Good news, you are cancer free! Take the win! Something will get you one day, but not that and not today, and that is about the best we can hope for. I try to take the perspective that by all rights I shouldn't even be here now and that every day is a bonus, and I do try to take a few moments for gratitude.

Yes...
Take the Win...! :0)

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Originally posted by rinemb

For the foreseeable future my treatment consisted of quarterly scanning, looking for trouble. Yippie!

Or as I like to call it , a sentencing hearing , which for me is every 6 months . Always hoping for a delay in sentencing ! Lucky for me , a daughter pointed out that every thinking human being is dreading any results from a medical professional , whether they've had cancer before or not .... Turns out , worrying about it is avoidable , but you'd have to die to do it ........ Getting after living is the only thing I've found helpful !!!! 

I’m 76 now , & got cancer 4 years ago,, have had scans and tests and scopes every few months up until last July. Still cancer-free and just glad for each day with lots of interesting things to do and observe. I eat a lot healthier , avoid inflammatory foods (except some sweets,, my Achilles heel) , do a lot of intermittent fasting , and stay positive & grateful as much as I can.
All the best going forward, Brad!

Atta Boy Brad!!! 73=still a boy!!! Great news and glad you’re on da mend.
Mrs. Slammer had a very aggressive breast cancer at age 43 , 20 years ago.
Thought we were going to lose her a few times , but she’s tougher than I am.
20 years later, cancer free and a Marathon runner and healthier than I’ll ever be!!! Live it to the fullest and don’t look back!!! Life really is too short, and the older I get, the more I’m realizing it and trying to fill every day, even if that means taking a nap and not doing a damn thing. It’s MY time!!!
Slammer!!!

I think your Carpe Diem lifestyle is perfect. Don’t worry about your doctor wanting to keep an eye on you, they do that with nearly all cancer patients. 5 years is the goal line for just about every cancer patient. They stop paying so much attention after you pass the 2 year mark, but they still need to see you occasionally. They’re looking for a recurrence of your cancer or signs of mets in another location.

Carpe Diem is a great attitude. Taking those trips and doing those things you always thought about would be a good habit to get into right about now. You have your strength and stamina, enough for travel and activities. Waiting an undetermined amount of time will only be risking that when you think the time might be right later your body might be facing another obstacle that will hang you up. You’ll never be this young again.

I’ve kind of been through the mill with my health care the last dozen years or so, and I’m not as fit as I was not all that long ago. So I know a little about what I’m talking about. The scans will become less frequent after a while (1-2 yrs), but how anxious you get about the results is up to you. Meditation and/or mindfulness practice might be helpful. 

Good luck and best wishes in your journeys.

I'm with everyone else: take the win and enjoy while you can.

Dave was diagnosed with lung cancer when he was 74. He had major surgery to remove the right lobe of his heart. They told him they got it all. We were elated. But ..... there's always a but .... that we should have yearly x-rays of the heart just to be sure. We did that for 3 years. Looked great, no cancer.

Then in 78 he had surgery for gallbladder problems. A few months later we received a call from the doctor telling us he'd found cancer cells in the patholo
gy. We went to the cancer doctor who did a PET scan of the entire body. From the neck down he was cancer free but.... there's that everlasting but ... that he had brain cancer!

I don't want to bring you down so my suggestion is: definitely have yourself checked out every year and don't just concentrate on one area, but on the entire body. Cancer travels.

Hopefully, you will be one of the lucky ones.

Do what your doctor tells you.

Some get warnings, some don't. My oldest sister in Santa Rosa, CA died about 10 days ago after a very brief bout with super high blood pressure. Died in her sleep. She made it to 72.

I'm not sure looking at this like "winning" or "losing" is very healthy way to view this. Living is not winning, and dying is not losing. They are both a part of life. We are born, we will die just the same. Carpe Diem is defined as "mak[ing] the most of the present time and giv[ing] little thought to the future." You're still here to tell about it. And I'm still here to read you post about it. That's enough for me, and, hopefully, enough for you as well. It's a blessing. Just my opinion. Thanks for your post.

My first brain tumor operation was in 2006.
Second brain tumor operation was in 2018.

Yearly MRI since and all is well enough so far.
I had to give up my life-long jobs of lobstering and climbing up and down ladders at the wharves so I'm relegated to picking the banjo and guitar for any "extra" money and had to simplify/reduce my expenses.

I miss living on the ocean,but I feel very lucky LIVING with the hand I've been dealt.
Good friends are so important.

Many appreciated comments have come my way and for many of us as well. Thank you.
While I am not doing any sit-ups yet, I must be working my core muscles somehow with day to day chores of home ownership. That'll do for now. Brad

Rowing machines are great for the core and they are getting less expensive.
20 minutes a day helps a lot.