colon cancer, tumor, t4, stage 2, chemo vs no chemo

2»

Comments

  • msccolon
    msccolon Member Posts: 1,917 Member
    PGLGreg said:

    anecdotes
    Of course you're right to discount any of our individual experiences, since they are all just anecdotes. The best estimate of your odds will be from the aggregate results for many patients, and your oncologist will be better informed about that than any of us.

    truer words have not been spoken
    We are, after all, just a few of the THOUSANDS who get colon cancer every year.
    mary
  • Franko47
    Franko47 Member Posts: 7
    msccolon said:

    truer words have not been spoken
    We are, after all, just a few of the THOUSANDS who get colon cancer every year.
    mary

    thank you
    your guys are very supportive and that makes me feel great about this site..
    im finding there is a risk either way...
    i will post again after my next appt.. on the 26th.
    i do read each post here and i find value in each of your opinions and experience.
    thank you very much
    Franko
  • Franko47
    Franko47 Member Posts: 7
    2bhealed said:

    No Chemo here...
    Hi Franko,

    My background cancer resume:

    Stage III lymph positive, zero mets sigmoid colon cancer diagnosed 8/01. My Mayo Clinic oncologist recommended 5-FU (the chemo)and leucovorin (the "rescue" remedy) which was the first line chemo in its day.

    I declined for many reasons but here's one--my tumor did not give off a CEA so I would not know if it was working or not. It was a crap shoot and after researching chemo, I decided it was not the crap I wanted to shoot into me. Chemo is a cytotoxic chemical that can be more deadly than the cancer. Chemo can cause secondary cancers, permanent heart and/or kidney damage, peripheral neuropathy, severe rashes, chemo-induced leukemia, and other health issues. I watched what chemo did to my sister when she was diagnosed with intestinal cancer at 29 years old. It affected me greatly. No one in my family has survived and so I embarked on a holistic journey to heal my cancer post surgery.

    I chose to do CHEMA (juice of the plant) instead and have remained cancer free for 7 1/2 years. I did many other things as well including Eastern Medicine using Western diagnostics. Everything I did was with the intention of building up my immune system and supporting my body in healing.

    Now, had my colon cancer been Stage II NO chemo would have been recommended by the Mayo Clinic. At the time, they were not advising chemo for stages I and II.

    If you want statistics mine were: 30% of living 5 years cancer free without the chemo and 60% with the chemo. I ignored the stats until I beat them. An aside...I feel blessed that I did not have a CEA because I see what a little movement with them does to the emotional state of us cancer folks. Ignorance was bliss in my case.

    I was 39 at the time of my dx with 5 children--the youngest being 20 months old whom I was nursing at the time. I had much to live for and plan on a long life free from cancer and/or the after effects of chemo. It was HARD work, lonely at times, and I was swimming against the current, but I live with not a single regret that I chose this path. It was mine.

    We are all so different and what works for one may not work for another. My protocol was personalized for me because I put it together with the help of natural healers and practitioners.

    I hope this helps.

    By the way, my wonderful oncologist got colon cancer, Stage II, and he did not do any chemo and he JUICED!

    peace, emily the juice chick

    Juice
    Emily

    can you tell me more. or direct me to where i can find out more about this.

    it cant hurt improving our diets.. i eat mostly veg.. have for about 4 years now.

    but i would be interested in mixing in some of this juicing ive heard so many talk about.


    Thank You
    Frank
  • sharonrose57
    sharonrose57 Member Posts: 1
    edited June 2016 #25
    2bhealed said:

    No Chemo here...
    Hi Franko,

    My background cancer resume:

    Stage III lymph positive, zero mets sigmoid colon cancer diagnosed 8/01. My Mayo Clinic oncologist recommended 5-FU (the chemo)and leucovorin (the "rescue" remedy) which was the first line chemo in its day.

    I declined for many reasons but here's one--my tumor did not give off a CEA so I would not know if it was working or not. It was a crap shoot and after researching chemo, I decided it was not the crap I wanted to shoot into me. Chemo is a cytotoxic chemical that can be more deadly than the cancer. Chemo can cause secondary cancers, permanent heart and/or kidney damage, peripheral neuropathy, severe rashes, chemo-induced leukemia, and other health issues. I watched what chemo did to my sister when she was diagnosed with intestinal cancer at 29 years old. It affected me greatly. No one in my family has survived and so I embarked on a holistic journey to heal my cancer post surgery.

    I chose to do CHEMA (juice of the plant) instead and have remained cancer free for 7 1/2 years. I did many other things as well including Eastern Medicine using Western diagnostics. Everything I did was with the intention of building up my immune system and supporting my body in healing.

    Now, had my colon cancer been Stage II NO chemo would have been recommended by the Mayo Clinic. At the time, they were not advising chemo for stages I and II.

    If you want statistics mine were: 30% of living 5 years cancer free without the chemo and 60% with the chemo. I ignored the stats until I beat them. An aside...I feel blessed that I did not have a CEA because I see what a little movement with them does to the emotional state of us cancer folks. Ignorance was bliss in my case.

    I was 39 at the time of my dx with 5 children--the youngest being 20 months old whom I was nursing at the time. I had much to live for and plan on a long life free from cancer and/or the after effects of chemo. It was HARD work, lonely at times, and I was swimming against the current, but I live with not a single regret that I chose this path. It was mine.

    We are all so different and what works for one may not work for another. My protocol was personalized for me because I put it together with the help of natural healers and practitioners.

    I hope this helps.

    By the way, my wonderful oncologist got colon cancer, Stage II, and he did not do any chemo and he JUICED!

    peace, emily the juice chick

    Chemo, no chemo...

    Emily - thanks so much for your information and how wonderful it is you are doing so well!

    I  have an intensely active tumor in my sigmoid colon,  per my PET scan and go in for surgery on June 17th, to have a resection done to remove @ 18 inches of colon. Not staged yet but doesn't look like I'll need a colostomy. 

    I have been juicing, especially carrots, beets, kale, ginger and other veggies but that is my core group. I  am also not eating any refined sugar or white flour and choosing anti-inflationary and more alkaline foods.

    PET shows no metastasis but don't know yet about the lymph nodes. My approach is to strengthen the non-cancerous cells  and starve the cancerous ones. 

    Chemo would start 4 weeks post surgery so I  plan to do my juicing, natural suppliments including turmeric,  ginger, and cinnamon, to be as ready as I can before chemo. Still not sure if chemo is the right way to go for me...

    I'll know more after surgery, for sure, but your post is very encouraging!  Thanks for sharing, along with all the others. I don't feel so much like I'm on a one-size-fits-all conveyor belt, with no deviations or alternatives! 

    Sharon