 3 weeks before going back to work. He made a stipulation that even though I could return to work it was with the understanding that I would have sick days for some of the days following chemo. My company was very understanding about everything and I was able to be off on the days I was not well following each chemo round. (I had a total of 6 chemo rounds and was usually unable to work for about 4-5 days for each round.) I work when I felt well enough.
I finished chemo in January and have had 2 PET/CT scans (both negative) since then. My CA-125 is down to 7 (from a high of 262 before surgery).
Hopefully you'll be able to work during your treatments as well.
regards..pj0 -
Karen....if you are off workkikz said:Hi Carlene
What I mean by released is if/when I am deemed ready to go back to work, the doctor will release me for that. I still have surgery and chemo so I am talking about when all that is done. I know the ov/ca will have to be monitored for the rest of my life and I know the possibilty/probability of recurrence. My surgeon has already told me I will be able to go back to work. What concerns me is the timing. I have already made the decision to retire but I don't want to do that until I have to. Once I retire I will have to assume payment for my medical. It is something I can afford but why do it now if I don't have to? My concern is I do not want to go back to work at all. My job is extremely stressful and I don't want to put myself through that with my health situation. I was planning on retiring soon anyway but until this happened it did not seem as urgent. I am on disability right now and also using sick time from work. I am worrying about this prematurely I am sure but I want my life to go as smoothly as possible. Hopefully my doctors can give me some sort of time frame so I will have time to get my retirement paperwork in timely.
Sorry if I confused you.
Karen
Karen....if you are off work for six months, you will "automatically" be approved for SS Disability. Late stage OC is one of the designated diseases that lets you go to the front of the line.
You will be eligible for Medicare at 65, or after you have been on SS Disability for two years - whichever comes first.
Why do it now? Certainly, you are the best judge of that, but stress is believed to play a role in the development of Ovarian Cancer. I have known some women who went back to work after "retiring" with a cancer diagnosis and then going years without a recurrence. We should all be so lucky. But while you are in treatment, chances are it will be hard. Chemo is exhausting.
In addition, we often have issues with both red and white blood counts. A really low hemoglobin (red count) makes you feel like you are swimming thru Jello - upstream. A decreased white count results in low tolerance for "bugs". A previously pleasant environment can quickly become a dangerous petri dish of communicable diseases. Because we use a common cup at my church, I no longer take the wine at Communion.
A lot of us have simply found that we can't do both - work and treatment. As much as we hate the chemo, we hate it even more when the doctor tells us we can't have it because our counts are too low.
Carlene0 -
KarenHissy_Fitz said:Karen....if you are off work
Karen....if you are off work for six months, you will "automatically" be approved for SS Disability. Late stage OC is one of the designated diseases that lets you go to the front of the line.
You will be eligible for Medicare at 65, or after you have been on SS Disability for two years - whichever comes first.
Why do it now? Certainly, you are the best judge of that, but stress is believed to play a role in the development of Ovarian Cancer. I have known some women who went back to work after "retiring" with a cancer diagnosis and then going years without a recurrence. We should all be so lucky. But while you are in treatment, chances are it will be hard. Chemo is exhausting.
In addition, we often have issues with both red and white blood counts. A really low hemoglobin (red count) makes you feel like you are swimming thru Jello - upstream. A decreased white count results in low tolerance for "bugs". A previously pleasant environment can quickly become a dangerous petri dish of communicable diseases. Because we use a common cup at my church, I no longer take the wine at Communion.
A lot of us have simply found that we can't do both - work and treatment. As much as we hate the chemo, we hate it even more when the doctor tells us we can't have it because our counts are too low.
Carlene
I am coming up on eight years of survival with stage III ovarian. No matter how you look at it I have survived for 8 yrs and was not EXPECTED to live many times during my treatment. I have lived well beyond my STATISTICS!!!! It took me a few years to start really being myself again as I did not do well at all on the Taxol/Cisplatin combo. I am very active and subscribe to a more natural way of doing things than many of the people on these boards. I have two rules in my life I am greatful for every day I am here and I do not dwell on what "might be". There is not right or wrong way to have cancer but there is always HOPE and without it we die. It is a proven fact that time is a healer sometimes the healing does not come in the form we desire. I would suggest you look into all options that might help you. I have never ever been happier in all my life. I live every day as if it were my last. I am a survivor for TODAY only...tomorrow may be a different story but today I live with hope and enthusiasm. Give yourself plenty of time to heal. Take your retirement and enjoy whatever is left of your life. We do not know...none of us. We can not control our destiny that is in God's hands....I never thought I would feel this way I was so scared.
I am sorry if I step on some statistical toes. I don't believe them. I am here against all odds.0 -
Oh Karen, reading your postkikz said:Living life
It's funny that what I'm reading here today coincides with the conclusion I came to yesterday. This is as good as it gets. Right now I am feeling as I say "like nothing is wrong with me" other than the lack of energy. So I realize how important it is to seize the day. Of course it is hard to oome out from under the cloud of this disease. I am currently restricted from going out to eat or go to public places. I am normally such a homebody but I after 3 1/2 months of home, I have a bit of cabin fever. I may have a bit of depression but I am generally in good spirits. I sometimes cry at night and once that happens I feel good again.
I went through some really painful stuff almost four years ago. The breakup of a 27 year relationship. I went through such hearbreak, I thought I would never recover but I did. It's funny that I am not as devastated by this illness as I was then. At the time I thought that once I worked through that pain I had paid my dues, sort of speak, and the rest of my life would be calm. Well that didn't pan out. I am not happy about being part of this club but since I am, I am proud to be among such caring and courageous women.
Karen
Oh Karen, reading your post - I feel kinship with you. I was dx with PPC Nov 09 and have been reeling from this blow ever since. However, for the last 2 years I have dealing with such emotional pain. My mum died (I helped nurse her), a very special relationship I had with my soul mate ended, my marriage broke down and my son moved out.
The pain I have been living with since my soul mate ended our relationship was and still is intolerable and is as raw today as it was 19 months ago. I didn't think I would want to live without him. When I was diagnosed with cancer it was like a "smack in the face with a wet cloth" but the pain did not touch the pain I went through when I lost contact with my soul mate.
I think what I am trying to say here is that having cancer and dealing with it is like a "walk in the park" compared to the heartbreak of an eneded love affair. I had been in an un-happy marriage for 25 years and to fall in love after that time was like a dream come true. So to have the prospect of that snatched away from me is harder to bear than a cancer diagnosis.
I am in a such a strange place today so I apologise for sounding off. I doesn't seem fair does it? I feel I have nothing for the future as "I have paid my dues and was hoping my life would be calm"
Tina0 -
I can totally relate to your story. I too had a series of horrible heartbreaks before I had cancer. The strange thing about it was my therapist said to me "pookie, you never know what you are being prepared for". It was laughed off at the time but seemed profound later. I hate heartbreak but it seems to be a part of life. You do not seem to be "sounding off" to me. I don't think our dues are ever paid.... Sometimes I think my heartbreaks in some way contributed to my cancer. I was asked why I come to this site..I come because I am a survivor and a kindred spirit... it never ever leaves you as much as those close would love for it to. I see myself here over and over. I have many many friends who are survivors some who are still struggling with the disease and some who are not but one thing about us all we never totally turn our backs and walk away..... we are warriors fighting in the trenches every day. Thanks for letting me sound off...Tina Brown said:Oh Karen, reading your post
Oh Karen, reading your post - I feel kinship with you. I was dx with PPC Nov 09 and have been reeling from this blow ever since. However, for the last 2 years I have dealing with such emotional pain. My mum died (I helped nurse her), a very special relationship I had with my soul mate ended, my marriage broke down and my son moved out.
The pain I have been living with since my soul mate ended our relationship was and still is intolerable and is as raw today as it was 19 months ago. I didn't think I would want to live without him. When I was diagnosed with cancer it was like a "smack in the face with a wet cloth" but the pain did not touch the pain I went through when I lost contact with my soul mate.
I think what I am trying to say here is that having cancer and dealing with it is like a "walk in the park" compared to the heartbreak of an eneded love affair. I had been in an un-happy marriage for 25 years and to fall in love after that time was like a dream come true. So to have the prospect of that snatched away from me is harder to bear than a cancer diagnosis.
I am in a such a strange place today so I apologise for sounding off. I doesn't seem fair does it? I feel I have nothing for the future as "I have paid my dues and was hoping my life would be calm"
Tina0
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