Continue Strenuos exercise?

nobody wants to join, Morse.  You couldn't have found a better forum on the internet, tho....great folks....knowledgable, and supportive. 

First....this is a slow growing cancer, and your increased metabolism shouldn't affect it at all.  As a matter of fact, going into treatment with a good muscle mass base is good.  This is a good time to add weight, so eating more of whatever you eat now is also a good idea.  Don't worry, you'll lose any pounds you add....

Are you nervous of the PET because it might show a spread of cancer?  That is pretty darn rare (I've never met anyone yet, who showed distant mets on the first go around with this beast.  The PET will define what the Drs. already know....in order to make a plan just for you.  Hearing for the first time that we have cancer sends everyone into a whirlwind of thoughts and feelings.  It's a scary word.  It took months for me to put my name and the word cancer into the same sentence and have it make sense.  The treatment is tough....that's a fact....but you'll see from the others on this board, that you get through it, and come back to normal....or abi-normal (new normal)....and will most likely be doing you P90X once again.

Stick close to this board....ask any questions....nothing is off limits. 

p

morse-cc said:

Wow!!! Thank you so very much

Wow!!! Thank you so very much Phrannie.  The ENT gave me the same assurances regarding the liklihood of this type of cancer spreading, but....as the hours slipped by and my over active imagination got going I was feeling things all over my body and....well you know.  Anyways your reassuring words based in knowledge and expereince meant the world to me thank you again.  You didn't mention anything about yourself, but I wish all the best for you too!

Hey there,

I was diagnosed with Stage 4 tonsil cancer in Nov of last year.  Just finished treatment about 5 months ago and I am feeling  great at this point.  I was doing cross fit and I am a high school wrestling coach and was in the beginning of the season when I was diagnosed.  I will say that I was freaked out.  I was 44, turned 45 during treatment.  Have small children.  The more I learned about this the more confident I was going to beat it.  You will to.  Like my ENT told me this is probably the most curable cancer, but its the most brutal treatment.  Having gone through it, we can all atest to it being horrible.  But if we can all do it, so can you.  Being in great shape will help you.  I would keep working out, because at some point you won't be able to.  I lost 30 pounds and my body feels extremely weak.  I am slowly trying to come back.  I have a long road to go before I will be back in good shape, but I am alive and excited about life.  Needless to say, my wrestlers are waiting to beat on their slim down coach, so I have until November to get back into really good shape.  This forum is a great space to help you through this.  I found a couple people who had this that I was able to talk to through the process as well when I was freaked out.  Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need to talk to someone.  Good luck, you will make it through.  I am not going to lie, it will be extremely difficult, but you will make it.  

Tony 

My particular suspected cancer is kidney and I get the pathology report some time next week, but since my lesion was completely removed this past Wednesday, I have been assured by my surgeon that I have an extremely small risk of either a spread or a return visit.

I'm responding to your post because about 7 years ago, my wife's brother was diagnosed with Stage IV-A nasopharyngeal carcinoma.  When we heard the diagnosis, we were devastated, because everything you always hear about cancer says Stage IV is as bad as it gets.  He was referred to UC San Francisco and, there, we were told that not only was Stage IV-A treatable, it was curable.  Like you, he was in great shape.  His treatment consisted of Monday through Friday radiation treatments and chemo sessions once a month that lasted about two of three hours.  My wife (his sister) and I were with him every step of the way, as were his mom and girlfriend. I was there for every treatment, helping him to prepare in the dressing room for the radiation and sitting with him and my wife (his sister) and girlfriend during the chemo.  It was hard on all of us.  He lost a lot of weight and my wife pretty much had to shove food and drinks into him.

his treatment started in late October, 2009 and finished in Late January, 2010.

I am very happy to report his scans have been clean since then, so he is definitely a cancer survivor.  Your treatment sounds like it will be very similar.  Just keep as good an attitude as you can and try to get a support network around you, and you'll win too.

Morse, I've often heard the expression "Worry is the extra dividend you pay to the devil in advance of his due."  Whatever, the outcome, you will deal with it and we will help you through.

When you go the rads route (if indeed you do), I would lay off the strenuous workouts.  Your body will need all it's strength and reserve to cope with the treatment.  You will definitely resume your routine in time but this'll be the moment to kick back a bit.

Good luck!!!

My surgeon's analogy was that cancer is like crab grass...you can pull it out by its roots, poison it, burn it...but it may still be able to send out tentacles that are able to survive.  Believe me, to this day I question why I had to have the radiation which left me (and all of us) will issues we will cope with the rest of our lives.  But I suppose it beats waiting and wondering if and when the cancer will return.  Good luck to you in your decision and going forward, Morse!