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Christmas Wishes
"There's more, much more, to Christmas Than candlelight and cheer; It's the spirit of sweet friendship That brightens all year. It's thoughtfulness and kindness, It's hope reborn again, For peace, for understanding, And for goodwill to men!" Wishing each of you a Christmas filled with memorable moments that are rich with…
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Merry Christmas
This is the time of year I do a lot of reflecting back. I know many of you are just starting the tough fight and many have finished the hard treatment that this disease brings us to. My heart goes out to those going through the treatments this time of year, I know how hard it is physically and mentally since my treatments…
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and the results are in...
PET scan showed slight progression of disease in the same area of the pluera as the original thickening. :( I am going to have a consult with the head of the thoracic radiation department at Moffitt, Dr. Craig Stevens. Ideal would be if the area could be radiated because this cancer responds so well to it. We'll see. I…
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The first step
I am a 65 year old male who lost everything 5 years ago and have been homeless since. I have never been screened for cancer. What's the first step. Thanks
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5-FU infusion + Mytomicyn for 1st and last week
I know the Mytomicyn is the 96 hr drip for 1st and 5th week. Did you all have the 5-FU infusion the first day of the first week ONLY? THANKS, CANDY
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Anxiety
Hi, I am new to this discussion. I am a forty-five year old woman and I was diagnosed with Stage 3 anal cancer on May 14th of last year. I went through the chemo/radiation, which was successful. No surgery required. My scans so far have been good - I'm scheduled for another CAT scan in July. I should be happy and thankful…
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still pain and inflammation after 16 months
hey, I was stage 2 no nodes, no mets. I get checked every 3 months by either DRE or proctoscope and CT. but they can never tell me why i have inflammation and pain on the left side of anus except that it might be radiation damage. or even perhaps something trying to come back. i still have pain during BM's on left. scares…
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Monday is the first day
It's all arranged. Monday is the first day of radiation. I have not yet heard from the oncologist about the chemo schedule and am starting to wonder... doesn't that usually start the same time? The doctors all are optimistic and say that the cure chances are very good. The treatment difficult, yes but with a positive…
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hair
Im three weeks into radiation & chemo, my hair has'nt fallen out yet, but I woke up with it completly matted, & had to cut it all off.!!! This sound familiar to anyone????? I'm devastated!!!
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Medicine for Mouth Sores
Is there a general consensus for what meds have worked the best for the mouth sores? Can you share your personal choice with me. Thank you. Candy
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Anal Cancer Survivor New to board
Hi my name is Debbie. I was diagnosed 2 years ago with stage 1 (very early stage 1) anal cancer. How they discovered it so early truly was a miracle in itself. I went through Chemo and Radiation. While treatment did leave me with some side affects, the fact I am cancer free and feeling very well makes these side affects…
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Treatment to start Thursday
O.K., I admit it, I'm a little scared, apprehensive, nervous, etc... I have been anticipating this for 2 weeks now, getting PICC line tomarrow, chemo/radiation to start Thursday. I'm trying to be brave and realizie that this is what I have to do, I'm well researched and feel good about all my decisions. But now I just want…
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spam filter problems
All, As you know, we've had increased problems with spamming on the boards lately. In an attempt to minimize spam, a spam filter was installed this morning. The filter has been marking some posts as spam which are not spam and blocking the authors (i.e. members) from posting on the boards. Please excuse this inconvenience…
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Starting Treatment in one week
It is so good to see these posts and all the advice. Thank you so very much. What can one do to get ready before this? Diet, Exercise, Herbs? Where you able to exercise during the treatment? Did anybody go to Stanford Hospital or Kaiser for treatment? When to ask for a dialator? Also, I read that somebody took steroids…
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vaginal burning
Hi everyone: I am over one year post radiation. 6 months ago I had intense vaginal burning and none of my doctors knew what to do for treatment. I now have another recurrence. has anyone else experienced this?
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bowl movements
i am new here. i had a tumor just inside my rectum and had cancer meds and radiation then surgery. this was in 2007. i also had a bag for 8 months in 2008 which was reversed. my question is that my bowl movements are not what i call normal. i go several times and they are in small pieces. then i can go and sometimes it…
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Happy Thanksgiving
Wishing all of you a wonderful holiday. I am thankful for many things this year...among them is this forum and all of you! Blessings to all!
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Alternative cures
I am scheduled to begin my treatment of chemo/radiation on December 2nd. Going through the process is pretty overwhelming but once I made up my mind to cure this thing, I've just put my head down, and one foot in front of the other, doing what I need to do. The problem is, I'm getting a little bit of pressure from some…
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Staging & size of tumors
Hi, My sister has anal cancer. Just started treatment. Can you individually share with me the size of your tumor and the stage you had? Her doc said they weren't sure about the stage which I thought was strange after all her tests. So she asked "what he thought" and he said a stage 3. Thanks, Candu
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Nasville Trip
Hey everybody, As I posted week before last, I won a trip to Nashville and the CMA awards in a contest that I entered on Jason Aldean's Facebook fan page. Thought I would share some of the highlights with you. My girlfriend Michelle accompanied me. We had such a fantastic time. They kept us very busy. We stayed at the…
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Procedure results
Flexsigmoidoscopy was today. Report as follows: Flexible sigmoidoscopy - normal. Minimal radiation changes. No evidence of residual tumor. Biopsy taken. Repeat exam - 1 year. Dr. said that everything looked just as he expected it should. I have had biopsies with every sigmoid, this was the fifth one since my dx in 2008. He…
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2011 National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines
Hi Everyone-- I just wanted to let everyone know that the National Comprehensive Cancer Network has put out their 2011 Guidelines in Oncology for Anal Cancer, as well as other cancers. This is very good information to have and I would urge everyone to visit their website at www.NCCN.org, register, then view and print out…
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Husband's Reaction to 2nd Round of Chemo
Hi everyone - my husband was diagnosed in June with Stage 2 and received the standard treatment of 5-FU infusion + Mytomicyn for 1st and last week and 30 radiation sessions. He completed the 2nd round of chemo 5 weeks ago. He began to feel much better over the last couple of weeks and attempted to go back to work…
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My mums spirit
Hi..My mom was diagnosed in March with stage 1 rectum cancer.She had a mass so she received radiation and chemo everyday for 2 months.The doctors were so positive they could fix it. Then a few months later around June she started with this cough...make a long horrible story short they found many huge masses in her…
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Just diagnosed
I'm a 50 year old female who has just been diagnosed with anal cancer. I had a mass removed which apparantly was the size of a walnut and just had a CT scan today to see if it has spread. Recovering from that minor surgery was quite painful and in reading everyone's posts, it appears to me that I get to experience that…
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Lymphadema - ankle swelling
I finished the standard chemo/rad on October 6, 2009. I have started experiencing swollen ankles on a daily basis since the end of April - six months post treatment. I was staged IIIB with left lymph node involvement. My oncologist said it is due to damage from either the chemo or the radiation. I am currently NED. I have…
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New to the board - ? about port vs picc line
New notes - thanks to everyone. Sarah your information was especially helpful. I had the port place on Thursday, the surgeon was fantastic, he does alot of them, had it in in 15 minutes and uses plastic surgery techniques so the scar should not be bad. I had marked both my bra strap and neckline of my favorite sun dress,…
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Thanks Liz for checking on me
If anyone asks, I answer "I am doing well". But in reality...I am running from cancer. I have analyzed my behavior and decided that this is why I am always going, going, going all the time and not being productive at all. I don't want to do any of the mundane, necessary tasks. I unconciously strive to exist in a state of…
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Biopsy after treatment
I am 5 weeks post treatment. Got second round of chemo despite the cardiac toxicity I had during first round. I was hospitalized with heart monitor for second chemo cycle and on the third day I again had chest pains, abnormal EKGs and elevated troponins from the 5-FU so the chemo was stopped after 65 hrs (was supposed to…
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Lori and Joanne - how are you both doing?
Just checking on you ladies to see how you are both doing. I've been on the road again and not posting too much but I keep everyone in my thoughts and prayers. ooooxxx to all Liz