Chronology

My experience of cancer is one defined by time. It takes so long to develop, as long as a decade for some colon cancers¹. It can take months to diagnose, I had four months of tests and doctor visits before someone figured it out. And it takes ages to treat, longer still if its stubborn or returns. The only way I can make sense of things is to break it down into periods defined by the treatment goal. I've grouped posts by treatment period, and currated a list of important dates.

The first period is pre-treatment. Confusion, depression, and a lot of tests and procedures defined this period for me. In hindsight, I was transformting from an apparently healthy citizien into a full time cancer patient. Shedding many adult responsibilities and privleges in the hopes of getting back some of the years that were now gone.

The next period was defined by the two week cycle of my chemotherapy, and it lasted for eight months. My chemotherapy has always been palliative, there isn't much to be done for metastatic colon cancer. Most surgery is off the table at that point. Most, but not all. This chemo period had a greater goal: to get me on the operating table for cytoreductive/HIPEC surgery.

After chemotherapy ended, it was some final tests to see if the surgery could go ahead. And it could. And it did.

The surgery was aborted. An inoperable tumor, one we didn't know about, was found. I remember the day that I finally processed this, it was about a week after the surgical date, very early in the recovery period. This final period is the palliative period. I know that I will sucumb to the cancer. The point of treatment now is to ballance quality and quantity of life.

2022-09-15 - The first visit to the chemo suite
2022-09-22 - The dangers of a fever for someone with a PICC
2022-10-03 - My hair starts falling out
2022-10-06 - My first visit to Mt. Sinai, meeting the HIPEC surgeon
2022-10-19 - Avastin is added to the chemo cocktail, death and dying is first mentioned
2022-11-08 - Moved my chemo day, being bipolar while on chemo
2022-11-17 - The first course of treatement draws to a close, more mental health, mortality
2022-11-28 - End of treatment course one CT scan
2022-12-05 - Course one CT results

Chemotherapy, pre-HIPEC (Course 2)

2022-12-07 - First cycle of course 2
2023-01-07 - Video call with Mt. Sinai
2023-01-24 - The day I finally gave up and cut my remaining long hair
2023-02-01 - Side effects & reflections on six months diagnosed
2023-02-06 - No cancer in the bladder
2023-02-15 - Neutropenia again
2023-03-05 - We're moving forward with surgery
2023-04-18 - Laparoscopy scheduled

2024-04-25 - Moving Day! Part 1!
2024-04-29 - A Day off with Thomasin
2024-05-13 - Partial Bowel Obstruction, Redux (Forshaodowing)
2024-05-25 - The weird way pain manifests
2024-05-30 - Northeast Cancer Centre
2024-07-05 - Emergency
2024-07-06 - Emergency, again
2024-07-17 - Hospice

Holidays with Cancer

I have no citation for this, I'm certian I read it, but you read so much that its easy to forget. The original context was how long it takes to metastasize. I'll leave it here, because it doesn't particularly matter. ↩

Cancer Selfies

Chronology

A Chronology of Important Dates

The Pre-diagnosis Period

The Pre-treatment Period

Chemotherapy, pre-HIPEC (Course 1)

Chemotherapy, pre-HIPEC (Course 2)

Surgical Period

Surgical Recovery Period

Chemotherapy, Palliative (Course 3)

Post Treatment (Hospice)

Holidays with Cancer

2022

2023

2024