[2022-11-01] Life after cancer
It's been just over three months since my last radiation follow-up related to perianal skin cancer. Today, I visited my radiation oncologist, Dr. Jin, at the Irving Greenberg Family Cancer Centre. Dr. Jin and her associate, Dr. Babadagli, examined my abdomen and lymph nodes and did a digital rectal exam. They told me that everything felt and looked great. No abdominal pain. No palpable masses in my groin. The post-visit report noted that the digital rectal exam "reveals no evidence of bleeding, there is normal sphincter tone, no appreciable observable or palpable masses besides post-operative scar tissue, otherwise smooth anal canal."
Perhaps that's a little technical and a little more information than some would choose to divulge, but I'm convinced that when we share health-related details, we inspire others to be a little less shy and a little more forthcoming with their own healthcare professionals. And when we tell family members and close friends about our health challenges, we can help them avoid or better manage their health issues by making them aware of various conditions and their treatment.
I still await my follow-up MRI. It was requested for six months after the end of radiation (which was in February). The expected time frame of September came and went, largely because the waitlist for MRIs is so long and my case is considered a low priority. Had Dr. Jin seen anything today to cause her concern, she would have upped the priority on my MRI request. But all appears to be well, so I will continue to wait.
I will see Dr. Jin again in about four months. She will follow me for five years, though the frequency of our visits will decline over time. She noted that the chance of cancer recurrence drops precipitously two years after surgery. It's hard to believe that it's already been almost one year since my operation to remove a cancerous tumour.
There was a time when I felt like I was in a revolving door of medical appointments. That has settled down in the last six months, which is wonderful. My energy levels are strong, my appetite is great, and my mental outlook remains healthy.
Sharing my medical news serves another purpose beyond informing others of a particular type of cancer: it provides hope at a time when many of us need it. Hope for those who have just been diagnosed with cancer and who wonder whether they will be OK. Hope for those in the middle of treatment and who question whether they will ever feel whole again. Hope for people who have completed treatment but who worry that their cancer will return. Hope for everyone who loves someone diagnosed with, in treatment for or who has survived the disease.
Everyone's story is unique, but my story and others like it suggest that there is life after cancer—a life that can be extraordinary.
