Hello

Welcome and sorry...

that you have had to join us. Its a wicked diagnosis, and it really does take a little time to get your head around. 

You ask how we 'do it' meaning taking it one day at a time, and trying not to leap ahead to the worst senario. Well, I have one answer, and I'm sure others will help out with their own answers. 

I would say to you, be good to yourself, you are still new in the game. I doubt any of us 'old timers' were good with it for a long time.

I think of it as a little death. We have lost a part of our lives that we will never get back. No matter how many NED's we get after our treatments, we will still be Stage IV Cancer patients, and it will always be there before us, waiting. Maybe one day it will take us, maybe not. 

So, don't fret that you are still scared to or of death. Work at taking it one day at a time, and pretty soon you will realize that you are taking it one day at a time. 

I hope you plan to join us often. We love having new folks who then become 'old timers' with us. 

Sue - Trubrit

 

Sorry you have to be here. It

Sorry you have to be here. It sounds like you surgeon has a very good plan of attack. You are a different person now and will never fully transform back into your former self. It is extremely hard on close family members as well and the whole thing can be very hard to grasp at times. I have been stage IV for 9 1/2 years now and have had more surgeries, scans, chemo, radiation than I ever would have imagined but I am still here with at times a very good quality of life. I understand your feelings of infancy. I still remember the early years like it was yesturday but before I know all of these years passed by and I have lived a very colorful life in spite of cancer. Mountain biking, whitewater rafting and kayaking, and now I have a Harley that I ride 4 0r 5 days a week even in the winter. Keep your chin up although easier said then done and keep fighting.

Dear Friend,

The mental aspect of handling chronic diseases is just as hard as the physical. Just remember that you are the same guy as you were before you were diagnosed and you have the same skills, wisdom, kindness and abilities, you just happen to have cancer. There is a lot of stigma around cancer still. It's a crap shoot, but so is driving down the freeway at 75 or skiing on a steep slope.  You can do well and not so well. Just do the next thing you have to and don't stop living. No matter how bad this is the only life you got.

keep us posted and wish you the best possible outcome.

Laz

Hi and Sorry you are here

One day at a time in the beginning works well because you have so much coming at you.  First of that being disbelief.  I was 49 when I was Dx'ed with stage 3 signet cell cc. 

That was 3 years and 3 months ago.  Trust me I know how you feel.

I changed my diet to all organic and I am getting alot of good exercise.  I also recommend yoga, for you and your wife.

Personally, I never went the route of psy meds.  It was not right for me. 

I knew I was a stubborn fighter type A personality, and wow was I right.

Please trust me when I say you are stronger then you know.

Kick cancer in the a$$.

I have learned not to bother with small petty stuff and to be happy, really happy.  If something/someone in my life does not contribute to that formula, then bye bye to them.  My health is paramount!

Please keep posting

Sounds like you don't feel real hope yet. Stage IV liver mets are a doable diagnosis these days. To me, this means find more answers from credible people (patients, drs, researchers) and papers. There are more answers where standard medicine offers 1-2. The more answers you get on deck early on, the better you'll do and have backup. 

For your situation, you might read the Life Extension articles on cancer, cancer surgery and colon cancer, get more blood tests for a baseline, look into chemosensitivity testing of live tumor samples (Rational Therapeutics and Weisenthal Group) for when you get surgery, and line up more consults perhaps like MSKCC on Hepatic Arterial Infusion.

           

We are all

works in progress every day no matter what happens to us. Kudos to you for being proactive and seeing a psychiatrist, getting meds and coming here. We all have dark thoughts from this disease, that is just a sad fact. The trick is to get out of them as soon as they begin and not to dwell there. Your mind is stronger than you think, you can choose to be positive  (sometimes hard I know) and your feelings will follow. We make a choice what cancer is going to do to our spirit. Don't let it win!

Some things make me happy, good food, laughter with friends, exercise, my kids, my dog, painting etc. I fill my time with that and stay busy. This weekend I'm going to A's baseball spring training in Arizona, I cannot be grumpy in beautiful weather hanging out with my buddies!  I'm 2 years since my diagnoses and I can tell you it gets better. Hang in there my friend!

Easyflip/Richard

 

sflgirl said:

Tagamet?

thanks for the Life a Extension article.  I'm having a liver resection on 3 tumors in about 6 weeks.  Just finished 3rd chemo with Avastin, one more Folfoxiri without Avastin then planning 4 weeks after that chemo the surgery.  I read the info on Tagamet.  Any opinion on how soon to start it ( the article said 800 mgs/day) before surgery and then after?   Also is there another common name for citrus pectin?  Where I might get it? 

Thanks,

Andrea

Citrus Pectin

Andrea, The Citrus Pectin I use off and on is by ecoNugenics, called PectaSol-C - Modified Citrus Pectin.  It was recommended to me from someone (and sold) at a local Earth Origins market in SW Florida.  It wasn't cheap.  I'm sure they have it and other brands at various organic markets with a decent sized supplement department.

Stages

You will find yourself going through some stages when first diagnosed and trying to figure out this life and death thing.  There is no figuring it out though, you just have to run the gambit.  First is disbelief, then you start thinking about the dying, so while you're thinking about that, do something constructive, make sure your wills are up to date, that letters have been written to loved ones and even write your own obituary.  I wrote mine, it really helped a lot with turning me around to think about living a bit more, didn't want it to end.

That was FIVE years ago for me, since then I've done a lot of living.  One day early on the diagnosis, my son said to me, "Mom, you're sitting here in the yard getting ready to die, get up and do something, go to college, find more exciting things to do, get up and live".  So I went to a two year college, during chemo's, surgeries even a heart attack and having a stent put in and graduated with a 3.8 GPA in Political Science in the two years.  I bought a kayak and go kayaking, picked myself up a little 650 motorcycle again and started biking, take my Grandkids camping, in other words, I got off my arse and started living.  I don't know how long I have, heck they had me call in family last August to say their goodbyes, and here I am in March getting ready to turn another year older, working full time this month at my daughter's candle, body, bath works shop at the mall, taking my grandchildren around places, shooting my new gun and just plain enjoying myself, and still getting chemo every two weeks.

You can do this, just have to start having the will to live and stop thinking about that dying crap.

Wishing you the best,

Winter Matir

sflgirl said:

Tagamet?

thanks for the Life a Extension article.  I'm having a liver resection on 3 tumors in about 6 weeks.  Just finished 3rd chemo with Avastin, one more Folfoxiri without Avastin then planning 4 weeks after that chemo the surgery.  I read the info on Tagamet.  Any opinion on how soon to start it ( the article said 800 mgs/day) before surgery and then after?   Also is there another common name for citrus pectin?  Where I might get it? 

Thanks,

Andrea

Hi Andrea,

800mg/day for 2 weeks after surgery. Some say more and and longer for Stage for patients. Email tanstaafl here on the forum, he is the most knowlegable about these things.

Good luck.

Laz