JonasM

Funny you should mention that - just last night I heard that the big thing among high school students is to get together in one of their basements and play poker all night long. We decided that the parents like it because 1) no loud music - too distracting, 2) not out drinking & driving and 3) not having sex.

JonasM

Kyras

[QUOTE=JonasM,Jun 2 2005, 08:53 PM] Good to hear, Patty. 'No pain' is a good thing.

JonasM

It wasn't my toes - just the outer edge of the foot. The doctor said that it's due to the pressure on the sciatic nerve by the disk material. He told me the numbness may go away, but no guarantees. It was mild enough (more of a 'foot asleep' kind of numbness than an actual loss of feeling) that it's possible that I'm just used to it. Sometimes the nerve grows a hard shell to protect itself from the pressure. Maybe mine did, though the rest of hte back pain has never really gone away.

JonasM

Kyras

Hilly,

any news?

tomcatt

Hi gang

I got out of the hospital yesterday (finally!!!). After a lot of tests, CAT scans, MRI, etc etc etc, they finally got a handle on this, and we somewhat know what the future holds.

It turns out I am in a very serious situation. I have developed metastatic colon cancer, showing up as lesions on the liver. A liver biopsy confirmed this. The MRI of my head confirmed the cyst is benign and of no concern. The chest CAT scan also indicated a couple of small nodules or lumps in my lungs, which may also be cancer. There will not be any investigation of these, however, as the treatment for the colon cancer will also take care of the lung lumps.

There is no cure for this, but at this point it is not terminal either. I will be beginning a regimen of very aggressive chemo sometime late this week, or beginning of next week, once I have a chance to meet with the oncologist in a couple of days.

Fortunately there are some new, very effective drugs for fighting colon cancer that have come out in the last year or so, with more due out in a year or two. The chemo is very very aggressive, and will most likely have some serious side effects; each person responds differently though, so I'll just have to wait and see how it goes.

What the docs are looking at is roughly a one to two year survival factor of 60-70%, as opposed to the normal five year survival factor I had when I underwent surgery in 2000. This does not mean I have a year to live, it's simply an expression of the relative success rate of people with similar conditions to mine living to one to two years. Along the way if new treatments become available, I can always elect to begin them, and perhaps extend that survival rate even further. I'm sure all of you have heard of people being given six months to live, and five years or ten years later they're still going strong. There is always hope!!!

I'll probably be on chemo for a long time, unless the cancer goes into remission. Regular blood tests and CAT scans will monitor the progress, hopefully showing the cancer lesions getting smaller in size.

There are other alternative treatments, some available now as clinical trials. My surgeon is investigating these, and working with the oncologist we'll come up with the best plan possible for me.

I had a mediport installed in my upper right chest area, which allows an IV insertion without having to each time find a vein. I had this before when I underwent chemo in 2000 and it works well.

Needless to say, life has changed for me. I don't think I will be able to go back to work, due to the 3-day on/14-day off nature of the chemo. That means I'll be using up my existing vacation and STD time, and will probably wind up on long term disability. Lots to look into about all that, and keeping my benefits/insurance/etc.

Hilly and I are taking this one day at a time, and we are going to do as many of the things we had planned for our future as we can. Hobbies, limited travel, you name it; we intend to enjoy life to the limit while we can, and make as many memories as possible. I will beat the odds with this, I will fight tooth and nail and investigate any and every possible treatment option that might help me. My attitude is good, life is good, it's just the life has suddenly become somewhat compressed for us.

Hilly intends to learn to drive stick in the next month or so, and will keep the S no matter what happens. It is my dream car, and if the worst happens she will continue to drive it for as long as it holds up. I'll have to teach her about the driving and maintenance quirks, and things to watch out for; needless to say she'll be driving it only in fair weather, so some of the handling issues won't be a concern to her. I might try to get her to a driving school sometime, so she can explore her limits with the car. I need to try and find someone locally to help with maintenance, as most of the dealers here don't have that great a reputation and I'd really hate to see her get ripped off and the car messed up. I wish we had a Ganley Honda here in Chicago area...

Thank you everyone for the kind thoughts and support. It means a lot to me and Hilly, more than you can imagine. I fully intend to be at the Ohio meet, even if Hilly has to drive. I will NOT miss this one!!!

As time goes on I may be asking for advice and help regarding things S2000 related, and life in general. One thing I remember from my last bout with this is support groups do wonders for cancer patients, and I think I have the best possible support group right here. Thank you again for everything!!!

Tom

MsPerky

Wow, Tom...this is rough. But we know you are a fighter and will do everything in your power, with the help of your family and your friends here in Vintage, to beat the odds. Thanks for checking in with us, and I look forward to seeing you and Hilly in OH!!

Kyras

Hey Tom,

It must be good to be home. You knew all along there was something going on, and now they finally figured it out. Good and bad. I'm glad you are a fighter and will put up your dukes (sp?) for this fight. I hope you will kick butt on this, again. Your attitude is admirable. I send my love and hope, to you, Hilly and your family,

Patty

Lainey

Tom,

I've often heard that positive attitude is a must for someone battling cancer.

Your post is nothing but positive.


My thoughts are with you and Hilly.

rjosey8385

Oh, Tom - what a rough time you've been through and now this! You know you have our thoughts and prayers and hearts and moral support and anything else we can do for you during this time. I've read great things about the new targeted chemo drugs and the relative lack of side effects involved, so hopefully they can get you on one of those soon. My Mom has been undergoing standard chemo (a "cocktail" mix by her excellent Heme/Onc guy) now for 3 months with some positive results and she hasn't had ANY nausea or fatigue or hair loss from the treatments...just started radiation a couple of weeks ago, too.

Kyras

Ruth, that is good news.