Great news!
By dorannmwin
@dorannmwin (36392)
United States
January 9, 2013 4:43pm CST
My husband had his six month follow-up appointment with his oncologist today and I know that he was having a lot of scanxiety about following up with him after having not seen him for six months. You know there is always that chance that the cancer could have come back.
However, I'm happy to report that the only thing that the oncologist noticed in his scan was that his sinuses were extremely swollen (I'd told Tom the other day that he had a rip roaring sinus infection and he needed to go see his GP). Dr. Hayslip wrote him a prescription for the sinus infection, scheduled the date for his port-a-cath removal (the 28th of this month) and also told him that he would help get Tom a new GP after his GP's office closes in the middle of February. Overall, I would say that he really did have a great doctor's appointment today and he is lucky enough to get to enjoy six more months without cancer treatments.
3 people like this
13 responses
@bostonphil (4459)
• United States
9 Jan 13
Good news for the New Year. I hope it is a sign of things to come. I realize that Cancer is a very serious and stressful disease. I also know that it can come back after it appears to be cured or in remission. It is a mean disease. Glad that Tom got a clean bill of health and hope that it remains that way.
2 people like this
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
10 Jan 13
Honestly, I really can't think of many diseases that are quite as stressful as cancer has been. You see, I've had family members that have dealt with heart disease, MS, diabetes, etc. None of those diseases have been quite as stressful as going through cancer treatment has been on our family.
1 person likes this
@bostonphil (4459)
• United States
11 Jan 13
I have heard that cancer treatment can be very difficult. I have known many persons who have had cancer. Some handled the treatment better than others. Cancer plays a mean cat and mouse disease. As I said earlier, you think you are cured. Sometimes you live cancer free for years and then, it sometimes comes back. I know of people that this has happened to. In some cases, they chose to have no further treatment and to let nature take its course. Other times, they fought back but lost the battle while still others went on to have a continuing life.
The other diseases that you have mentioned are also very serious and can cause life long changes. I just saw Michael J. Fox on David Letterman. He has bad symptoms of Parkinson's. It seems like he deteriorated fast.
The disease that really terrifies me is is ASL.
@RitterSport (2451)
• Lippstadt, Germany
12 Jan 13
hi dear dorannmwin, I am doing the happy dance here for you and your husband. Sounds as if everything is perfect healthwise and I am so glad it is after all you had been through. You sure have a wonderful weekend now knowing the next check up is half a year away from now.
1 person likes this
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
12 Jan 13
As far as the weekend goes, so far so good. I guess I might be going out with a friend of mine here in a little bit. It's been too long since we've had some girl time and that is definitely something that we both need.
@RitterSport (2451)
• Lippstadt, Germany
13 Jan 13
hope you have a wonderful time with your friend.......
@poppoppop111 (5731)
• Canada
9 Jan 13
Wow great news. Hopefully he gets to live a long healthy life. Cancer is not fun and I have seen many people suffer. I'm glad things are going well for your family
1 person likes this
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
10 Jan 13
It hasn't been fun for us at all. I don't think that either of the two of us would have imagined that not only would he have to go through cancer and treatment while he was in his thirties, I was also a young wife and mother of a cancer patient while I was still a pretty young adult.
@Hatley (163781)
• Garden Grove, California
9 Jan 13
hi dorannmwin oh thats wonderful news. I am so glad to hear that and a sinus i n fection can be pretty easily cured but the scan shows cancer free and that's just wonderful for you all. He sure did
have a great doctor's appontment today . Glad you shared that with us.hugs from hatley.
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@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
10 Jan 13
Yeah, a sinus infection really was the least of our worries with him. It was the fear that it could have come back and would have been so much more difficult to get into remission a second time.
@savypat (20216)
• United States
10 Jan 13
I know how hard this has been on both of you and am so glad that your news is good. Now will be a time of change, things will never be the same as they were befor the great C interfeared, but both of you can go forward with more appreciation of life. Blessings.
1 person likes this
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
10 Jan 13
You are right that things will never be the same as they were before he was sick. However, I really feel like as we both go on with our lives that we will have a better appreciation of the blessings that we do have in our lives. If his having cancer has only taught me one thing, that is that we should never take what we have in our lives for granted because it could all be taken away from us in an instant.
1 person likes this
@Arieles (2473)
• United States
10 Jan 13
Great news for you and your husband. I know you mentioned being a little nervous about the cancer and the scan. I am so happy for both of you. Does he have to get re-checked every six months? How has his diet changed since he has had cancer?
1 person likes this
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
10 Jan 13
If I'm not mistaken, he will be checked again in six months (July) and then six months after that (January 2014) after both of those scans have come back clean (I'm working on my positive thinking) he will then only have to go in for a scan once every year for the next three years. At that point he will be released from the oncologist permanently.
As far as his diet, the main difference that we've both noted is that though he used to love to eat really spicy foods, he really isn't able to tolerate them any more.
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@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
10 Jan 13
You wouldn't believe the amount of relief that I feel with the fact that he has been cleared healthwise for the next six months.
@wilsongoddard (7291)
• United States
10 Jan 13
That is really good news. 
Hopefully, things will continue to go well for him.
Hopefully, things will continue to go well for him.@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
10 Jan 13
I certainly do hope that things will continue to go well for him and that he will continue to feel better every day. You see, the radiation that he went through at the very beginning of last year has been something that has really taken him a long time to recover from.
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
10 Jan 13
Hip hip, hurray! Thisnis such great news for your family and a great start to the New Year. May he always remain cancer free. You have been through so much this pst year and deserve a good year.Many blessings
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
10 Jan 13
This is definitely a great start to a New Year for us. I'm actually hoping that getting this great news really is just a sign of things to come for the rest of this year.
@marguicha (215179)
• Chile
10 Jan 13
I congratulate you both and I`m SO happy for you, dear!!!
I can understand perfectly well how you feel as we have both been walking on the same path this last year. Do keep us posted on Tom`s health please.
I can understand perfectly well how you feel as we have both been walking on the same path this last year. Do keep us posted on Tom`s health please. @marguicha (215179)
• Chile
11 Jan 13
You knoe it has. And I well remember when I wrote about my lymphoma that you immediatly wrote that I could ask you anything I wanted to know.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
11 Jan 13
You know, I wish that I hadn't been forced to become an expert on lymphoma, but since I have been, I figure that the best thing that I can do is to offer my knowledge to other people that might benefit from it.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
10 Jan 13
I will always keep you all updated on his health. I know that sharing what has been going on for our family has been something that has been an inspiration and a sort of support for other people that have had to face a similar journey.
@much2say (53918)
• Los Angeles, California
16 Jan 13
That is indeed great news! What a relief it must be to get a confirmation with good results . . . you all have been through so much. Hope your hubby is feeling tons better - both in body and mind. May the new year continue to bring good health!! Hugs!
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
10 Jan 13
Oh yeah, I don't really think of the sinus infection as really being much of anything. I mean we all go through them from time to time and it is something that he will definitely be able to get over.
@ShyBear88 (59275)
• Sterling, Virginia
10 Jan 13
Well that is great to hear. Another 6 months free. I bet he is happy about that.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
10 Jan 13
We are both happy about the bill of health for the next six months. However, I think what he is the most excited about is the fact that he is finally going to be able to get the implant (port-a-cath) taken out. That thing has been in there for over a year and a half and he is ready to say good riddance to it.
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