Curious to know if anyone has heard from Jimbo? Hope he is ok

Must be a tough time for
Must be a tough time for him.

I'm still around just not as round.
I'm doing pretty good physically. Mentally I have some bad days. I've started back on chemo again. Going to do three rounds of Taxotere alone. Lot's of joint pain from that one along with some mouth sores. My hope is that after the chemo the possibility of surgery exists to remove the diseased nodes. I've gotta say, I'd been much happier if they had been removed during the original surgery.

I don't know for sure if I am doing chemo with a realistic expectation of surgery or if I am palliative only. My doctor was trying to make contact with the surgeon in order to make that determination. They talked but my doctor and I haven't talked since and to be honest, I'm afraid to go looking for the answer. I've decided to wait until after Christmas to find out in order to keep the holidays as happy as possible. Since I'm only on a single chemo agent this time, I have my own opinions but I'll keep them to myself for now.

I have to say my oncologist is incredible. When the October PET came back bad and I went back to the surgeon, my surgeon originally wanted to wait until January, rescan and see what it looked like then. He said that it was too soon after chemo and that could explain the bad scan. I went back to my oncologist with that news and he blew up. He said he wanted to first see studies that determined that it was too soon for a PET after chemo. He didn't say it was definitely cancer but he wanted to rule it out. He insisted that I have a biopsy because he said that waiting until January could be the difference between life and death. He was right. The biopsy was cancerous and instead of the one node it looked like 3 more were involved. I wouldn't even be back on chemo now if he hadn't insisted we push the issue. By the time January rolls around, I will have already had my second infusion. The right doctor can make a difference in this dreaded disease.

I am so sorry to keep everyone guessing. I haven't felt very inspirational or upbeat and didn't want to drag anyone down so I've refrained from posting. Kind of the "If you can't say something good, don't say anything at all." school. I know that is wrong, I know we all get emotionally invested in each other and an unexplained absence causes worry and stress. I apologize to everyone and humbly thank you for your love, concern and always kind comments.

As I close this out, let me share a conversation with my wife the other night. She was pretty upset that I was still having to deal with this and the stress it put on me. I asked her this. If I had experienced a heart attack on February 28th and died, what would we have given for another year together? We agreed we would have given almost anything. Given that answer, this has been so worth it. I'm almost 1 year post diagnosis (more than 1 year post symptom) and I am doing great all things considered. Considering many of our fellow warriors in the EC battle sadly leave us in that first year, I feel pretty fortunate. To this I say, God IS good and thank you.

Take care everyone! All my best!

JimboC said:

I'm still around just not as round.
I'm doing pretty good physically. Mentally I have some bad days. I've started back on chemo again. Going to do three rounds of Taxotere alone. Lot's of joint pain from that one along with some mouth sores. My hope is that after the chemo the possibility of surgery exists to remove the diseased nodes. I've gotta say, I'd been much happier if they had been removed during the original surgery.

I don't know for sure if I am doing chemo with a realistic expectation of surgery or if I am palliative only. My doctor was trying to make contact with the surgeon in order to make that determination. They talked but my doctor and I haven't talked since and to be honest, I'm afraid to go looking for the answer. I've decided to wait until after Christmas to find out in order to keep the holidays as happy as possible. Since I'm only on a single chemo agent this time, I have my own opinions but I'll keep them to myself for now.

I have to say my oncologist is incredible. When the October PET came back bad and I went back to the surgeon, my surgeon originally wanted to wait until January, rescan and see what it looked like then. He said that it was too soon after chemo and that could explain the bad scan. I went back to my oncologist with that news and he blew up. He said he wanted to first see studies that determined that it was too soon for a PET after chemo. He didn't say it was definitely cancer but he wanted to rule it out. He insisted that I have a biopsy because he said that waiting until January could be the difference between life and death. He was right. The biopsy was cancerous and instead of the one node it looked like 3 more were involved. I wouldn't even be back on chemo now if he hadn't insisted we push the issue. By the time January rolls around, I will have already had my second infusion. The right doctor can make a difference in this dreaded disease.

I am so sorry to keep everyone guessing. I haven't felt very inspirational or upbeat and didn't want to drag anyone down so I've refrained from posting. Kind of the "If you can't say something good, don't say anything at all." school. I know that is wrong, I know we all get emotionally invested in each other and an unexplained absence causes worry and stress. I apologize to everyone and humbly thank you for your love, concern and always kind comments.

As I close this out, let me share a conversation with my wife the other night. She was pretty upset that I was still having to deal with this and the stress it put on me. I asked her this. If I had experienced a heart attack on February 28th and died, what would we have given for another year together? We agreed we would have given almost anything. Given that answer, this has been so worth it. I'm almost 1 year post diagnosis (more than 1 year post symptom) and I am doing great all things considered. Considering many of our fellow warriors in the EC battle sadly leave us in that first year, I feel pretty fortunate. To this I say, God IS good and thank you.

Take care everyone! All my best!

Glad to see you're still fighting
Jimbo,
I'm so glad to hear from you and that you are still fighting. You sound like you have an absolutely brilliant oncologist!
I pray there is a good outcome in the new year and you can have surgery to remove your nodes and get rid of this beast once and for all.
Your wife and you sound like a great couple. I hope you have a wonderful and joyous Xmas together.
Danielle

JimboC said:

I'm still around just not as round.
I'm doing pretty good physically. Mentally I have some bad days. I've started back on chemo again. Going to do three rounds of Taxotere alone. Lot's of joint pain from that one along with some mouth sores. My hope is that after the chemo the possibility of surgery exists to remove the diseased nodes. I've gotta say, I'd been much happier if they had been removed during the original surgery.

I don't know for sure if I am doing chemo with a realistic expectation of surgery or if I am palliative only. My doctor was trying to make contact with the surgeon in order to make that determination. They talked but my doctor and I haven't talked since and to be honest, I'm afraid to go looking for the answer. I've decided to wait until after Christmas to find out in order to keep the holidays as happy as possible. Since I'm only on a single chemo agent this time, I have my own opinions but I'll keep them to myself for now.

I have to say my oncologist is incredible. When the October PET came back bad and I went back to the surgeon, my surgeon originally wanted to wait until January, rescan and see what it looked like then. He said that it was too soon after chemo and that could explain the bad scan. I went back to my oncologist with that news and he blew up. He said he wanted to first see studies that determined that it was too soon for a PET after chemo. He didn't say it was definitely cancer but he wanted to rule it out. He insisted that I have a biopsy because he said that waiting until January could be the difference between life and death. He was right. The biopsy was cancerous and instead of the one node it looked like 3 more were involved. I wouldn't even be back on chemo now if he hadn't insisted we push the issue. By the time January rolls around, I will have already had my second infusion. The right doctor can make a difference in this dreaded disease.

I am so sorry to keep everyone guessing. I haven't felt very inspirational or upbeat and didn't want to drag anyone down so I've refrained from posting. Kind of the "If you can't say something good, don't say anything at all." school. I know that is wrong, I know we all get emotionally invested in each other and an unexplained absence causes worry and stress. I apologize to everyone and humbly thank you for your love, concern and always kind comments.

As I close this out, let me share a conversation with my wife the other night. She was pretty upset that I was still having to deal with this and the stress it put on me. I asked her this. If I had experienced a heart attack on February 28th and died, what would we have given for another year together? We agreed we would have given almost anything. Given that answer, this has been so worth it. I'm almost 1 year post diagnosis (more than 1 year post symptom) and I am doing great all things considered. Considering many of our fellow warriors in the EC battle sadly leave us in that first year, I feel pretty fortunate. To this I say, God IS good and thank you.

Take care everyone! All my best!

Great to hear from you
Jimbo,

It is great to see you posting. I understand about not feeling very up at this time. We are, of course, concerned about how you are doing physically and mentally. It is good to get an update from time to time. Plus venting is allowed and encouraged here.

You are in my prayers daily and I like to be as specific as possible about what I pray for, so thanks for the update. Will be praying for a positive response to the chemo, minimal side effects, and a positive prognosis for surgical removal of the affected nodes.

Best Regards,

Paul Adams
McCormick, South Carolina

TerryV said:

Keep fighting, Jimbo!
You're fighting a good fight, Jimbo. Wish I could know for certain that your news after the holidays would be good. I pray that the news will be good.

I hope you and your wife DO enjoy the holidays! Have the best holiday you can.

Love & Hugs,

Terry

My prayers......
My prayers are with you my friend.

Gerry

JimboC said:

I'm still around just not as round.
I'm doing pretty good physically. Mentally I have some bad days. I've started back on chemo again. Going to do three rounds of Taxotere alone. Lot's of joint pain from that one along with some mouth sores. My hope is that after the chemo the possibility of surgery exists to remove the diseased nodes. I've gotta say, I'd been much happier if they had been removed during the original surgery.

I don't know for sure if I am doing chemo with a realistic expectation of surgery or if I am palliative only. My doctor was trying to make contact with the surgeon in order to make that determination. They talked but my doctor and I haven't talked since and to be honest, I'm afraid to go looking for the answer. I've decided to wait until after Christmas to find out in order to keep the holidays as happy as possible. Since I'm only on a single chemo agent this time, I have my own opinions but I'll keep them to myself for now.

I have to say my oncologist is incredible. When the October PET came back bad and I went back to the surgeon, my surgeon originally wanted to wait until January, rescan and see what it looked like then. He said that it was too soon after chemo and that could explain the bad scan. I went back to my oncologist with that news and he blew up. He said he wanted to first see studies that determined that it was too soon for a PET after chemo. He didn't say it was definitely cancer but he wanted to rule it out. He insisted that I have a biopsy because he said that waiting until January could be the difference between life and death. He was right. The biopsy was cancerous and instead of the one node it looked like 3 more were involved. I wouldn't even be back on chemo now if he hadn't insisted we push the issue. By the time January rolls around, I will have already had my second infusion. The right doctor can make a difference in this dreaded disease.

I am so sorry to keep everyone guessing. I haven't felt very inspirational or upbeat and didn't want to drag anyone down so I've refrained from posting. Kind of the "If you can't say something good, don't say anything at all." school. I know that is wrong, I know we all get emotionally invested in each other and an unexplained absence causes worry and stress. I apologize to everyone and humbly thank you for your love, concern and always kind comments.

As I close this out, let me share a conversation with my wife the other night. She was pretty upset that I was still having to deal with this and the stress it put on me. I asked her this. If I had experienced a heart attack on February 28th and died, what would we have given for another year together? We agreed we would have given almost anything. Given that answer, this has been so worth it. I'm almost 1 year post diagnosis (more than 1 year post symptom) and I am doing great all things considered. Considering many of our fellow warriors in the EC battle sadly leave us in that first year, I feel pretty fortunate. To this I say, God IS good and thank you.

Take care everyone! All my best!

Thanks for posting
Yes we are a bunch of worry warts on this site! It's good to know you're doing okay Jim. Thanks for the update. I too will pray for some good news for you.
Hugs,
Rita

JimboC said:

I'm still around just not as round.
I'm doing pretty good physically. Mentally I have some bad days. I've started back on chemo again. Going to do three rounds of Taxotere alone. Lot's of joint pain from that one along with some mouth sores. My hope is that after the chemo the possibility of surgery exists to remove the diseased nodes. I've gotta say, I'd been much happier if they had been removed during the original surgery.

I don't know for sure if I am doing chemo with a realistic expectation of surgery or if I am palliative only. My doctor was trying to make contact with the surgeon in order to make that determination. They talked but my doctor and I haven't talked since and to be honest, I'm afraid to go looking for the answer. I've decided to wait until after Christmas to find out in order to keep the holidays as happy as possible. Since I'm only on a single chemo agent this time, I have my own opinions but I'll keep them to myself for now.

I have to say my oncologist is incredible. When the October PET came back bad and I went back to the surgeon, my surgeon originally wanted to wait until January, rescan and see what it looked like then. He said that it was too soon after chemo and that could explain the bad scan. I went back to my oncologist with that news and he blew up. He said he wanted to first see studies that determined that it was too soon for a PET after chemo. He didn't say it was definitely cancer but he wanted to rule it out. He insisted that I have a biopsy because he said that waiting until January could be the difference between life and death. He was right. The biopsy was cancerous and instead of the one node it looked like 3 more were involved. I wouldn't even be back on chemo now if he hadn't insisted we push the issue. By the time January rolls around, I will have already had my second infusion. The right doctor can make a difference in this dreaded disease.

I am so sorry to keep everyone guessing. I haven't felt very inspirational or upbeat and didn't want to drag anyone down so I've refrained from posting. Kind of the "If you can't say something good, don't say anything at all." school. I know that is wrong, I know we all get emotionally invested in each other and an unexplained absence causes worry and stress. I apologize to everyone and humbly thank you for your love, concern and always kind comments.

As I close this out, let me share a conversation with my wife the other night. She was pretty upset that I was still having to deal with this and the stress it put on me. I asked her this. If I had experienced a heart attack on February 28th and died, what would we have given for another year together? We agreed we would have given almost anything. Given that answer, this has been so worth it. I'm almost 1 year post diagnosis (more than 1 year post symptom) and I am doing great all things considered. Considering many of our fellow warriors in the EC battle sadly leave us in that first year, I feel pretty fortunate. To this I say, God IS good and thank you.

Take care everyone! All my best!

Jimbo
So pleased to hear from you. Do hope you and your wife can have a good Christmas and pray that come the New Year you can have the operation.

Ann (2)
wife of Alan T3N1M0

sangora said:

Taxotere
Jimbo so glad to hear you are ok. I am now on Taxotere and will have my 5th infusion on the 22nd of December. Merry Christmsa to me. Be sure you keep hydrated and many times fluid intake orally will not keep things in balance with this drug. I have to have a full liter the day of infusion and another liter two days later or I end up in the hospital. All this fluid has really help with the way I feel and the side effects. Are you on Nulasta for the white count. I get that as well. Once we got all this supportive stuff together, I have had a smooth ride with this drug. It has dramatically reduced my tumor count. Have a great holiday with your family. Sam

Hey Sam, So far, the mouth
Hey Sam, So far, the mouth sores are the worse lingering effect. I'm getting them a bit more than I did with ECF. For a week after the infusion I am pretty sore in my joints and for a couple of days, oddly enough, I get hiccups. No nulasta yet. I'm dreading seeing my counts. I'm hoping they're back up in time for my next infusion.