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Colorectal Cancer

Two years NED
After nine years of battling cancer with 4 surgeries, at least 56 rounds of chemo, removing various body parts and a colostomy bag, I can now say that I am 2 years NED. My CEA, which has always been a good indicator, is vacillating between 1.8 and 2.8. Prior to my last surgery I was never NED for more than 10-12 months. I…
Pain in port area....around right shoulder...any answers?
Hello, so my mom had a PET Scan last tuesday, still awaiting results, im really just hoping for the best...but today, i called my mom and she said at around nighttime just now, she started having amazing pain, like 8 out of 10 scale, around where her port is located, right shoulder. I just need to ask if any of u…
Healing and Upcoming Tests
Hi all. I have been out of the loop for awhile. I have been focusing on healing from my surgery and trying to get back to as normal life as I can. We have taken a couple short trips and done a little DIY. All in all I am healing well. I am back to walking 3 miles every day. I am eating about 75% of my pre-surgery diet. I…
Happy for my Husband, Heartbroken for our granddaughter
We got the results from my husband's 4th scan today. The Onc. has not looked at it yet, but I read it. It seems the same as the last 2. He still has 4 very small 8 - 5 mm spots in his lungs however no new growth! Will still have to do chemo (he is on Folfiri now) will do #22 tomorrow. That is the good news, the horrible,…
5 Years in - Scan and not quite what I was hoping
Hi Fellow survivors. Last week was the 5 year mark. Been NED ever since the initial surgery was completed. Had CT Scan, bloodwork, scope, the works done last week. Got the results today. Not quite what I was hoping for. CT Scan shows two spots about 2cm in size outside of the j-pouch in the peritoneum. Onc says it can very…
positive data on new trial - fasting-like diet plus chemo
https://news.usc.edu/103972/fasting-like-diet-turns-the-immune-system-against-cancer/ report on more data indicting that a fasting mimicking diet for several days leading into chemo and during chemo weakens cancer cells and makes them more suceptible to chemo, and at the same time strengthens normal cells and the body's…
I'm new and things seem optimistic to me
Hey everyone, I've been lurking on here for a couple weeks trying to decide how to introduce myself. I'm a 48 year old family man with a recently diagnosed stage IV CRC. I've just finished my second dose of chemo (Folfox) and at this point I'm feeling optimistic about things. It is difficult for me to be anything but…
Mum has Stage IV
Hi everybody, glad that I found this Forum. I'm from Germany and we just found out that my mum has stage 4 CRC with many metastases spread diffusely on the liver and a T3-t4 rectal tumor. Today we will receive the histological results. I know the statistics are very disencouraging but is there any hope? Are there any…
Cancer sucks!
My brother was running a fever a couple of weeks ago and had black, tarry stools. My sister took him to the ER under the condition that they didn't admit him to the hospital. He decided that he doesn't want to be hospitalized anymore or have any major testing done. They ran tests but everything came back as they expected.…
Update from Laz
Got my test results back and it's all good. My CEA is 2, but it's been always fluctuating around here and the oncologist says it's cool. Well what's is he gonna say? So I'm ok with it too. Worry never ends though. Will be 3 year NED in October. I come here every day to check on you and trying to support those who need it.…
giddy
I am giddy with happiness. My daughter delivered our 9th (yes 9th!) grandchild on Sunday - Ezekiel Ross Barlow! Made all the more joyful because I feared I would not see my first and now have seen 9! Nine grandkids all under the age of 7. Too funny. best wishes, Rick
CT Scan
What is a safe interval between ct scans?
Three years NED and in the anger phase of healing... First steps a doozie
Glad to be alive but my quality of life is something I'm going to have to deal with and work on. It's very difficult to be this person at 46 years old. I was in my prime and I got catapulted into fast forward. I've started therapy about my body image and my physical limitations and my doctor wants me to go to physical…
CEA
Hi everyone, I am new to this discussion board and happy to be here. I had colorectal surgery in 2014 and followed by several treatments of chemotherapy from March 2015 to July 2015 when it was interrupted because of damage it was doing to my body. A followup PET scan (7-17-15) came back with IMPRESSION: "There is no…
Post cancer, how much do you check with your oncologist when something is wrong
I took my mom to church and was just sitting when suddenly it felt like a hot pin went through the back of my eye and then it felt like fireworks spanning out (the sensation branched out like fireworks in the sky). Then my eye went blurry. It lasted about a minute. The pain was pretty strong. It then stopped. I went to bed…
Looking for colostomy advice
Hello. I had stage 3 colon cancer and underwent surgery to remove the tumor in Jan. (Did chemo/radiation prior) I was also given an ileostomy bag for 2 months then I had it reversed 13 weeks ago. Unfortunately, I have 30-60 bowel movements a day, every day, and my surgeon informed me that I would not improve due to a lack…
The bond between cancer survivors is strong. That's why it's so hard when we lose each other
Some may find this post inappropriate, others may not. I thought it sums up (yet) another issue we all have to deal with. Photograph: Alamy ‘I’m constantly worried about losing the people who best empathize with me, and when I’m not worried about them, I’m expected to worry about strangers, or about the possibility of a…
Robert's Obit
Mr. Robert Wayne Bunt, 57, of Talladega, passed away on July 1, 2016. He is survived by his wife, Angela Bunt; parents, Pat and George Frame; brothers, Rick Frame(Letha), Brady Bunt(Lynn); sisters, Christine Martin(Douglas), Donna Campbell; granddaughters, Caitlyn Bunt and Mya Nadolski; step son, Michael Nadolski(Yasmin);…
The Last (?) New York Plan For Individuals For MSK Is Going Away (Oxford)
It was pretty much impossible to find a Plan that MSK accepts. All plans had to be through work - exchange plans and individual plans were not, even if ostensibly the same plan. The only exception was Oxford (United Health Care) which is now pulling out of individual health insurance in New York. I am really lucky in that…
Roller Coaster - Hospice or Not...
Last Monday my mom called my dad's PCP because he decided to stop eating and drinking and was falling... this was right after we saw the oncologist the Thursday before. They put him in the hospital for failure to thrive. His PCP called my mom and I to speak privately. She suggested we stop all treatment and go on hospice.…
Horrible Twist - Updates
Update: 7/8/16: This morning he has the port insertion surgery, next Thur chemo begins to get at those liver spots, 12 in all. This is more than I can comprehend at times. I though Jan 2017 would be my 5 year NED and cancer would leave my family - I was wrong. This sucks bigger than any word or phrase I can think of. Since…
Foot Pain for no Reason
If I posted about this before, please tell me. You know, chemo brain and all that. I still have some neuropathy in my feet but is is lessening. Smetimes it feels like walking on bubble wrap, other times like they're asleep, always like they have something on them like a small sock or like I walked through mud and it dried…
History of rectal cancer and no BM for 5 days
I was diagnosed 9 years ago with rectal cancer had chemo/radiation and a resection. My bowels have been a mess since then going to the bathroom many times a day. However recently things seem to have changed and now have not had a BM for 5 days which is crazy. Has anybody else ever had this happen? Trying not to freak but…
Pet Scan Results for Mom
Hi Everyone, it's been a while since I've posted. My mom just had her PET scan done and the results said that everything significantly decreased in size. I started crying from happiness because I haven't missed one appointment with her and I've been there along the way with the rest of my family. She's had 6 rounds of…
Radiation necessity and Maintenance Medication
My mom who is in stage 4 with mets to liver and lung, is continuing her chemo treatments. She's had 7 out of the 12 done so far. My question is about radiation. Is radiation not suggested or needed if the cancer has spread? That's what I've been told and wanted any input on your experiences. She is to take maintenance…
Update on Robert
Robert was admitted to the hospital again last week for confusion and disorientation. They found sepsis and high ammonia levels. A couple of days in ICU and he was brought to a regular room and treated for infection and ammonia level. He has been on a steady decline the past few days. His liver is failing and he is not…
Moving to Irinotecan (So scared). Please any experiences with Irinotecan?
Good morning We had bad news yesterday. It seems there are new met spots in the liver and we are moving fro FOLFOX to FOLFIRI. From Oxaliplatin to Irinotecan. We were able to cope with Oxaliplatin side effects easyly. No big side effects, but I wonder if it will be the same with Irinotecan. I read teh web and it seems it…
Chemoradiation before surgery
Hello Everyone, I am new to this site and also new to colorectal cancer. My husband, 48 yo, was just diagnosed with Stage III Rectal Cancer. He then started radiation + chemo 5FU (low dosage) for 5 1/2 weeks to make the tumor shrink before they do surgery. It has been almost 3 weeks now, but he has reaction from chemo…
Lesson Learned (I was going to title it Once Upon a Time)
I kind of fell down on the job last year. I tend to get on soapboxes and talk about the benefits and need to stay actively engaged in one's treatment and to make sure the healthcare provider does the same. Never assume that whoever is providing treatment is dotting all i's and crossing all t's. Ask questions of the…
A Total 180 from Last Week
Has anybody at first thought - yeah hospice is a good idea and then a week later flip out and say you're pissed that the doctor didn't give you more options? That happened with my dad. At first he was accepting, almost at peace, now he's pissed that his doctors didn't try harder. I told him you talked to one doctor who…

Colorectal Cancer

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