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Change in chemo
I was dx in Jan. 05, and did 11 cycles of Oxaliplatin, Xeloda which kept everything stable. In December, we switched to 5FU, Irinotecan, Leucovorin and Avastin. I have a c-scan coming up on January 23 and, I have to admit, there is a part of me that doesn't even want to show to the scan (ignorance can be such heavenly…
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Help! scan has possible lung spots
My husband is stage 4 and has been NED for a year in February. He had the F-5 combination with Avastin following his colon resectioning prior to that with very good results on all. He was first diagnosed 5/24/05. He was 30 years old. We got the scan results this morning and they said everything looked very good except for…
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lymph nodes by lung
Need help AGAIN, had an appt yesterday to review new CAT scan and there is a lymph node next to the lung. My husbands mets have been in the liver. It is about 2cm big, any ideas about this? I did the big freak out, doctor put my husband back on oxiplatin with the xeloda and avastin and feels that this will stop the growth…
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Call me NED...
Hello Everyone, In anticipation of positive results of a yuletide CT/PET scan my sweetheart gave me a very cool bowling shirt for Christmas, emblazoned with the name Ned. Yesterday I met with my oncologist who told me what SB and I already knew, I'M NED (no evidence of disease)! I'm happy to say goodbye to Oxaliplatin,…
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kathim
Haven't heard from kathi in a while. Did I miss something,like has she gone on hols?
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CEA - This is a good number, right?
Greetings Everyone! I introduced myself several weeks ago.....and to refresh your memory I was mis-diagnosed, first told I had rectal for a brief few weeks, then told I had Ovarian and now the final answer is colorectal. So I lived by the CA 125, which is the ovarian tumor marker and that was elevated to 336, and normal is…
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re: The relentless back pain - HELP!
How many rectal cancer people out there have the chronic lower back pain? What IS it? Is it lack of muscles from weight loss? Bad posture from numb feet? Mark's last MRI scan of his spine turned out to show no cancer in his bones so that is not it. I'm perplexed. He's miserble and getting weaker each day. I'm taking him to…
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Happy Birthday to me!!!
Today is my 50th Birthday. I say bring on those birthdays. I am spending the day at the casino with my family. I hope I win. For all the newbies I was diagnosed with stage 3 rectal cancer 3/17/03. I have had chemo, radiation, 3 surgeries, 11 hospitalizations and am NED. It has been a rough and rocky road, but I feel great.…
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supplement drink - tolerance
I'm about to start a new round of chemo. My white blood cell count is not high even before starting, and I know it will take a hammering with the FOLFOX + Avastin. My oncologist asked me to start taking one of those nutritional supplement drinks (something like Ensure?, but it is called Impact - manufactured by Novartis).…
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NEW FRACTURES
I am beside myself. Very weak, very tired. I cannot walk, practcally bed ridden. I developed new fractures in the spine from doing nothing. The orthopedic spinal surgeon is now referring me into Manhattan to the New York Hospital for speciality surgery. I cannot believe this. One month I am working the next month I am…
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Many questions carryover
The link is actually on page 5 now. http://www.acscsn.org/Forum/Discussion/thread/view?msgid=120998&msgrid=3 Its been 3 days since his 2nd surgury. They found a kink in his small intestine (at the last surgery point) and a week since his first chemo. He is very weak. HE hasnt eaten anything since the 13th of december. I…
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keeping up the fight
Here is the situation: My dad finished his chemo in August for stage 3 rectal cancer and his PET scan in November showed it was back and in his lungs and abdomen lymph nodes. He was admitted to the hospital b/c of a bowel obstruction due to a tumor. He now has a ileostomy (he had a colostomy before). Onc told him on…
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High CEA
Wednesday I went in for a CTscan, blood work, onc appointment and my 3rd chemo treatment. The CTscan showed that the lesion in my liver grew and my CEA jumped from 666 to 1879 in just two weeks. FOLFOX was not working so I'm on FOLFIRI now. I can't have Avastin yet because I haven't healed from my semi colonectomy surgery…
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Pathology results
Just an update on my husband who had surgery for rectal cancer Dec. 7. It has taken a long time for pathology to come back but we finally got it and it couldn't have been better. Final pathology was T2 NO MX. After months worrying about "suspicious" nodes that the MRI showed this was great news. I have two questions 1.…
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BOWLING SHORT SITE
Just in case anyone is interested, here's the URL to a retro bowling shirt site - they will be all too happy to embroider "Ned" (or most anything else you want) on it. http://www.bowlingshirt.com/loungem/printed/?productid=65 Oh, and Stacy, if you buy one for yourself... oh, never mind... Cheers - SB
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Fatigue
Hi all Okay you all know we are new to all of this so just need to know more information. Husband did great through his first chemo just a little nausea, but today he is extremly fatigued. Now we want to know is this something that will let up in the next few days or is he gonna feel like this all the time. He is upset…
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1 Down 11 more to go...
Hi all, Wanted to thank all of you for letting us know what your first chemo treatment was like. It made going alot easier for my husband and I. It pretty much went down as you all said. They gave him decardon (I think thats how you spell it) and a anti nausea drug then the chemo. Hooked him up to the pump and we went…
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NED
I received the results of my second 3 month CT-scan and blood tests. Along with a one year colonscopy and I am still NED. Most of the side effects have gone Hand and foot syndrome; blood counts are back to normal; still some occasional bowel problems and finger soreness. I had radiation with chemo then surgery. I did not…
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gemcitabine
Hi Firstly I would like to wish everybody a wonderful, healthy, exciting new year. And then I would like to know if anybody has used gemcitibane to treat mets. Long story, dx oct 2004, surgery, unresectanle liver mets, now lung mets also. Have been through the folfiri, folfox, avastin , erbiotux and most recently xeloda…
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Avastin after surgery
I have a quick question. My oncologist is wanting to add avastin to FOLFOX for 4-6 months after surgery. I have read the possible side effects and the wound reopening freaks me out a bit. How long did any of you wait between surgery and starting avastin??? I know it says the minimum time is 28 days. Is that remotely long…
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CEA is DOWN
Hi. Sorry I was away for so long... you all never left my heart. I just got some great news and wanted to share. I have both lung and newly diagnosed bone mets after dx with rectal cancer back in 2001. The bone mets were recently discovered - yuck. I started the xeloda, cpt11, avastin, erbitux & zometa (for bone strength)…
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update
Cat scan shows significant growth in all lesions on the lungs. No spread to the liver though. That's my good news. I will be resuming chemo in 2 weeks. I plan to stop most of the naturopathic supplements. Not only did they not stabilize things, but the lesions grew even more than when I was on nothing. I plan to continue…
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Need help making chemo decision - Stage 2A
Reposting this: somehow got buried as response to my first thread... Husband is now home recovering from Dec 14th surgery - which went pretty well. Saw the oncologist today for the first time and got the official word - Stage 2A, N0/T3/M0. She is recommending chemo but left decision up to us. Says it's a fairly new…
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It Can Happen!!!!!!
I was given the ole "you only have 2-3 years to live" almost 3 years ago with a stage IV, mets to the liver and left lung diagnosis. I was 49 at the time and had always thought I was "pretty healthy", NOT. If you want any more specifics of my particulars, read my web page on this site. Anyway, I researched, followed solid…
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Friday Giggles
Hi All: Here are some giggles to help getting the weekend off to an early start! Enjoy! Ying ================================ Hot Enough For You? After dying a grisly death in an Afghan cave, Osama made his way to the pearly gates. There, he was greeted by George Washington. "How dare you attack the nation I helped…
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First Colonscopy
I am asking for your prayers to help me through my VERY FIRST colonscopy ever. It is scheduled for Friday, 12 January 07. I finished chemo on 3 November 06 and have had NO scans or a colonscopy as of yet.
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Big Progress for ME!
Afternoon all: O.k., ususally I am the upbeat uptempo cancer survivor who encourages everyone to run, walk, bike, swim, bowl, golf, crochet..whatever it takes to keep or get moving. But 8 years post-cancer, after being doctored to death(almost literally at times LOL-as anyone who has experienced chemoradiation knows)- I…
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FOLFOX + Avastin
Would appreciate advice from folk who have been on this combo. I have done a course of FOLFOX previously (completed 11 of 12 cycles). Experienced many of the side effects associated with the oxaliplatin (o joy). What new can I expect with the additition of the Avastin? My oncologist has warned me of possible risks…
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Cost of chemo (!)
I'm about to start FOLFOX plus Avastin for a planned 12 round (6 months). I am also about to start 'negotiations' with my insurance company. I am living overseas and don't have a good sense of what the cost is in the US, Canada and other countries. I'd be very grateful if others might be willing to share this information.…
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A story to start the new year
As I was sitting getting 'infused' today, chatting with another young 29 year old who has crc at Stage II, I took a break to read from a book given to me as a gift over Christmas "Chicken Soup for the Surviving Soul" 101 Healing Stoties About Those Who Have Survived Cancer" by Jack Canfield, Jack Victor Hansen, Patty…