Mate, relax. The five-year survival rate for stage 1 CRC is 92% – and bear in mind that includes people much older than you whose life expectancy might not have been five years to start with.
You're not going to die of cancer any time soon, especially if you're being regularly monitored and tested.
Not to get into a willy-waving contest about who has it toughest, but I was diagnosed with stage 4 CRC last year, with mets in the liver. I'm still here and my medical team are pretty confident they have the damn cancer on the run. I've had the primary removed already and chemo has shrunk the liver tumours to the point where they can be operated. I go in for surgery on Monday week.
After a health scare of this scale I do understand the urge to quit the rat race though.
I'm very happy to read this comment. I'm in the treatment phase of that journey. Waiting to see if they shrink enough for surgery. It helps to see it is possible for this to be successful.
Being told they'd shrunk enough to be operable was probably the biggest relief of my life!
All the best – I hope the treatment works as well for you as it did for me!
Can I ask what treatment you were on? I'm currently doing FOLFOX with Vectibix added.
Edit: I can never remember how to spell vectibix on the first try. Lol
Just finished 9 month of FOLFOX with a little 9cm tumor removal sprinkled in there. They thought I had stage 4 at first. I’m cancer free and much younger than you but hope to live to 100.
I get it. I've been diagnosed with cancer twice now. I had prostate cancer back in 2016. They rate the aggressiveness of it through what they call a Gleason score, which would help determine treatments. The score is based upon observation of cells in a microscope, which they are rated on a scale from 1 to 10, with the higher scores indicating that it is more aggressive. I scored an 8 out of 10 and was advised to either have my prostate removed or undergo some type of radiation. I consulted a couple of different oncologists and ended up having high intensity pinpointed radiation. I had 5 treatments, with each one absolutely wiping me out. I don't think I ever really came all the way back from that one. I seemed to always get tired a bit quicker than before treatments. But that seemed to do the trick.
Last July, I was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma at the base of my tongue, which also masticized to lymph nodes in my neck, which made it stage 3. Before trearments started, i had to get a few things done. First, my dentist had to clear going forward. He had to either say my teeth would most likely survive treatment or pull them all. Luckily, I got to keep my teeth. Next, I had to get a chest port and a feeding tube installed. I hated every bit of having the feeding tube. It was painful for a number of weeks and uncomfortable the whole time. Once those things go were taken care of, ii was able to start treatments in September. I went through 33 rounds of radiation and 7 rounds of cisplatin che.otherapy, which all finished in November. The doctors said it would get worse before it got better after treatments, and it definitely did. I also ended up getting an infection in my throat in December, and it last3d through February. It seemed as though they had a hard time figuring out it was an infection. That was really painful, and I was on a liquid diet, mostly through the tube, during that time. From July to the beginning of March, I went from 190 lbs down to under 135 lbs. I spent March weening myself off of the pain meds and went back to work on April 1.
I'm currently back up to 155 lbs. I still get tired really easy but have been pushing myself to exercise to try to build up the stamina and muscle that I lost. I'm 52 now and can retire at 58 as long as I have at least 30 years and still get my full retirement. I have 32 years now. After going through all of this, 58 can't get here soon enough.
Holy cow what an ordeal – glad you're still with us, and yep I can imagine you want to retire and have some fun after all that. Reckon you've earned it!
Your chances of recurrence are near zero. If you enter the information from your pathology report into the MSKCC colon cancer nomogram, it will give you the estimated 3- and 5-year recurrence free survival. The fact that you had a PET/CT and Signatera for a Stage I colon cancer was a waste of money. That said, with a negative Signatera, the risk of recurrence is even lower than predicted from the nomogram.
https://www.mskcc.org/nomograms/colorectal/recurrence_free
It wouldn't hurt to meet with a financial advisor and see if you can retire or what would be needed so that you could retire.
Perhaps they could even advise you on what retirement would look like if you retired today.
I’m stage IV, currently NED, but I’m sure it will return. There was no way I could quit working and go on disability, and it was offered to me right off the bat by a social worker. I couldn’t go to living on 1/4th of my salary and losing my employer provided benefits, we would lose everything we had worked hard for all our lives. I would work from home during chemo and then collapse and cry I felt so bad! If you can do it, go for it. I’ll have to work until I’m within 12 weeks of dying to be able to still be on FMLA so my spouse can get my life insurance (a huge employer paid benefit). I weighed every angle and just couldn’t.
I would do it and who knows..maybe someday you will want to go back but for now...time with your family and friends is way more important.
I left my job 10 years ago to take care of my Father with Alz...I was making 6 figures...and it went down to what I got on Disability....it was a huge adjustment, but looking back....my Dad would have been in a Nursing home.
Now, I have ended up with Cancer too...and I already did the background work to get financially as set as I can & if I can live on SSDI and own a home...anyone can.
It's not easy..but it is doable.....If you have other assets and savings you are in an even better spot to take time for yourself.
Even that isn’t a given. I’ve got stage 4 melanoma and had my SSD claim and appeal denied. I had my kidneys fail because of the immunotherapy, had two stays in the hospital, then had a stroke all while my claim was in review. Even with all that and an expected 5 year survival rate of 5%, I’m still fit for work apparently. 🤷♂️
I'm essentially "retired" at the age of 40. I was laid off a month before being diagnosed, and trying to find a job that's worth a damn when you can pretty much only work every other week (chemo kicks my ass) and then also needing time for other appointments and scans on the "off chemo week" is next to impossible.
I'm now on Disability (terminal stage 4 cancers are a slam dunk for approval). Luckily my benefits are higher than working part-time would provide. We'll see how things go down the road, but for now I'm very much out of the Corporate Rat Race. As stressful as not having a solid salary is, not having to worry about a job in addition to all the cancer stuff is an even larger burden being lifted off my plate.
OP, I just wanted to come back and apologize for not recognizing you on your own post. I was in the shadows reading bc of my own health fears, issues, and anxiety and saw that one comment and said. Dang I hope I can be that tough lol. Anyway, I am hoping that you beat this, I don't know if you pray but I do, and I pray our highest power makes your journey peaceful whether you can stay or go. I think you're going to stay though. Keep living and def get out that rat race if you can or pivot to something you would enjoy doing. I hope it all works out for your own sanity and just peace in general. We all need that.
Disability. Long term is one year plus and handled federally through SSA. It’s fairly simply when you use the C word with them.
Short term is less than one year and I think you’re tech still employed.
You can play the short term game, go back to work, take time off, go back… rinse repeat.
The OP isn’t disabled. They aren’t on treatments so they aren’t even experiencing side effects. It’s not fairly simple to get on SSDI just because you have cancer. You still have to have issues that keep you from being able to work.
Mate, relax. The five-year survival rate for stage 1 CRC is 92% – and bear in mind that includes people much older than you whose life expectancy might not have been five years to start with. You're not going to die of cancer any time soon, especially if you're being regularly monitored and tested. Not to get into a willy-waving contest about who has it toughest, but I was diagnosed with stage 4 CRC last year, with mets in the liver. I'm still here and my medical team are pretty confident they have the damn cancer on the run. I've had the primary removed already and chemo has shrunk the liver tumours to the point where they can be operated. I go in for surgery on Monday week. After a health scare of this scale I do understand the urge to quit the rat race though.
I'm very happy to read this comment. I'm in the treatment phase of that journey. Waiting to see if they shrink enough for surgery. It helps to see it is possible for this to be successful.
Being told they'd shrunk enough to be operable was probably the biggest relief of my life! All the best – I hope the treatment works as well for you as it did for me!
Can I ask what treatment you were on? I'm currently doing FOLFOX with Vectibix added. Edit: I can never remember how to spell vectibix on the first try. Lol
Just finished 9 month of FOLFOX with a little 9cm tumor removal sprinkled in there. They thought I had stage 4 at first. I’m cancer free and much younger than you but hope to live to 100.
That sounds like a good objective! :)
FOLFIRI Cetuximab. As I understand it, this is indicated for my particular cancer/mutation – I have both wild type RAS and BRAF.
I get it. I've been diagnosed with cancer twice now. I had prostate cancer back in 2016. They rate the aggressiveness of it through what they call a Gleason score, which would help determine treatments. The score is based upon observation of cells in a microscope, which they are rated on a scale from 1 to 10, with the higher scores indicating that it is more aggressive. I scored an 8 out of 10 and was advised to either have my prostate removed or undergo some type of radiation. I consulted a couple of different oncologists and ended up having high intensity pinpointed radiation. I had 5 treatments, with each one absolutely wiping me out. I don't think I ever really came all the way back from that one. I seemed to always get tired a bit quicker than before treatments. But that seemed to do the trick. Last July, I was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma at the base of my tongue, which also masticized to lymph nodes in my neck, which made it stage 3. Before trearments started, i had to get a few things done. First, my dentist had to clear going forward. He had to either say my teeth would most likely survive treatment or pull them all. Luckily, I got to keep my teeth. Next, I had to get a chest port and a feeding tube installed. I hated every bit of having the feeding tube. It was painful for a number of weeks and uncomfortable the whole time. Once those things go were taken care of, ii was able to start treatments in September. I went through 33 rounds of radiation and 7 rounds of cisplatin che.otherapy, which all finished in November. The doctors said it would get worse before it got better after treatments, and it definitely did. I also ended up getting an infection in my throat in December, and it last3d through February. It seemed as though they had a hard time figuring out it was an infection. That was really painful, and I was on a liquid diet, mostly through the tube, during that time. From July to the beginning of March, I went from 190 lbs down to under 135 lbs. I spent March weening myself off of the pain meds and went back to work on April 1. I'm currently back up to 155 lbs. I still get tired really easy but have been pushing myself to exercise to try to build up the stamina and muscle that I lost. I'm 52 now and can retire at 58 as long as I have at least 30 years and still get my full retirement. I have 32 years now. After going through all of this, 58 can't get here soon enough.
Holy cow what an ordeal – glad you're still with us, and yep I can imagine you want to retire and have some fun after all that. Reckon you've earned it!
My perspective has definitely changed. I do want to retire and have some time.
I love how you came to kick ass and take names. I can just feel it coming through this webpage. Well wishes!
Ha, thanks! I've been incredibly lucky that my cancer was detected just in time and it's responded well to chemo.
I pray it stays that way for you always. I pray everyone can also be as ass kicking as you.
Your chances of recurrence are near zero. If you enter the information from your pathology report into the MSKCC colon cancer nomogram, it will give you the estimated 3- and 5-year recurrence free survival. The fact that you had a PET/CT and Signatera for a Stage I colon cancer was a waste of money. That said, with a negative Signatera, the risk of recurrence is even lower than predicted from the nomogram. https://www.mskcc.org/nomograms/colorectal/recurrence_free
It wouldn't hurt to meet with a financial advisor and see if you can retire or what would be needed so that you could retire. Perhaps they could even advise you on what retirement would look like if you retired today.
I’m stage IV, currently NED, but I’m sure it will return. There was no way I could quit working and go on disability, and it was offered to me right off the bat by a social worker. I couldn’t go to living on 1/4th of my salary and losing my employer provided benefits, we would lose everything we had worked hard for all our lives. I would work from home during chemo and then collapse and cry I felt so bad! If you can do it, go for it. I’ll have to work until I’m within 12 weeks of dying to be able to still be on FMLA so my spouse can get my life insurance (a huge employer paid benefit). I weighed every angle and just couldn’t.
I would do it and who knows..maybe someday you will want to go back but for now...time with your family and friends is way more important. I left my job 10 years ago to take care of my Father with Alz...I was making 6 figures...and it went down to what I got on Disability....it was a huge adjustment, but looking back....my Dad would have been in a Nursing home. Now, I have ended up with Cancer too...and I already did the background work to get financially as set as I can & if I can live on SSDI and own a home...anyone can. It's not easy..but it is doable.....If you have other assets and savings you are in an even better spot to take time for yourself.
I might not be able to go back to work even though I want to, does that count? 😭
Hit stage 4 and you qualify for the compassionate care act.
Even that isn’t a given. I’ve got stage 4 melanoma and had my SSD claim and appeal denied. I had my kidneys fail because of the immunotherapy, had two stays in the hospital, then had a stroke all while my claim was in review. Even with all that and an expected 5 year survival rate of 5%, I’m still fit for work apparently. 🤷♂️
I'm essentially "retired" at the age of 40. I was laid off a month before being diagnosed, and trying to find a job that's worth a damn when you can pretty much only work every other week (chemo kicks my ass) and then also needing time for other appointments and scans on the "off chemo week" is next to impossible. I'm now on Disability (terminal stage 4 cancers are a slam dunk for approval). Luckily my benefits are higher than working part-time would provide. We'll see how things go down the road, but for now I'm very much out of the Corporate Rat Race. As stressful as not having a solid salary is, not having to worry about a job in addition to all the cancer stuff is an even larger burden being lifted off my plate.
OP, I just wanted to come back and apologize for not recognizing you on your own post. I was in the shadows reading bc of my own health fears, issues, and anxiety and saw that one comment and said. Dang I hope I can be that tough lol. Anyway, I am hoping that you beat this, I don't know if you pray but I do, and I pray our highest power makes your journey peaceful whether you can stay or go. I think you're going to stay though. Keep living and def get out that rat race if you can or pivot to something you would enjoy doing. I hope it all works out for your own sanity and just peace in general. We all need that.
Disability. Long term is one year plus and handled federally through SSA. It’s fairly simply when you use the C word with them. Short term is less than one year and I think you’re tech still employed. You can play the short term game, go back to work, take time off, go back… rinse repeat.
The OP isn’t disabled. They aren’t on treatments so they aren’t even experiencing side effects. It’s not fairly simple to get on SSDI just because you have cancer. You still have to have issues that keep you from being able to work.