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Another sigh of relief - hope we won't create a hurricane with all those.
I'm with Kathy on this, Kira: An annual, or even semi-annual celebration seems the right thing to me.

O.

Kiralynx wrote:Got my results for the September 2009 labs -- NEGATIVE!
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I always breathe a sign of relief when the tests come back negative... one more milestone on the path.

Kira, that is great to hear!! Have been watching this thread and cheering every time I saw you say, "January, negative", "May, negative", and now September's wonderful report.

I'm with Karen (birdshell) on this:

birdshell wrote:Kiralynx, you are ticking them off one by one.

I have a feeling that they will continue to be positively negative. When I get these feelings, I am usually correct in the end.

So happy for you, Kira!!

kteague wrote:I held my breath a bit as I opened this renewed thread - congrats on the good report. It sounds like you are looking forward to that trip soooo much. Hey, if it's feasible maybe you could go ahead and take that trip. Then you'd have a good excuse for another one when the 5 years is up! Hey, for what you've been thru, get what you can out of it. How about a little something special on every annual anniversary? But I guess after what you've experienced, every day looks special, and with the right attitude, the every day little things are all celebratory. Congrats again.

Kathy,

Well, now you know how I feel as each test comes up! <g> Holding my breath for the test, holding my breath for the results. Geeze, no wonder I was diagnosed with apnea!

And of course there's the fact that it took them three weeks to get the results to me... my husband pointed out quite reasonably that when it was bad news, they telephoned me, but when it was good news, they sent a letter, so the longer they make me wait, the more likely it would be that the news would be good.

On things like this, I'm not terribly reasonable!

Harry and I went out to dinner for the 2009 anniversary. I'm not sure what we'll do this year. He's plotting a grand tour across Texas, up through New Mexico, and Colorado and part of Wyoming and over to Salt Lake City (or more correctly north of there) to visit my sister next year. We'll see how things go.

birdshell wrote:Kiralynx, you are ticking them off one by one. <snip> I have a feeling that they will continue to be positively negative. When I get these feelings, I am usually correct in the end.

Karen,

Thanks... I hope your feelings are right! And that's so great about your Mom and more than 22 years. (I click regularly on the free mammograms.)

I have a really great oncologist who thinks out of the box. In fact, she was the first one who ever suggested I might have apnea. The physical therapist who's helping me with the lymphedema and other issues was her patient for the same surgery eight years ago, so it's pretty cool working with a therapist who has literally been there and done that.

Having great health care practitioners is a major plus, as many of us who gather here can attest -- especially when we haven't encountered a good 'un!

ozij wrote:
Another sigh of relief - hope we won't create a hurricane with all those.
I'm with Kathy on this, Kira: An annual, or even semi-annual celebration seems the right thing to me.

Ozij,

Definitely no hurricanes! We've got another months and a half to get out of hurricane season... and thus far, my prayers for the year have been answered: fish storms. (Fish storms = storms that go up the middle of the Atlantic and don't bother anyone except the fish.)

My husband's taking me out to eat tomorrow night. Next set... in January, with results some time in February.

rested gal wrote:So happy for you, Kira!!

Thank you, thank you! It's funny to realize that I got the first "negative" the same day I got my apnea diagnosis! Talk about your mixed emotions!

Each one, though, is a step on the road... and hopefully, January's will be negative, too.

Oncologist said two years of tests every four months, then three years of tests every six months. Guess I'll find out in January when I get to switch to six months!

Wonderful news Kira! I can see why you would hold you breath each time, then a big sigh of relief. Life is good when you have good friends.

Kira,

Super! I'm so happy for you And I agree with Kathy on everything ... especially not putting off enjoying trips or a grand trip. Living each day to the fullest feels so good and is, imho, the best way to go!

I'll be thinking of you and hope you'll share future reports with us.

Mindy

KatieW wrote:Wonderful news Kira! I can see why you would hold you breath each time, then a big sigh of relief. Life is good when you have good friends.

Katie,

And many of the folks here have become good friends, even though we've never met in person.

I think one reason I can, and do empathize with people new to apnea treatment is because when I got the cancer diagnosis, I spent several weeks both shaking in fear and raging, "How can my body betray me like this?"

Did the same thing with the apnea diagnosis, but at least treating the apnea was significantly less traumatic than major surgery!

I look forward to getting the "All clear" in 3.5 years!

mindy wrote:I'll be thinking of you and hope you'll share future reports with us.

Mindy,

I plan to! And.. we're not really putting super trips off. We just have to ration them. My husband only has so much vacation time, after all. Besides, the trip on the Rocky Mountaineer is one we've planned on doing, "some day," and now we have a date set for it, instead of it being in the misty future.

Congratulations on your results. As an 18 month bladder cancer survivor who undergoes exams every 3 months I know what a relief it is to have those negative results.
With all the responses you've had you must know how valuable you are to this board and how much we appreciate all your help.
Have fun planning that trip.

Congrats on the latest test results, Kira. Fingers crossed for your continued success.

Roberta wrote:Congratulations on your results. As an 18 month bladder cancer survivor who undergoes exams every 3 months I know what a relief it is to have those negative results.

Oh, gracious -- then we're both at the same point in our journey to be declared cancer free! Congratulations to YOU on all your negative results!

With all the responses you've had you must know how valuable you are to this board and how much we appreciate all your help. Have fun planning that trip.

I received an amazing amount of help from this board in the early days. There's no way I can ever pay back all the help and support... so the only way to handle it is to pay forward, and try to help newcomers, just as I was once a newcomer.

My husband and I are having a great time planning things.

BleepingBeauty wrote:Congrats on the latest test results, Kira. Fingers crossed for your continued success.

Amen to that!

That is wonderful news, Kiralynx.

I have a wish for you: that before three and a half years pass, blood tests will be a bore and the five-year all clear will seem anticlimactic. For me and many of my colon cancer listserve buddies, sometime between the 2d and the 5th anniversaries the conviction settled in -- gradually for some, more like a revelation for others -- that we were out of the woods. To an extent that I wouldn't have believed, the whole cancer business began to get pushed toward the back shelves of my mental cupboard. The big 5 came and went sort of like a 47th birthday: a milestone, perhaps, but hardly worth baking a cake. So I wish you not only good health, but that you wake up one day convinced that your worries are behind you.