cancer free

jteach

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 09.  I had 3 surgeries, the last one being a mastectomy in July.  I started chemo in August.  Radiation will be done end of March

When is my cancer free anniversary?  When do I get to say I'm Cancer free for one year, 2 years, etc.  Or will I just be pushing the envelope if I even dare to go there?  Thanks!

jancie

Somebody else started a thread on this within the past year but I don't remember the answer - love the chemo fog!!  Ugggghhhhh.

So I will sit tight and hope that someone responds here so maybe the 2nd time around I might actually remember the answer.

Jaimieh

I have heard a bunch of different dates that people use (BTW, Hi Jancie!!)

1. Date of diagnosis

2. Date of surgery

3. Date of last Chemo.

4. date of surgery if node neg. and date after chemo if node positive.

5. Date of last radiation treatment

So I think there is no right or wrong.  Pick one and it is right because it's all about you

scrapmom40

I have read online that your cancer-free date is the day you are actually diagnosed (which doesn't really make much sense to me).  Here is what I found on BreastCancer.org:

http://www.breastcancer.org/questions/cancer_free.jsp

I also found this:

 Survival of Cancer Patients

When are you considered a cancer survivor? In the past years, physicians consider an individual to be a cancer survivor when the person is diagnosed to be free from the malignancy for at least a year. However, as the understanding of humans on the disease improves, the definition of being a cancer survivor changes.

In present times, people refer to cancer survivor as the individual who is suffering from the deadly disease but is still living. The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship to recognize not just the efforts of the patient to survive but also to acknowledge the support given by the friends, relatives and families of the cancer patient.

And also found this . . .

Today, a cancer survivor is anyone who has now, or has had in the past, any variant of the disease and is still living. This definition recognizes the struggle to survive that these patients put up every day they live. It also recognizes the many changes that a person undergoes when dealing with these issues on a day to day basis.

Not sure that it helps.  I know I had found before a few places that said it is the day you are diagnosed, but I am not finding that today.  That is the date I use (although it would make more sense to me to use the day I finished my chemo treatments, even though I am on Tamoxifen for the next 3 1/2 years).

 Hope you find the answer you seek.

Karen

jancie

Hi Jaimieh!!  How have you been doing?  I have just been around the hair thread and now the non-smoking thread again for what the 5th time???

I like the idea of using the last day of your treatment as  your anniversary date.  I still had cancer while undergoing chemo, etc. so to me (my own personal opinion) I am going to use the date of my last treatment of radiation - September 25th!  That was also the same day I headed to Las Vegas to meet the TaTa Sisters!!!  So for me, that is the perfect date to use.

Jaimieh

I am doing awesome Jancie!!  I hope you are doing well with quiting again.  See for me the date IMO is January 8 because it was the date of my mastectomy (before chemo).  So it is so different for everyone. 

Jancie~ I gotta go check out your hair

havehope

I go by my surgery date since I was NED after that. I had a clean PET before surgery and no nodes, vascular or chest involvement. No rads, just chemo, but I was already NED before chemo. 

iodine

I feel I became a survivor when I didn't deck the doc who told me I had bc.  I survived being told the diagnosis and kept going, a few slips and falls later, I'm a long way out and so happy to be here.

jteach

iodine

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you-I needed that!