Wife's cancer update

[Captain Kidd]

I reported a couple months ago that my wife has grade 1 breast cancer. She had a lumpectomy and survived that though the anesthesia threw her for a loop - sick for a week and more side effects. But they have declared her "cancer free"!

The oncologist recommended an onco-type genetic test which would tell whether the cancer was aggressive or not. They suspected not but wanted to make sure. Got the phone call this morning and it is not an aggressive cancer! Great news. PTL!

Had it been an aggessive type, they would have recommended chemo. They are recommending radiation and hormone blockers. My wife is not thrilled about either but will probably do at least the radiation which should put her in the 90%+ bracket for it not recurring. So January will be radiation month - 16 daily treatments. (there goes the Everglades-lack-of-challenge - LOL). Obviously her health is priority number one!

All-in-all we feel blessed. We have two ladies with cancer in our church who are in a battle for their lives at the moment and one of our ladies has a 23 yr old granddaughter who just had a baby and was just diagnosed with breast cancer. One of our missionaries, a man, was just diagnosed with grade two breast cancer. I've heard of it but never known any man to have it.

Thoughts and prayers still appreciated.

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[Roland of Macatawa]

Wonderful news!

[Doug SC]

It is wonderful news for sure. It's like lifting a weight off when you get that news. We really need to savor each other and be thankful for times like this. I know because my wife went through treatment for a rare non-Hodgkin's lymphoma last winter. She is so much better now but still must be monitored periodically for it coming back. Another bit of good news, our youngest delivered a new baby boy today. Everything went very smoothly. It's her second child and our second grandson. Lots to be thankful for.
 

[Riley Smith]

I'm glad to hear such good news! That'll take a load off! That uncertainty is the pits.

[Frank B.]

Thoughts and prayers are indeed coming your way.

I know what it is like, started rapid arc salvage radiation yesterday for prostate cancer.  It has been a long road, diagnosed in spring of 2013, active surveillance until my fifth biopsy indicated a switch to treatment, had radical prostatectomy 8/2021, PSA undetectable for several years than creeping up with a very long doubling time (that is good news), recent Pet scan saw no tumors and no indication of spread, so medical team thinks it is confined to random cells left behind and salvage radiation was indicated to "clean up" the site. Genetic test indicates what I have is slow growing non aggressive and I'm a low intermediate risk for spread. The good news is they said my general health is so good that my life expectancy warrants this treatment, if it were less they would not treat, instead go to watchful waiting.

So number one of 37 done, only takes about two minutes each time, fifteen with prep and post, only a ten minute drive to the center. 

I have to say it has changed my perspective about what is important in life and what is just distraction.  And I had this cancer when I ran the Boston Marathon and walked the 500 mile Camino de Santiago, de Compostela  across France and Spain in the same year. So live on and focus on what is important'

[Chris Muthig]

So glad to hear, praying it's gone for good!  My sister in law is going through surgeries and treatments, stage 3, had to remove a big part of her jaw and lymph node, also salivary gland.  Horrible surgery, started over a month ago, and she's just now sitting up and eating ice chips.  No one should have to go through any of this, definitely one of the few things in this world that scares me.

[Captain Kidd]

It is wonderful news for sure. It's like lifting a weight off when you get that news. We really need to savor each other and be thankful for times like this. I know because my wife went through treatment for a rare non-Hodgkin's lymphoma last winter. She is so much better now but still must be monitored periodically for it coming back. Another bit of good news, our youngest delivered a new baby boy today. Everything went very smoothly. It's her second child and our second grandson. Lots to be thankful for.
 

Wow! Congratulations, grandpa!

Thoughts and prayers are indeed coming your way.

I know what it is like, started rapid arc salvage radiation yesterday for prostate cancer.  It has been a long road, diagnosed in spring of 2013, active surveillance until my fifth biopsy indicated a switch to treatment, had radical prostatectomy 8/2021, PSA undetectable for several years than creeping up with a very long doubling time (that is good news), recent Pet scan saw no tumors and no indication of spread, so medical team thinks it is confined to random cells left behind and salvage radiation was indicated to "clean up" the site. Genetic test indicates what I have is slow growing non aggressive and I'm a low intermediate risk for spread. The good news is they said my general health is so good that my life expectancy warrants this treatment, if it were less they would not treat, instead go to watchful waiting.

So number one of 37 done, only takes about two minutes each time, fifteen with prep and post, only a ten minute drive to the center. 

I have to say it has changed my perspective about what is important in life and what is just distraction.  And I had this cancer when I ran the Boston Marathon and walked the 500 mile Camino de Santiago, de Compostela  across France and Spain in the same year. So live on and focus on what is important'

Prostate cancer runs in my family: granddad, uncle, dad, and then my brother and me. The two of us were on the lookout for it- getting checked early on. We had prostatectomies the same year - 2011. I was 55 and he was 52. The cancer came back in my uncle; he's been on some kind of meds for years but will turn 82 later this month. So far my brother and I are still good - annual PSA's coming back good.

I guess we'll start my wife's radiation first of the year. Daily 16 treatments. We're 5 minutes from the center.

So glad to hear, praying it's gone for good!  My sister in law is going through surgeries and treatments, stage 3, had to remove a big part of her jaw and lymph node, also salivary gland.  Horrible surgery, started over a month ago, and she's just now sitting up and eating ice chips.  No one should have to go through any of this, definitely one of the few things in this world that scares me.

So sorry for her. Some diseases are absolutely devastating. That's why we count ourselves blessed.