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You are here : Cancer Blog > Anal Cancer Blog > Porter's Cancer Blog

Vital Info

Name:
Porter (porter)

Member Since:
February 12, 2012

Location:

Profile:
Cancer Fighter

Cancer Info

Type of Cancer:
Anal Cancer

Medical Term for the Type of Cancer:
Squamus Cell Carcinoma

Diagnosis Date:
December 7, 2011

Stage of Cancer:
Stage 2

Lymph Node Involvement:
No

Surgery:
Hysterectomy

Chemotherapy:
Fluorouracil (5-FU)

What I Hate Most About Cancer:
A wonderful life interrupted....

What I Have Learned From Cancer:
good question...

Things My Supporters Can Do To Help:
Suggestions, tips and techniques to get through these 6 weeks. It still amazes me that I'm signing up for this treatment. If all of these amazing and strong women can do it, and get through it, just maybe I'll be able to do it too.

Cancer Center:
St Peters Cancer Care Center, Albany, New York

End of Treatment Date:
April 2, 2012

Anal Cancer Symptoms:

I begin treatment on 2-21-12. I didn’t have any symptoms. Felt great, lots of energy, regularly speedwalked 2-3 miles at a time. Every once in a while my “roid” would act up. Thought all these oncologists must be mistaken….

Radiation or Proton Therapy Description, Dates & Side Effects:

6 weeks of daily treatment, 30 doses to begin on Feb 20, 2012. 5040 gy. total. wish me luck

Chemotherapy Description, Dates & Side Effects:

It’ll seems to be the standard Mitomycin-C and 5FU in the first and fifth week of treatment. Mitomycin C dose lowered by 25% due to low WBC & platelets first time around.

Stats

Posts: 6

Photos: 0

Events: 0

My Supporters: 17

I Support: 16

Comments: 90

Porter's Cancer Blog

12 days post treatment

Feel great. Back out walking again. Not nearly as far but I”ll get there. The last couple treatments were pretty rough thank god there were only 28 and then the 8 days post treatment were a bit rough. The skin has pretty much healed and is not swollen anymore. Bathroom duty is still a teeter totter. I’m backing off the senokot and working in the prunes. No more need for pain meds thank goodness. Having a bit of trouble sleeping at night so I think I’ll forego afternoon naps to see if that helps.

I climb stairs and I’m out of breath. Can’t wait to get back into shape.

I can sit for meals again, its so exciting. Port removal is scheduled for the 19th, can’t wait. Hindsight is that I would have just had a PICC line. The thing has been a constant sore point and can’t wait for it to be gone.

I see the docs tomorrow and we’ll be working on a follow up plan.

Posted on April 10, 2012 at 8:44:53 AM by Porter (12 days post treatment, 8 comments, 424 views)

Janet likes this.

Annabelle sent you a hug.

YAYYY Porter, you sound so upbeat and ready for the challenges of recovery! glad you have doctors who will work with you on a follow-up plan. Reading these posts has shown me that the majority of us just end the treatment and boom! – out the door! Come back in three months, or six months…What we need, and it would be great to get it from these docs, is some kind of guidance – what are the mileposts for physical recovery, what are the danger signs that should prompt you to call your doctor?

Hang in there!

Posted on April 10, 2012 at 8:57:12 AM by Private User

Hi Helen,
Thanks so much. More good advice like usual. I really like that mileposts and danger signs, when to call….I’m adding it to my list of questions now!

Posted on April 10, 2012 at 10:13:24 AM by Porter

Hi Porter!

It’s always so nice to read a post as upbeat as yours! You sound wonderful and like you are making quick work of your recovery—that’s wonderful! Don’t discouraged with the bathroom issues—they will soon be history. Take care and please keep us posted!

Martha

Posted on April 10, 2012 at 12:07:03 PM by Private User

Thanks Martha,
I’m headed out for my walk soon! Have to time it so all the bathroom issues re resolved four at least an hour prior to. No senokot last night, yay, and now have to reduce the number of prunes & colace. I feel like a body chemist…..

Posted on April 11, 2012 at 5:53:33 AM by Porter

Glad to hear you are done and doing so well. I also had to stop the naps in order to sleep at night..I then just went to bed at 9 pm and now I sleep very well at night. I get winded climbing stairs also. I need to amp up my aerobic activity now. When your red cell count returns to normal the shortness of breath should improve. Keep us posted on your progress !

Posted on April 10, 2012 at 2:56:11 PM by Private User

Hi Deb,
I actually slept pretty well last night not having a nap yesterday. Important reminder about red cell count and shortness of breath that makes a lot of sense. Thank you so much. Also, I still have a nadir coming up too.

Posted on April 11, 2012 at 5:59:44 AM by Porter

Hi Porter! So happy to hear you are doing well! Your walks will soon be as far as they once were. I had to stop napping to get a good night’s sleep although it took my body a little bit to get back on a more normal sleep schedule (it wanted to stay up all night when I’d get a sudden burst of energy and then sleep all day). You’ll get back into shape too . . . I’m still working on it but things continue to get better on that front for me and I know it will for you too. Hope things go well with the follow up plan appointment today.

Posted on April 11, 2012 at 4:32:10 AM by Jessicafk11

Hi Jessica,
Thankks, I want to do as well as you’re doing with all the classes and weight training you’re doing, a real inspiration!

Posted on April 11, 2012 at 6:02:01 AM by Porter

You sound like things are going well. Yes – I hated that damn port and my site is still sore months after removal. Hope yours goes well – just a relief to get it out!

Good for you for walking. I haven’t worked out since last Monday – working too much. I need to prioritize again :)

take care!

Posted on April 11, 2012 at 6:30:20 PM by Jana

Oh Porter, this is all such great news! I’m happy you are recovering well, back to walking and that you get that dang port taken out soon. I bet it feels so good to reclaim your body after all of this!

Posted on April 12, 2012 at 12:37:41 PM by Private User

Heading into the last 4 days of radiation

Hi everyone,
I feel really good this morning. Last week was my last and final chemo week and I’m thrilled and extraordinarily grateful that it was very similiar to my first time, a non event. All tolled I took one more zofran than last time and not so much for nausea but that my stomach was a bit “off.” I maintained
2 1/2 miles of walking with my infusion pump on week 5. (Week 4 I had consistently maintained 3.7-4 miles each day.). I walk in a skirt (commando style) in my sneakers. Think men in kilts:) I keep baby wipes in a baggy just in case I needed them but didn’t. The nurses were amazed at how well my skin is holding up. I had managed to heal up a couple of open spots before heading into week 5.

Saturday I did 2.7 miles and this past Sunday did 2.

Control of bowels has been interesting. All last week had to fairly consistently take senokot, colace at night to assure a smooth next morning and then on Sunday it flipped to the other end of the continuum. Extremely grateful no pain on elimination.

Have begun minimal pain meds at night but only because I was having problems sleeping. It’s really like an itch with a zing but not pain which I’m also very grateful for. Heading into the start of this past weekend I was feeling quite sunburny on the bits and where the thighs meet the groin area but I’ve been plastering it with radioplexRX and aquaphor and right now it’s feeling pretty darn good. I don’t sit much these days only for about 15-30 minutes in the morning. The rest of the time is spent laying down to rest the skin. Have a couple of little open spots that I’m working on with saline soaks.

If the diarrhea continues to be a bit unpredictable then I’ll just head downstairs to the treadmill.

I’ve scheduled a 2 hour massage for Thursday after my last treatment to celebrate the beginning of the real healing phase of this process.

I am so deeply appreciative and grateful for this site and of all the advice of everyone that as gone through this before me and that has so generously shared their experiences, tips, technques. Your knowledge and experience helped me to thoroughly prepare me to do as well as I’m doing and I thank each and every one of you for this. Wish me luck for these last 4 days!

Posted on March 26, 2012 at 6:25:51 AM by Porter (Heading into the last 4 days of radiation , 15 comments, 400 views)

Good luck Porter for the next four days! You are doing phenomonely well..that is great! Deb

Posted on March 26, 2012 at 6:29:10 AM by Private User

Thanks Deb,
Really appreciate your support!

Posted on March 26, 2012 at 8:52:47 AM by Porter

So happy for you ! You sound great!
Leanne

Posted on March 26, 2012 at 7:41:25 AM by Leanne

Thanks Leanne
Hope your return to work is going extremely well for you!

Posted on March 26, 2012 at 9:00:12 AM by Porter

You are such an inspiration! When I was at your point in treatment, it was all i could do to make it from the bed to the toilet and back, there is no way i could have contemplated keeping up the active lifestyle that you have had. Here is to the coming end of your treatments and best wishes for a speedy recovery and a clean NED diagnosis!

OD@aT

Posted on March 26, 2012 at 8:34:54 AM by Texas Jeff

Thanks very much Jeff,
I would never describe myself as active with all the time I spend lying down. I’ve just been stubbornly determined to keep up walking as much as possible. Actually my rad oncologist encouraged me in week 5 to keep it up.

I also wish you a very speedy recovery and that you’re able to get the care you need without a lot of hassle..

Posted on March 26, 2012 at 9:07:27 AM by Porter

I’m so happy for you, Porter! Very best in these last 4 days.

Posted on March 26, 2012 at 9:18:25 AM by Private User

Thanks Stephanie,
I hope you’re doing well too. It does go by fast even though in the beginning you never think it will.

Posted on March 26, 2012 at 3:02:40 PM by Porter

You are doing brilliantly. I like you had few side effects but did feel tired and had a nap every afternoon. One thing I was told and that was not to have massages as it can stimulates the lymph nodes and the one thing you don’t want is to possibly encourage the movement of any of those “beast” cells. Even a friend was told this by the beauticians when she tried to book me in for a pedicure & manicure as a gift. They said they would only do it if I produced a doctor’s note saying I had the all clear. Annabelle

Posted on March 26, 2012 at 9:34:11 AM by Annabelle

Congratulations Porter – it sounds like you are doing great. I didn’t sit down at all for the last few weeks of my treatment – not because I couldn’t but like you I wanted to give the circulation in that area a chance. There is no way I could have walked like you are at your stage – in fact I was waling like John Wayne for the last couple of weeks.

Very good luck for the rest of this week. Look forward to hearing you are through it.

Mayday x

Posted on March 26, 2012 at 11:10:50 AM by Mayday

I have developed a new kind of walk. It is similar to John Wayne. I was thinking I look like a bandied leg cowboy that’s been riding too many horses over too any miles. I figured that if I ever go to visit my brother in Texas I’ll be greeted like a veteran rancher.

Posted on March 26, 2012 at 2:57:14 PM by Porter

You are doing great! I was in bad shape heading into the last week, and I’m so glad that is not the case for you. Keep up the routine, as everything you’re doing seems to be working. Once you are done with treatment, I think you’ll heal really fast. That finish line is in sight, so just keep moving forward! I wish you good luck in finishing treatment.

Martha

Posted on March 26, 2012 at 1:56:07 PM by Private User

Thanks Martha,
My goal is to do races like you do!

Posted on March 26, 2012 at 2:58:26 PM by Porter

You are doing amazingly well Porter. I hope the rest of your treatments and recovery are as painless as possible. Pretty soon all of this will be a distant memory. Best wishes!

Posted on March 26, 2012 at 7:19:27 PM by Linda

Hello Porter, now you only have THREE days to go! Smart to get a massage to kick off the healing process.

Isn’t it grand to have a treadmill, the best money I ever spent – it’s never too hot cold windy dark on the treadmill! And close to the loo, something that WASN’T an issue when we got ours….

Into the sun! Don’t stop posting!

Posted on March 27, 2012 at 9:08:42 AM by Private User

Hey Helen
Was able to get outside today for 2 1/2 miles. Yes, am very happy to have the treadmill downstairs as a back up. Hope you’re having a great day!

Posted on March 27, 2012 at 9:23:13 AM by Porter

Hi Porter! Very happy to hear you are doing so well! I hope the last 4 days are going well too! You are almost there!

Posted on March 28, 2012 at 7:10:52 AM by Jessicafk11

Hi Jessica,
Only today and tomorrow for the last rad treatments. Am pretty sore and taking some pain meds to take the edge off. Looking forward to the ten days post treatment.

How are you doing? Are you feeling more comfortable?

Posted on March 28, 2012 at 7:16:40 AM by Porter

You are amazing! Can’t believe how great you are doing. So happy for you. Hang in there you are almost done.

Posted on March 29, 2012 at 7:33:03 PM by Jana