-
stress and anxiety
I have always been a bit high strung but the anxiety is kind of hard to deal with at this point. It is hard to sleep or think about anything else. Every little ache or twinge I am thinking oh oh what is that for. It seems as if I am very lucky being at a stage 1 compared to many people who learn they have had cancer. I…
-
What a difference a year makes...
Hi All, I wanted to post this especially because there are so many new people on this site. Last year at this time I wasn't sure where I was going to be this year. Although I always stayed positive I was very scared. I had been diagnosed in September with Stage III rectal cancer. I completed six weeks of chemo and…
-
non standard treatment
I visited with an oncologist this am. He went over the reports with me from the surgeon who removed a polyp from my rectum two weeks ago. I got mixed news. he said it looks as if I have,(perhaps had), a low grade stage 1 type cancer. He said standard treatment would be to remove the area where the polyp was at which would…
-
Friday Riddle / Teaser
A very bright and sunny day The priest did to the verger say: "Last Monday met I strangers three None of which were known to thee. I ask'd them of their age combin'd Which amounted twice to thine! A riddle now will I give thee: Tell me what their ages be!" So the verger ask'd the priest: "Give to me a clue at least!" "Keep…
-
We are fortunate
Hi all - In many ways we are so lucky. This site is wonderful, but many cancer survivors won't find much significant support and info on this site. I have a very good friend who was just diagnosed with bladder cancer. We are waiting to find out more and I am supporting him. I wish I could recommend this site, but there is…
-
Goldfinch
Mary- where are you...we are all worried..hope you are ok Bev
-
follow up with 2nd surgeon
I met with an oncologist a few days ago and he had a different colorecto surgeon talk with me today. He seems to think I should have my rectum and anus removed. The oncologist said monitoring was an option for the time being. It seems as if surgeons are pretty go hung on surgery. I asked about my lab reports and he said…
-
attn Musiclover
Hi: Saw that you had been online...hope that Mark and Peter have met in the "great beyond"..thinking about you and hoping you are ok..keep in touch.,,would love to hear from you Bev
-
goldfinch--Mary
I haven't heard from Mary in about a week. She sent me an email on 11/24. I emailed her a couple of days ago and havent heard back. I am worried, has anyone heard from her. Maureen
-
Chris Erickson has died
December 1. He held on longer than anyone would have ever thought, defied all odds, and amazed us all. He was a strong and loving friend and I already miss him dearly. 03.26.70 - 12.01.07
-
Not good news on ct
Went to oncologist today. CT results supposedly show that since my husbands liver resection 7 weeks ago , the mets have returned and doubled in size?? However, the oncologist and surgeon say this is very unusual and there is a possibility that the radiologist is not interpreting the scan correctly. The lesions are in same…
-
HELP! Dad still having trouble with chemo.
I've written in the past that my Dad has been having problems with his chemo. The doctor has tried to challenge him 3 time and each time it produces severe pain in his bone that is totally unbareable. He has a very high pain tolerance, so I know it is really bad. They end up having to give him an iv push of morphine and…
-
Thinking of you KathiM!
Hope this brings a smile to your faces. KathiM...I have been thinking of you this past week because you encourage us to talk bout our "stools". This past week I have had a regular bowls. It's long and all in one piece! How cool is that? That hasn't happend in so long. I am now 7 weeks out of chemo. Whopee! Feels good. I'm…
-
Montel Williams
We're back!!! What a wonderful and memorable experience. The word that colorectal cancer afflicts many age groups and to insist on screening will be out!!!! Manhattan was bustling with holiday shoppers. The Rockefeller Christmas tree was magnificent!!! Most importantly, Montel Williams is a truly caring man. He has the…
-
Doctor attachment.....
Hi all, Haven't posted much in a few weeks, but things are going well. Still dealing with the post treatment issues (neuropathy, menopause, wound healing). Overall can't complain. I have a crazy question that my family and friends who have never been through cancer treatment can not understand where I am coming from.…
-
Need encouragement/advice
Hello! Do to recent unfavorable test results, my oncologist has decided to begin Xeloda and Oxiaplatum, instead of the 2 cycles of Xeloda only he had originally intended. I will begin treatment tomorrow and will remain on the treatment for 4 monthes. I am very discouraged by this and find myself wishing things were how…
-
Starting new chemo - suggestions?
As many of you may know, the Xeloda has stopped working for me and tomorrow I will be switching to Irinotecan, also known as Camptosar. I expect hair loss and loose stools. any suggestions to minimize the side effects? anything else to know? also, did anyone take any pro biotics for the stomach and overall intestinal…
-
Dad still NED
Hi everyone, Just want to update you all on my dad's last CAT scan. He continues to be NED 1 year and 3 months after chemo ended. It was two years ago this month that my dad was first diagnosed with stage III and then two months later, stage IV CC with spread to the liver and we weren't sure how long my dad would be…
-
PRAYERS PRAYERS
MY mom may get the surgery tomorrow morning, 30% of survival rate, i am so stressed, if she dont get it its a matter of days or so??? my mom is weak and in the hospital with heavy meds every 4 hours...( she is getting the perforation closed up and the primary tumor in the colon removed and a coloscopy put on. Please pray…
-
Gamma Knife
I asked if anybody had this done two weeks ago. We went ( my wife )to the Cleveland Clinic on Tues. and received the treatment. They found a total of 7 tumors in the brain. The biggest was 2.2cm. It took 4 hours to do it. We go back in 2 months to see if it was successful. I highly recommend it. The key is a longer quality…
-
Big Sis/Lil Sis - Bracelet Story
My 34 yr old little sister recently learned she has colon cancer (stage 3c) and will begin chemo Monday. She has an AMAZING attitude and WILL beat this! I wanted to give her something that she could wear reminding her that her big sister is "in this" with her. That she's not alone. After searching online for a couple of…
-
CT Scan/PET & CT Scan Qutestion
I have a quick question. Do doctors order just PET scans anymore or are all PET Scans now really CT/PET Scans. The reason I ask is that my dad just supposedly had a PET/CT scan done and the esophagus lite up on the scan. So, the doctor wants to order a CT scan to see if there is anything there. Isn't a PET/CT scan both…
-
symptoms question
hello to everyone...quick recap for those who may not remember us..my husband, Mike was dx. in Sept. 2005, stage 3, had temp illiostomy, did before and after chemo, did radiation for treatment before surgery, and SO happy to say, he is doing FANTASTIC..for any newbies out there, do not give up, as some of you may recall,…
-
last chemo treatment!!
Hi All, I havent posted in a while but have tried to offer advice when I had knowledge of the subject or sympathy and prayers when I didnt. I have just finished my chemo regiment and am happy but I have been sicker then ever this last time. Question for you oldies(not in age but how long you have been on this forum) How…
-
Pet or CT scan
I'm allergic to iodine and have to have steriods when I get a CT scan and that takes serveral days to work its way out of my system. I usually don't get a Pet scan, but I don't remember it bothering me as much. I'm NED right now and the onc mentioned that next time maybe we could just do the Pet scan. Now I'm wondering if…
-
thanks
thanks for the replies to my earlier post. Some great suggestions and lots of hope in the post. I believe I have rectal cancer based upon where my polyp was removed that turned out to be malignant. All this time I thought I just had hemorrhoids and actually went to my gp to see about getting them removed. He said a…
-
question from a newbie about surgery
Hi I am curious as to how long after diagnosis of colon cancer it takes for surgery.I went in two months ago for a colonoscopy then I went in two weeks ago and had a polyp removed. a week later (last week) the surgeon called me and said i had to have my colon removed and would have to have a permanment ostomy. The surgeon…
-
Anyone Heard of This?/Colon Cancer spreading to esophagus
Brief history - diagnosed 5/02 - recurrences in 4/04, 10/5, and 10/6. Until 10/06, we had always had the option of surgery to remove cancer and then start chemo. Well, since 10/06, we have been on a different ride - chemo first. Pet scan in 05/07 showed multiple mets in liver and some in lungs (only on ct part - did not…
-
Cancer and Night Shift Work
I'm fed up with half-baked (insert your own word for baked) news coverage about cancer. On Friday, several sources stated that night shift work can be so detrimental to your body that a World Health Organization study says it should probably be classified as carcinogenic and that ACS would probably go along with it. The…
-
Newbie - Hi
Hello all. I've been reading with much interest the postings. So glad I fell upon this site. My husband was diagnosed Stage IV colon cancer with mets to the liver, both lobes, in September. Surgery was planned for a resection of colon until they saw all of the spots on the liver. Sugery then cancelled, instead had a stent…