When are you considered a year clean

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shelloz1
shelloz1 Member Posts: 405
edited June 2014 in IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma)

Hi,

When are you considered a year clean?  Is it a year from when you had surgery, or a year from when you finished treatments?


Shelley

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Comments

  • sdavis
    sdavis Member Posts: 96
    edited January 2009

    I think its your choice I have had doctors list it either way.

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited January 2009

    I'm not sure about the 'year clean' but I consider my canciverary to be from date of diagnosis.  I choose this because that is what the insurance companies use.  Others choose the date of surgery when they feel the cancer was removed.  I think its a personal choice.

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  • GramE
    GramE Member Posts: 5,056
    edited January 2009

    Since I had surgery AFTER chemo, I don't know what date to use.  Maybe the first time I heard the words - I cannot feel the tumor anymore and the MRI shows nothing...  

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  • fairy49
    fairy49 Member Posts: 1,245
    edited January 2009
    I think mine will be the day I got the results from all of the CT scans and the doctor said congratulations you are good, there is no evidence anything is anywhere else.  I was holding my breath up until then.  So I think I will choose that date, but good question!
    Lorraine ox
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  • mom_of_2
    mom_of_2 Member Posts: 347
    edited January 2009

    For me it's my surgery date. Even though MRI was good 8 weeks after starting chemo...I couldn't let my guard down. After surgery and I knew margins are clean and CANCER IS GONE! Glad insurance company's use date of diagnosis though...hopefully that will help with pre-existing status.

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  • Linsky
    Linsky Member Posts: 9
    edited January 2009

    For me it will be the surgery date because my margins were cleans and the nodes were negative, But it is a good question???

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  • deborye
    deborye Member Posts: 7,002
    edited January 2009

    I am using my last surgery date, May 4th will be my second cancerversary.

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  • Sassa
    Sassa Member Posts: 1,588
    edited January 2009

    I had a mastectomy and then chemo.  My onc started the one year clock when I finished chemo.

    My one year of herceptin was my first year after chemo.

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  • brst26
    brst26 Member Posts: 155
    edited January 2009

    My surgeon told me that it's when you have finished all treatment, then you are considered NED (No Evidence of Disease--that's the medical term for it).  I had chemo, then surgery, then radiation...so, even though I was technically NED following surgery, they still use the date that I completed radiation.

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited January 2009

    I am using the date of my surgery, since I will continue on treatment with Tamoxifen for years.  For women who are hormone positive, waiting until you have finished "all treatment" could be many years.

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited January 2009

    I too choose my surgery date as that was the day the nasty stuff was removed from my body...I had a lumpectomy, snb (no nodes involved), radiation and 5 yrs tamox..

    I still hold my breath at follow up visits but to date I am NED.....my 3 yr cancerversary date is Nov 15, 2009....so Im just a little over 2 yrs out now.

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