Hello everyone............
I really don't believe that I'm writing to a
forum dealing with cancer {or anything else for
that matter!}. When I found this site & began reading some of the letters, I knew that I was
one of you & that I could either "get" something from this or, better still, add something to peoples thoufgts.
In February of 2002, I suffered from a major heart attack & was air-lifted to Boston where I
had 5-stents placed into one of my main arteries.
This was a great success & I worked through my cardiac rehab. easily & was ready to return to
"fixing" a C-spine injury from November 2001, that
was placed on the back burner when I had the HA.
They had to re-do all of my tests because too much time had gone by since the original ones &
an MRI was done, checking the condition of my C-spine area. When I returned to my doctor to get
the results of these tests he told me that two tumors had shown up in my neck & throat area & I
should see an ENT to find out what they were.

In doing so, the ENT reported back to me that I had two squamous cell tumors {one at the base of my tongue & the other at my tonsils} & directed
me to an Oncologist. Preparations were put into place & I did my first round of chemotherapy.

Maybe I'm just a "wuss" but I couldn't tolerate that treatment what-so-ever & told my doctor that I preferred a quality of life over a
longevity of life, if this is what I'd have to endure. She didn't try too dissuade me & has been
totally supportive throughout this whole ordeal.

When I asked the traditional "How long?" question, I was told that it would be somewhere in
the 8-month to one year range. I was supposed to
be done with all this by October 2002. Well, it's
October 2005 & I'm still going strong. I have had
a wonderful extra 3-years & have no regrets about my decision to d/c treatments.

I would never try to impose my way of thinking on anyone else because each individual tolerates
these treatments differently. I just know that I
was as close to dying, after that initial round
of chemo, than ever before & don't want to expeience it ever again.

My diet consists of coffee milkshakes {or frappes as we call them here!} & I've maintained my weight & excercize throughout this ordeal. I
ride many miles, on my bicycle daily & play golf
once or twice a week.

The biggest curse of this, at this moment, is that I'm drooling like a St. Bernard & can't chew
very well, leaving me on the frappe diet with a few mashed "things" for variety. I really can't
complain!!

My attitude remains good & I have been assisting a few others in coping with this disease. I'm the youngest of the remaing three of us, at 57. The youngest passed away first & he was only 50 years old. My two other friends are ages 61 & 72 & I am active with both of them on a weekly basis.

Let me know if anyone else is having similar situations with all this & thank you for listening to me ramble on.

with love & respect to all,

Bill

Hello Bill and welcome to the forum.
I must admit your post did surprise me, I have never met anyone who refused treatment!
I guess you are showing us what a positive attitude can do for a person.
It is always nice to hear from someone who has followed the path less travelled, good luck to you ...long may you be riding your bike and whacking away on the golf course!

Take Care
Marica

Hi Bill,

Even if you can't handle chemo, you might want to check in on new technologies in treatment. My husband had a combination of surgery and IMRT. He couldn't have the chemo due to a risk factor he had. Some recent studies for oropharyngeal cancer (tonsils, BOT, soft palate) using post-operative IMRT show pretty good 3 and 4 year outcomes. Some members on this board have indicated Tomatherapy with IMRT may be producing even better results.

If its really just the chemo that's bothering you regarding the treatment, you might want to check in with a good Comprehensive Cancer Center and see what your options are now.

By the way, I ride about 50-60 miles a week on nearby nature trails myself. It's a real stress buster, and I'm really thankful I kept doing it during my husband's cancer treatment. It kept me calm and centered.

Best of luck to you whatever you decide.

Connie

Bill, it sounds like your very positive attitude as served you well. Good for you Amy

Bill - u should be one heck of a proud guy and I feel great just thinking about all that you have been through and your positive attitude has pulled you through. Its amazing - all I can say is "today is the first day for the rest of your long long life - enjoy it!!
Ananth
____________________________________________
survivor cancer of the larynx - stage 4 - refused surgery and am now cancer free and still have my voice as wonderful as before I was diagnosed with it in April 2000. The only temprory problem of living in India is the lack of certain equipment nd till such time the equipment is in place - I have bee feeding through a peg in my stomach for 4+ years and breathe through a temprory stoma button. Both are scheduled to be removed next month.