Counting the Years

CherylinOhio

I am coming up (in May) on my surgery date, dx was late March. When counting the years to anniversaries and getting over teh 2 year hump, do I count last year from surgery date to this year surgery date? It seems that last year would not count because was doing chemo and radiation and the chance of a reoccurence was slim to none.  I want to start this year from May 9 2012 to May 9 2013 and make that one year, my BS says she counts from surgery date and does my onc.  Does last year count?

Hillside

I asked my oncologist what the date to count years out from BC is. He said that as everyone has such different treatments, and in different running orders, this can be a hard one to pin down. There is only one fixed date that is a constant for us all, and that is the date of the first biopsy for initial diagnosis. After that first biopsy we each have an individual journey through the different processes. So in the UK at least, the medics count years out from the date of the very first biopsy. Hope that this is helpful.

CherylinOhio

Thanks Hill.  I guess everyone has their own personal date. I think I will use my surgery date, that is the day teh c was taken out of me. So in 3 months will have one year anniversary from surgery but I think  I will start with May 2012 as far as being cancer free goes. So May 2013 will be my first (hopefully) cancer free year. 

quiche

I always wondered that too and then I remembered my surgeon say after my second set of surgeries to remove lymph nodes and clear margins, "Well, technically, you are now cancer free". Everything proceeding that (chemo and rads) were more precautionary measures to prevent recurrence. That made sense to me and I count my anniversaries from my last surgery.

jennyboog

I think alot of us count dx date, I know I do and so does my onc. even though you're going through tx the first year.

CherylinOhio

I guess everyone is different. I will acknowledge all dates, reasons to celebrate!!

SharonMH

Hi,  My onc. uses dx date. But I agree all dates are reason to celebrate.  Ckgrayoh I don't like spiders either.  SharonH

karen1956

My onc also uses the date of Dx....

thefuzzylemon

You become a survivor the day you are tested positive for The Big Ugly. This is because every day after that you are surviving.

Now, if you celebrate being NED, that's a great thing too. And, when chemo was over, and rads, and your first hair cut...LOL

CherylinOhio

Oh my first haircut...how I dream about that.  Mine is coming in all grey, so I have colored it once to get rid of the grey.  Growing in curly. Can't wait until no more wigs!! Almost there.

I think I will recognize the surgery date and the last day of treatment, and celebrate everyday!!

pupfoster1

I count the surgery date as that was the day they "got rid of it in surgery" (quote my oncologist at Johns Hopkins.  But every woman decides for herself.

Love,

Sharon

PS Why so quite on the horse thread??????  Where did everyone go??????

CherylinOhio

hey Sharon,  I think I stirred up some bad sh*t on horse thread so I quieted down for a bit.

I read something on the Johns Hopkins wesbite yesterday. I was reading about reoccurence and the site said that most women who get bc will not experience a reoccurence.  I wonder where they get that info from?  I am hanging on to that as well as every other positive thing I have read or heard.

Are they a good facilty? I was thinking about going to the Canter Treatment Center of America but did not read good reviews.

pupfoster1

Hi Cheryl,

I have very mixed reviews for JH.  They are considered one of the top cancer tx centers in the US, I had particpated in the Avon Walk for 3 years before my tx and their breast center is named for Avon, as well as a neighbor up the street getting to do the Herceptin trial gratis w/them so those were my big reasons for opting for them.  I had to wait 7 weeks for my surgery date, and unfortunately those 7 weeks were nothing but a mess of them screwing up my records and me having to drive back and forth from Baltimore (about a 45 minute drive each way, but talk about stress) then to have the surgeon actually threaten the weekend before my surgery to cancel it if "I couldn't move forward"---because I DARED to complain about the issues.  WTF?  Anywhoo, he is supposedly the "best" they have, so I have to believe he got over it and did the best job possible during my surgery.   I LOVE my plastic surgeon there---Dr. Michelle Manahan.  She is awesome, and they are on the cutting edge with doing the DIEP flap recon A LOT.  I felt in much better hands with her.

I'd love to read the article you were reading, can you forward me the link or post it here?  I agree, I cling on to any of those good stories we can find! 

Don't worry about what you brought up on the horse thread.  You weren't out of line by bringing it up.  It's sad, but true.

Take care,

Sharon

CherylinOhio

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/avon_foundation_breast_center/breast_cancers_other_conditions/breast_cancer_recurrence/index.html

Sharon, the link is above. "The majority of individuals diagnosed with breast cancer will never experience recurrence of their disease"  This is from the article above.

I hope that is true!!

Yes sad about the horses...very sad.  Another reason not to eat fast food. Do you have a horse? I don't recall from reading the threads? I have been thinking about getting another one but with surgery coming up and not really having the extra money I think I am going to wait til spring.

jennifer1

I count from my dx however I only had cancer for 37 days. My drs just laugh when I tell them but its the truth.  Found and removed (of course nothing is that easy)  Also I dont pay alot of attention to stats because they are based on today's tech, who knows what our stats will be in two years or five years.  This is the positive Jennifer talking, just got a little more upbeat in the last couple of months.

CherylinOhio

Hi Jennifer, I am going to use my surgery date which is May 9. So I have a few more months. Recon surgery coming up in T-Minus 4/5 weeks!! YEAH! But am really nervous about what kind of pain I will be in and for how long. Oh well, one more thing down.

jennifer1

CK you will do fine.  My dr always tells me that she will tell me when to worry so dont do it til she calls it.  I liked that article about reoccurance but I am almost two years and no one watches me, I watch myself.  I do see onco every 6 months but he dont look at anything.  He just thinks its gone and thats it.  Oh well

CherylinOhio

I am making my onc scan me every year. I see him every 3-6 months for bloodwork, I am making him give me a scan after my surgery when I see him in April. Don't know what kind of scan, bone or ct? I just want some peace of mind right now.  I am always worried about mets, not so much reoccurence, I would rather have that. I think there is a difference, my patient coordinator told me there was a difference.  Am hoping that my body is being starved of hormones and progestrones by teh tamoxofin and the vitamins I am taking. We shall see.  I feel like I have to make it thru the next 5 years before I can breathe again.