Life does not end with a stage IV diagnosis (really!)
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@xsuzx yes, I do think that the dx of stage 4 is such a shock, this time is the most challenging . The beginning is also full of extra appts to check blood work , radiation for you and the beginning of new medications that have a long list of possible side effects . Once you start your treatment (after radiation ) you get used to the schedule and meds and it gets much easier .
@livinglifenow , you are right- don't read the doom and gloom but find support on these boards . I learn so much from others willingness to share info on treatments.
@brutersmom - I'm so glad you got more positive results via ChatGPT once you put in more specifics about your case. I know you work out a lot - I am hoping to be more consistent with exercise and weight bearing exercise in 2026.1 -
😄 Yes I did walk the Camino Frances last year and again this year from St Jean Pied de Port . I’m hoping to do it again in 2026 🥳
It’s a pilgrimage that always does wonders for my mental health 🙏
The tip is not to get frustrated by companies that pre-book entire hotels/hostels and shuttle people around in mini-vans from photo-op to photo-op.
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@forza - I agree ! We did not have a shuttle and we were in a smallish group . However, I did see large buses that took people from place to place . That was not how we wanted to walk our section . We came a fairly far distance (from Seattle WA) so I didn't want to have to plan all the hotels / inns . I my would have overwhelmed me to take on all of that and I think it's ok to modify the Camino to each persons ability. I could not have completed the 100 km if I had to carry my own belongings - but I can walk long distances, still - despite this cancer dx.
We enjoyed meeting people from all different parts of the world. Each person walks their own Camino and has their own journey , much like life .2 -
good for you ! I love it. Yes , that’s a long way to travel first. I’m only 2 countries away. I agree fully that everybody does their own Camino. However me and many others had to improvise a bit and even sleep on the floor in a school in Portomarin this year because those companies book everything way in advance. No blankets , no drinks …. The “reserved” seats in the Santiago cathedral is another painpoint. It’s definitely an exercise in “let it go” sometimes 😄 But us with cancer have mastered that skill 💪Hoping to go back 🙏
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So glad you found a mechanism for positive explanation and opinion. Congratulations on the good news. I can almost hear your sigh of relief.
I have no idea how to use ChatGPT, but wish I did. The results of my first liquid biopsy appeared on mychart this weekend and look like gibberish to me. Don't see the MO for 3 weeks, so no explanation until then. I have been on Kisqali/fulvestrant for more than 3 years with a recent 2 month "break" for heavy duty IV antibiotic treatment for persistent diverticulitis. I have now restarted it at a lower dose of 200mg.
When my mets were found in May, 2022, the MO told me to expect survival of 48 months. That will be May, 2026 and I'm pretty sure I'll be here past that. Not everything the doom and gloom doctors predict comes true.
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Eleanora it is an app and it is pretty ease to use. I use it for work. I work part time I asknl it a question and it gives me ideas on how to phase things. Last night I cut and pasted my results from my diagnosis, guardant360, and years in treatment. Then answer a few questions it ask. I like details. My new oncologist did it as a base line last year. She said nothing was found that would help right now but it was for future reference. I used it to explain something on my last scan which the oncologist said was damage from radiation 10 years ago that is slowly getting worse. It helped me understand.
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