I was just wondering...

Options
pscott1
pscott1 Member Posts: 207 Member
Is there anyone on the board who's diagnosis is similar to mine? I had Stage II Colon Cancer and now have mets to my liver. I have approximately 30 lesions; Onc says no resection, no liver transplant, no RF Ablation. I did stumble upon a procedure called SIR-Spheres Microspheres. Is anyone in the same situation as me with the number of lesions I have (largest is 1.3 cm and all others are mm in size) and how is your Onc treating them? Thanks for any input!

Pam

Comments

  • northernlites
    northernlites Member Posts: 96
    Options
    Hi,
    Did you have chemo after

    Hi,
    Did you have chemo after surgery? How long after did they start ct scans?

    tessa
  • John23
    John23 Member Posts: 2,122 Member
    Options
    Pam - -

    (Egads, I can't stay away from this place)

    Re:
    "Onc says no resection, no liver transplant, no RF Ablation."

    The easy solution, is to find a new specialist!

    I'd go find a colorectal surgeon that is not a member of the same
    group or organization as your "onc", and get another professional opinion.

    Please -do not- limit yourself to one man's call. This is your life at
    stake. Listen to your own instincts for survival; your own intuition.

    Trust in yourself to make the right decisions, not someone else.

    RF Ablation has worked for many others, and so has surgery!
    The Liver is the only organ that can restore itself fully, and it
    can take a ton of dicing and chopping, if you are healthy enough
    to take it. Chemo destroys the ability of your immune system to
    tolerate too much damage, so find out what you can do otherwise,
    before you get talked into chemo.

    You can do this, Pam! You can!

    Best hopes and wishes for you,

    John
  • tootsie1
    tootsie1 Member Posts: 5,044 Member
    Options
    New doc!
    I'm hoping you'll check with some other doctors and see what you can do. This one seems stuck on one track.

    *hugs*
    Gail
  • tanstaafl
    tanstaafl Member Posts: 1,313 Member
    Options
    Dr No...
    tried to get 007, too. We consulted multiple radiologists, med oncs, rad oncs and surgeons once this "no" disease surfaced. Cured it by getting better informed, finding drs with the right skill sets, and track records.

    Seriously, multimodal attacks with some combination of surgery, (immuno)chemo, radiation, alternatives, on stage IV cancer may have the only answer to many problems. Stuck in 19th or 20th century medicine only isn't going to do the desired job in many cases.
  • maglets
    maglets Member Posts: 2,576 Member
    Options
    tanstaafl said:

    Dr No...
    tried to get 007, too. We consulted multiple radiologists, med oncs, rad oncs and surgeons once this "no" disease surfaced. Cured it by getting better informed, finding drs with the right skill sets, and track records.

    Seriously, multimodal attacks with some combination of surgery, (immuno)chemo, radiation, alternatives, on stage IV cancer may have the only answer to many problems. Stuck in 19th or 20th century medicine only isn't going to do the desired job in many cases.

    same here
    I agree with John...no use just talking to one onc....I went from colon to liver....my family doc...said I was a goner....three surgeons later i found a specialist in liver resections....and he took me on immediately

    good luck and all the best.....

    maggie
  • pscott1
    pscott1 Member Posts: 207 Member
    Options

    Hi,
    Did you have chemo after

    Hi,
    Did you have chemo after surgery? How long after did they start ct scans?

    tessa

    Hi Tessa....had surgery in
    Hi Tessa....had surgery in January and chemo not until April; almost 4 months to the day. They first thought what they saw on the CT scan in January in my liver was a hemangioma. I believe now that it was the lesions all in a group but when the surgeon went in thru my stomach to remove the tumor from my colon, right after that is when I had the MRI and it showed them across both lobes of my liver. Have had 3 total MRI's and no more CT scans and not one PET scan as of yet.
  • pscott1
    pscott1 Member Posts: 207 Member
    Options
    John23 said:

    Pam - -

    (Egads, I can't stay away from this place)

    Re:
    "Onc says no resection, no liver transplant, no RF Ablation."

    The easy solution, is to find a new specialist!

    I'd go find a colorectal surgeon that is not a member of the same
    group or organization as your "onc", and get another professional opinion.

    Please -do not- limit yourself to one man's call. This is your life at
    stake. Listen to your own instincts for survival; your own intuition.

    Trust in yourself to make the right decisions, not someone else.

    RF Ablation has worked for many others, and so has surgery!
    The Liver is the only organ that can restore itself fully, and it
    can take a ton of dicing and chopping, if you are healthy enough
    to take it. Chemo destroys the ability of your immune system to
    tolerate too much damage, so find out what you can do otherwise,
    before you get talked into chemo.

    You can do this, Pam! You can!

    Best hopes and wishes for you,

    John

    Thanks for your input John.
    Thanks for your input John. I know what you mean....he's not the only doctor out there and not the only one that has the "only right" answer. I have recently also read up on SIR-spheres treatment. I will not settle for "chemo for life". There has to be another alternative. I'm not giving up and definately not running into a dead end and staying there.

    Hugs,

    Pam
  • pscott1
    pscott1 Member Posts: 207 Member
    Options
    tootsie1 said:

    New doc!
    I'm hoping you'll check with some other doctors and see what you can do. This one seems stuck on one track.

    *hugs*
    Gail

    I know Gail...I really like
    I know Gail...I really like this doc but this is my life...there is no loyalty to here that would keep me stuck in a situation where I could get worse before getting better.
  • pscott1
    pscott1 Member Posts: 207 Member
    Options
    maglets said:

    same here
    I agree with John...no use just talking to one onc....I went from colon to liver....my family doc...said I was a goner....three surgeons later i found a specialist in liver resections....and he took me on immediately

    good luck and all the best.....

    maggie

    Maggie,
    How many lesions did

    Maggie,

    How many lesions did you have in your liver? I just can't believe they didn't resection when they took the tumor out of my colon. I might not be in this situation right now. I'm no doctor but I just can't believe there is no other option other than chemo for life. I'm going to even look into clinical trials.

    Thanks for your support!

    Pam
  • maglets
    maglets Member Posts: 2,576 Member
    Options
    pscott1 said:

    Maggie,
    How many lesions did

    Maggie,

    How many lesions did you have in your liver? I just can't believe they didn't resection when they took the tumor out of my colon. I might not be in this situation right now. I'm no doctor but I just can't believe there is no other option other than chemo for life. I'm going to even look into clinical trials.

    Thanks for your support!

    Pam

    pam
    I had 7 lesions and there was doubt that i could be resected....but my lesions showed up after the colon surgery....

    hang on darling Pam....something will show up..another option will show up I feel sure....

    sending love

    maggie
  • mom_2_3
    mom_2_3 Member Posts: 953 Member
    Options
    Pam
    Pam,

    Read your post and I have two recommendations...

    1. Google Suzanne Lindley for an amazing story of hope and courage.

    2. Get an opinion from Memorial Sloan Kettering in NYC, more specifically about the HAI pump which directs chemo right to your liver. I am a patient there I have met so MANY people which numerous mets to the liver become candidates for resection. If you can't get to NYC look into this type of treatment option closer to you (I think Stanford does them but not certain). There are lots posts on this board about this treatment option and a number of posters here have had it done, most with really great results. Please PM me with questions and we can also speak on the phone.

    Amy

    PS I read through your notes on your profile page and was confused that you said you were Stage 2 as it sounds like you were already stage 4 when diagnosed.