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The last few hours......
I lost my father in 1991 to stomach cancer. Through all these years I have never ask my mother when my father went into the hospital what happened. Did he just go in there one day and die or what...I never asked for fear of hearing something I really wasn't ready for....well, yep I ask this morning...I was told by my mom…
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SURGERY TIME TOMORROW FOR HOP
Our surgery is tomorrow at 0920 and we have to be there at 0730. Bit of anxiety here tonight. Hop has done all the "clean=out" thing and had only liquids to eat/drink. All 4 of our sons are going to be there with us, so that'll help. They're a big source of positive attitude for their dad. Will update here and Caringbridge…
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started # 4 today....
Well, this time around - at least for now, was as uneventful as the first 2 - thank goodness! Of course the cold hit me faster, and this time both of my hands keep cramping up (bad for a person that types all the time, but makes for some intersting typos!), and my face keeps doing funny things. It's 22 degrees outside…
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bad news
I just want to say thanks for all the prayers. husband has a blockage in the upper left side been in hospital since last tuesday cat scan done on friday surgeon came in sunday explained that the cat scan shows some little cancer in stomach area plan is to go in and remove blockage in colon and reattach well it did not go…
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Next Colonpalooza?
Anyone know if there's a date and place set for the next Colonpalooza gathering? Looks like the most recent was San Francisco in November 2008. Thanks, Webwoman
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Hi Ho Hi Ho
It's off to draw blood I go........ I'm having my blood drawn for my CEA today. My appointment is next Monday. Thus begins the "pins and needles" period. Please wish me luck in advance! Hope everyone has a GREAT Tuesday! Hi Ho Hi Ho......
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Ports and Mammograms
I'm having a routine mammogram coming up and I have a port. Does anyone know if this will be affected by the port? I know it depends on just where the port is located but does anyone have any experiences or forewarning they'd like to share? :) Thanks! Jorie
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anybody need a laugh?
If anyone needs a giggle this morning just go to my about me page....then look under expressions....my front lawn is a treat! Mags
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back from surgery
Hi Everyone, I had my rectum surgery 01/12 and come home Saturday 01/17. My surgeon told me that I lost a lot of blood, about 3.5 liter, during the surgery. He is surprised that I recovered very fast. He is able to keep my anus but most likely I will keep my ostomy permanently. I am OK with that. I find the ostomy very…
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Offline for a couple of days
Hi everyone... just a quick note to let you know I'll probably be offline for a few days. I'm heading off into the fog , to my friend's house where I'll stay with her tonight. She lives only about a mile from the hospital, which I need to check in by 8am tomorrow morning. The rescheduled lung ablation (RFA) procedure is…
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Presentation of findings
I am EXTREAMLY upset at how my fathers oncologist presents his findings. I am of the STRONG believe that a positive mind-set is very important in everything you do. ... yet this is the exact thing that is taken away from my father every time he goes to see his oncologist. At the very beginning (over a year ago) my father…
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Newby
Hello. I'm a newby to the site. It has been four years since I started my journey with cancer. Colon cancer stage 4 tumor grew through colon wall, overy plastered with tumor, and cancer cells in lymph nodes in abdomin. Went through the surgeries, some of the chemo, had a bag about a year, port in chest, removed about 9…
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Back from my Liver Non-resection
I'm finally home from the hospital...sigh. I had surgery on the 13th (Tuesday). I was there for the liver resection and RFA that I had worked so hard to get to. After they opened me up they did a liver ultrasound and found more tumors than they knew about, some larger some smaller...including one too close to the hepatic…
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If there is something other than Chemo?
I just returned from my regular exam. CEA 2 weeks ago went up again, from 60 in Nov.08, to 200. It is more then 2yrs now as it is started to rise after being 2.5 yrs NED. CT scans, including the last one in Nov.08, still not showing significant progression though. Multiple spots, surgery is out of question. In my case CEA…
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Another Kind of Beast
You would think after getting surgery and going through 12 rounds of Folfox and being told by my oncologist that my CEA was back to normal and the scans showed no other tumor sites, I would be happier "than a clam at high tide" as they used to say. Instead I am battling depression and anxiety like heck. It is almost as if…
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Cooking for Wellness
I attended the most wonderful workshop yesterday at the Wellness Center on "Cooking for Wellness" The instructor, a nursing instructor at a local unversity, cooked the best tasting vegetarian dishes for us......emphasizing the need to get more veges and fruits into our diets......I would say it is an alternative to…
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Fired from work
January 17, 2009 Hello Everyone, I hope this finds everyone as well as can be. Let me begin. I worked for a well known replacement window company in Michigan for almost nine years. After being diagnosed with stage 2 colon cancer in November of 2007, I took a leave of absence from work to have surgery in January of 2008.…
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Colonoscopy prep?
It's been a while since I've had a scope and know that there are new and better "preps" available these days, but I was having trouble finding the posts. I have a co-worker who is going to be scoped up and down because of persistent pain and I was hoping I could pass along some advice on a good prep. So, tell me, what is…
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No Chemo For Mommy!!!!! Update from Tumor Board
Well, as some of you know, I was waiting for my onc. to call today after meeting with the tumor board, where he was going to present my case, as to chemo or not to chemo. He called this morning and said" Good news!" "the board agreed that you do not need to do chemo at this time, and that my body and all was doing so well,…
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Radiation is Next (menright update)
I just finished a CT scan and found that the chemotherapy is shrinking the colon tumor and the spot on the liver. These are good signs. I had hoped they would disappear but I guess that was too much to ask for. Now I enter a 5-week regimen of daily radiation coupled with Xeloda. This should shrink things down and prepare…
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Lung mets.
After fighting Stage 4 colon cancer for a year now my father was told he had lived most of his 22 months life expectency. He never had any surgery and was only treated with chemo - the cancer in the colon is almost gone. The cancer in the liver has reduced greatly. The doctors at this point are worried about "speckles" on…
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You gotta read this book!
Hi Everybody, I just want to recommend some good reading- especially for those of you who like action and drama filled fiction that also addresses the spiritual aspect of our lives. It's called "The Shack" by William P. Young. I'm almost finished with it, but am even making the recommendation before finishing it- it's been…
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Hope for numerous lung mets
Hello, I´d like to respond to the "colon cancer went to the lungs" posting. I´m stage 4/liver mets that have been resected. There´s a doctor in Germany, Dr. Axel Rolle, who specializes in removing multiple lung mets and/or deep-seated ones with a special laser specifically created for that purpose. I live in France and…
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Survivor speaking experience
Well, I did it! Tonight was the first time I've publicly talked about my cancer experience. I mean, I've mentioned it, but I've never told the story of diagnosis, etc. It was actually a very cleansing experience, I believe. I ended it, as planned, with the little story I wrote last year about my day with my grandsons, and…
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back to colon after liver mets??
Just to re-cap I was Stage 3 of transverse colon in 2005,lymph nodes invovlement, surgery and 5FU. In 2006 I had 7 liver mets and a huge re-section with 8 months of xeloda. Sept 2008 another liver met, another smaller liver re-section. I was to start xeloda plus oxi on Tues.....thought I would be with you Cheryl but the…
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got results
He Has A blockage in the transverse area of the colon thats where he is bleeding. so a surgen is being called . husband is upset dosn't want surgery. but it has to go the blockage is from a cancer tumor in that area .Nothing in sigmoide area like the dr said at first so i will deal with that mistake when i see him,got to…
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Great news!
My sister had her appointment today about the mass in her stomach. Looks like it was a pool of blood where a blood vessel had burst. Woohoo!!! Thank you to all of y'all who answered my question about that. Because it was in her stomach, I posted the question on the stomach cancer board, but nobody answered me at all. Y'all…
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We're back......
Arrived in Los Angeles last night (or was it afternoon...or was it next Thursday???). The flight was uneventful, ended up getting good seats where there were just the two of us in the row...so the only one I disturbed was Hans....ROFL! MAN! What a shock the temperature was...In Amsterdam, it was 2 degrees celcius above…
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does anyone else feel this way
I've posted before. I've called and spoke with my radiologist nurse and told her how outraged I am by the side effects that I now have. I'm 1 1/2 years from my last radiation treatment. All she could do was assure me that before I started treatment I was told what side effects I might have. They didn't stress this enough.…
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From stage 3 to (possibly) stage 4
Hi everyone, Well, it looks like I might be in trouble now. I *just* finished my 12th round of FOLFOX a week and a half ago. I had a CT scan to send to the reconnection surgeon at Mass General and an "abnormality" in my liver was found. I saw the CT scans and it's a 2.5-3 cm spot on the back of my liver. The CT report said…