Hello from a newbie (to this forum, not to cancer!)

Hi folks, just wanted to say hi! I’ve been lurking on this site for awhile, and finally decided it was time to jump in and post something myself. I’m a mom of three, librarian and cancer fighter for the last two years. Cancer being the sneaky wretch that it is, I spent the first six months misdiagnosed with lupus. Luckily (if that’s the right word), my cancer got bored and decided to eat its way through my colon and go exploring. Funny how a little peritonitis can earn you a quick and easy ticket to the ER and surgery, culminating in the grand prize, a correct diagnosis! Unfortunately, my tumor type (carcinosarcoma) is incredibly rare, esp. in the colon-only about twenty documented cases world-wide. My friends say that to them, knowing me as they do, the strangely unique nature of my cancer doesn’t surprise them in the least (emphasis on “strange”). That means there’s no recipe for me in the oncology cookbook, making it hard to figure out what kind of chemo might work. So far I’ve done two rounds (FOLFOX/Avastin and carbo-taxol) with no results, but luckily, surgery continues to be effective. I’ve had four in 18 months, and anticipate more to come. My most recent PET scan showed a new small suspicious spot that will probably have to come out, but we're taking a wait and see approach, in an effort to consolidate my surgeries a bit. On the bright side, my surgeon says I do surgery really well, which is something I always aspired to as a young child, so I’m feeling pretty fulfilled in that regard. I’m now enjoying a lull, recovered from my last surgery and not doing any chemo for the time being. Would love to see a little more fall sunshine here in Seattle, but otherwise things are ok. My best wishes to all the cancer warriors (and their blessed caregivers) out there-Ann