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Newly diagnosed
Hello all, I am a 42 year old female who was diagnosed a month ago with colorectal cancer. I had been having rectal bleeding for quite some time, but I chalked it up to hemerrhoids since I had other symptoms (itching, burning) and I'm overweight and my diet isn't the best. When I finaly went in to see my primary care…
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That time of year again.....
So I just went through the frantic mess that is the blood work/CT scans required for the routine check ups. The complication I have now with doing my CT scans is having to have blood work done first because of the high blood pressure medication I'm on now. So I go into my doc's office yesterday morning to get my blood…
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Time For A Chuckle
Laughing is so good for the soul. I saw a post on another site that made me roll. It is my new motto, lol. I wanted to share it with you guys in hopes it gives someone else a much needed chuckle and some inspiration. It read: When it's time to fight, you fight like you're the third monkey on the ramp to Noah's ark....and…
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Magnesium Citrate
For my surgery next month, my surgeon has me drinking three bottles of magnesium citrate starting at 3pm the day before. I’ve only ever had golytely for bowel prep before and it was a nightmare (not helped by a blockage). I also have a pretty strong gag reflex. I am allowed (and encouraged) to drink Gatorade through the…
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Away from forum since Oncologist crushed my hopes and spirit
I posted about this a while back, it's taken me since March 19 when I visited him last to be able to function, I was a zombie 2 days. Felt totally like giving up. People I talk to say it seems like I've given up. It hit me so hard the way he spoke to me, his demeanor and everything that day. My scan looked worse and he…
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Curiosity Question
My oncologist has said that the highest chance of recurrence for me as a stage iv colon cancer patient is highest in the first two years following diagnosis and then goes down through five years and then sharply goes down after that. I can’t seem to find it anywhere so I thought I would ask here. Does anyone know what that…
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Happy Passover and Easter
This is a true story, that happened at our house. The premise for those who don't know: Matzo is known to be constipating, and we're facing a week of it! Enjoy Happy Passover and Easter to all! Alice April 11, 2013: The truth about matzo: I went to our bread drawer today, looking for a simple cracker (or yes, even a…
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Feeling down and slightly depressed
Good Evening All, I finally finished my about me page so if anyone wants to see my story, its there. Today though I just need a space to rant and ramble about my current mental and physical state. I have noticed the past few Chemo Treatments I have had what seems to be intensifying side effects. For the past 3 treatments,…
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Ostomy Supplies
I'm sure this has been brought up before but here I go. I've used the same ostomy supplies and brand for the over five years I've had the illeostomy. I've had very few problems with just the occasional accident or blowout. I'd go almost a year beteween these incidents. Lately, for the last couple of months it's hit or…
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Oxaliplatin Use
I am no expert when it comes to cancer but I have read alot of history on this website and I try and stay away from the internet. I have a question which I am sure some of you may have the answer to from you personal experiences. My husband was diagnosed with MR Stage: T4 N3 which began our journey in August last year. He…
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Off Topic - Your Screen Name
Just to lighten things up and not talk about anything cancer, how did you get your screen name. Some are your names and others have a meaning. Mine was my Grandmother's name and joining on another site (game site) it told me that name Annabelle was taken so my age was 41 at the time so figured I'd add the 41 to it but…
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Partial Colostomy
Hi. Been wondering why i haven't visited the page for quite sometime. We'll guess what local recurrence is back. They found new tumor or mas in my rectum. And walla i am at the hospital right now. I had my surgery last april 8 and i am still at the hospital recovering. I have difficult coping up with the bag. I don't know…
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Blacking Out from Follow Up Chemo
My husband is in his 4th treatment of mop up chemo. On April 4th which was last day for 3rd treatment he blacked out in bathroom hitting his rib cage either on porcelain sink or shoving his device which holds chemo bag for his port into his rib cage then falling to floor hitting his head which ended him up in emergency…
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5 Years ++ Stage IV Survivors
Last night when I got ready for bed, I noticed the upper part of my left foot and toes seemed numb or asleep. I have never felt this or noticed it until last night. I have had surgery on my right foot and toes and deal with slight numbness in the right foot. The left foot was a different story. I guess good ole' neuropathy…
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Have you wanted to end treatment?
I am growing concerned with comments Jim has been making lately. He said he is getting tired of all of this and see's why people end treatment. I am beginning to wonder if he is thinking of stopping treatment. I don't know if it is his birthday blues (he turned 56 today) or he if he is genuinely has had enough. This ulcer…
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Saw my onc yesterday
I had the follow up to my last round of chemo that I didn't complete (again) due to my magnesium levels. The magnesium is low normal not and incresing so that should be good. My CEA is up by .2 so he's not worried about that at all. And my kidneys are still maintaining themselves. They're not great but not terrible and…
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One More "Free" Week
I drove down to SC yestereday and was geared up and ready to knock out my chemo session this morning. Once there, they drew blood for labs and took my back to my chair. I was unde my favorite furry blanket and ready for a good nap but it was a "no-go". My "baby" blood cell count was right on the borderline. My oncologist…
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The Meaning of Suffering
I'll try to reign in the philosophical babble that I do. Understanding I can't really be helped right now. Mental illness and cancer is a wicked cocktail. Along with gastroparesis and tinnitus among other things. I'm scheduled to have surgery on May 9th. Having all of or parts of my pancreas, spleen, small intestines,…
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There's always something new on the horizon
I came accross this article about the potential of ultrasound to treat colorectal metastises. I post not suggesting this is a viable treatment, but just to suggest that there are hundreds of treatments under examination and perhaps buying a few extra years of survival will help us to see new and hopefully better…
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Severe back pain —on chemo?
Hello Crew, I developed severe upper back pain after the 3rd cycle of Folfiri of avastin. MRI is fine and I suspect it is related. They feel that my muscles can get very tighT, produce an occasional spam, enter a contraction but can deconstruct tgemselves. The pain can hit 8 and as soon as it goes above 6 or 7 Percocet is…
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Immunity Therapy Clinic, Lonsurf, whats next?
My husband is trying to decide the next plan for Stage IV colon cancer. The doctors next treatment plan is Lonsurf. There wasn't too many recent discussions about Lonsurf. Among other treatments he is looking into Immunity Therapy Clinic in Mexico. It all sounds good, looks good, but it is also probably too good to be…
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Blood on surface of stool and very weird stool shape (help!)
Hi everyone, I am Robert. In the past year, I found several times bright red blood stripe the one side surface of my stool. I went to see a doctor for this. The doctor did sigmoidoscopy and found nothing. As bleeding continued (not so often, about two to three continuous days per month), I went to see doctor again. This…
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Cancer has taken almost everything now
Sorry, this is just a whine but this is the only place where people really understand about cancer and what it does. I just found out an hour ago that I owe over $10,000 for business taxes from the business I had to sell because I got cancer. We do not have that kind of money and just get by every month due to me not…
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Am I Doing The Right Thing?
I am still in such deep thought at times about this mop-up chemo. I am not quite 8 weeks out from my liver and colon resection. I am scheduled to start the first of 7 Folfox cycles left in my treatment on Tuesday. I keep telling myself "you got this", but there are times, I'm not so sure. When the path came back on the…
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Manapart
I've been thinking about you and wondered how you were doing. Is surgery still scheduled for May 9th? Kim
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HAI pump
To all those who have had metastasis to the liver and had the HAI pump installed, I would love to hear your stories. I am now a candidate for a HAI pump. I will be visiting Sloan Kettering to review this option in the coming weeks. I am eager to learn much about this option so that I can make my appointment the most…
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8 years and counting!
Hey all you awesome Semi-colons! August 6 was my 8 years anniversary of my dx. I just wanted to come on here and share the relative longevity of life after cancer! For those who don't know my story, I was dx'ed with Stage III sigmoid colon cancer, lymph positive (2/19), zero mets, and did NOT do a lick of chemo. I opted…
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Any chemo for life people here?
Yep, I heard it from my local oncologist and an MD Anderson doctor. They think it will be either FU5 plus Avastin or Zeloda plus Avastion that is basically the same s&&&. Trying to comfort me that there may be breaks. If you’d some how long they usually last? Hard to smallow those news.........Butt.
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Elevated Chromogranin A, brand new diagnosis
Input requested. My spouse had a recent colonoscopy and biopsy results came back, "neuroendocrine cancer. " After Chromogranin A level came back 195, his (new) Oncologist repeated lab and it came back LOW. Today, Oncologists repeated blood work. Husband has family history of prostate cancer (father) and pancreatic cancer…
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I read an interesting article today.
I often come to this site when I am really down and depressed. I need to see something positive from those who are going through what I am going through. I am stage IV. And I wanted to share infromation about an interesting article that I read today on medicalnewstoday.com. "Cancer: 'Off-the-shelf' stem cell treatment…