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Cancer treatment stories and thoughts

Blogging is good for you

By on May 25, 2008 in Science

As reported by Scientific American. Writing about your experiences can have beneficial effects. From the article:

Self-medication may be the reason the blogosphere has taken off. Scientists (and writers) have long known about the therapeutic benefits of writing about personal experiences, thoughts and feelings. But besides serving as a stress-coping mechanism, expressive writing produces many physiological benefits. Research shows that it improves memory and sleep, boosts immune cell activity and reduces viral load in AIDS patients, and even speeds healing after surgery. A study in the February issue of the Oncologist reports that cancer patients who engaged in expressive writing just before treatment felt markedly better, mentally and physically, as compared with patients who did not.

I think my scribbling here certainly helped me.

Yearly check up

By on December 24, 2007 in Uncategorized

I had my yearly check-up after the cancer surgery recently. Nothing weird to report. I have to go for an check-up ultrasound examination in January (I put it off to after the holidays and MacWorld!). Next April 18th it’ll be 5 years to the day since I went to my GP to get it confirmed that I had TC. I already new due to research on TC-NET and other medical sites on the Internet. I looked at my GP visit and subsequent hospital activities as confirmation and plumbing 🙂

I’ll be 44 on Saturday 19th April 2008. I think I’ll arrange a party to celebrate that and the 5 year milestone.

Yearly check-up done

By on November 29, 2006 in Uncategorized

I had my yearly TC check-up today. Is it really a year since the last one? Had the usual physical exam and a chest x-ray. Assuming the x-ray is clear, and it should be, I’ll have another exam same time next year.

Happy days 🙂

3 years later

By on May 14, 2006 in Uncategorized

On the 20th April it was 3 years since my first post here on my Soapbox on the subject of testicular cancer. Oops. Missed the anniversary. This is good. As far as I’m concerned after 3 years the TC is something that is in my past. I was really lucky as I got a form of TC that science and medicine have more or less made 100% curable over the last 30 years. Others are not so lucky and there are more aggressive forms of TC. I still read the various TC related lists and from time to time there are posters with untreatable variants. So there is still a lot of work for science to do to win the battle against cancer.

Need the exercise…

By on December 11, 2005 in General

Went for a 5 mile walk around the grounds of Stormont in Belfast today. I haven’t been getting anywhere near enough exercise recently. So it’s back to the long walks with the iPod in operation. Was listening to Roger Taylor solo stuff today. Bloody marvellous. I think his projects outside of Queen are very underrated.

Another check-up done

By on November 30, 2005 in Uncategorized

I had another 6-month checkup today after my TC in 2003. Physical examination was clear, results of ultrasound done a few months ago were reviewed. They were clear. I also had a chest x-ray taken for a clinician to review for any signs of remission. If that is clear, and I expect it will be, then my next check-up will be in a year.

So, onwards and upwards. 🙂

Surveillance Ultrasound

By on August 8, 2005 in Uncategorized

I had the ultrasound that was mentioned in my last post a few days ago. As expected this was all clear. Lateral transfer of TC is quite rare so I didn’t expect anything to show up. Good to know for sure though.

And another one gone…

By on June 1, 2005 in Uncategorized

Had my 6th post I/O & radiation check-up today. Nothing unusual to report.
The lung x-ray that was taken at the last check-up was clear. Today the oncologist did an exam of my testicle, abdomen and also listened to my lung sounds. All fine.
He re-instigated the blood marker checks that were skipped at the last check-up (my markers were always normal) and ordered a precautionary ultrasound on my testicle. He also said I’d get another CT scan in 12 months.
So happy days then 🙂