How many Stage 3 Rectal Cancer Survivors are there here?

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Comments

  • Lovekitties
    Lovekitties Member Posts: 3,364 Member

    You are all so awesome
    Thanks to everyone who took the time to respond ~ you are all great and inspiring too. I am so scared ~ just can't quite get over this daily fear thing. I lift it to the Lord everyday and night...but always lurking in my thoughts throughout the day. I think what I most struggle with is thinking about the future...beyond 1 year. I have a tough time when my husband asks me "where should we be 3-4 years from now", I just seem to freeze and usually get a tear in my eye of wondering what my response should be~

    I pray we will all still be corresponding together 5 - 10 -15 years from now!!!

    Oh "Need Support" ~ numbness in your hands and feet can last for up to 1 year from treatment or forever...I am still dealing with it in my ankles, feet, toes, hands...about 9 months out now from last treatment ~ be careful so you don't fall or burn yourself taking a shower/bath...been there and done that~ I take Vitamin B6 but I don't think it helps. I also did swimming prior to hip fracture and I think that kept blood flow going but hard to swim when you don't feel your ankles or feet ~ but it can be done! Good luck to you and I hope yours leaves quickly...

    Thanks again everyone, ~"Minnie"

    Dear Minnie
    Plan for a long future and have answers prepared for when hubby asks about years out from now.

    After all, no one knows what tomorrow will bring so might as well make those plans!

    Hugs,

    Marie who loves kitties
  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member

    Dear Minnie
    Plan for a long future and have answers prepared for when hubby asks about years out from now.

    After all, no one knows what tomorrow will bring so might as well make those plans!

    Hugs,

    Marie who loves kitties

    I couldn't agree more!
    Who knows what the future is....

    One of my favs:

    "Life is a journey, not a destination".

    Who really should care about the future, unless it's about financial stuff or your kid's well being?

    (If you look at my pic....I never imagined I would be skating on a piece of frozen canal in a far off land....but I did and I enjoy every experience to the hilt...file it away in my head for memories when I'm old and grey...*smile*).

    Dutch knuffels, Kathi
  • mommyof2kds
    mommyof2kds Member Posts: 519
    KathiM said:

    I couldn't agree more!
    Who knows what the future is....

    One of my favs:

    "Life is a journey, not a destination".

    Who really should care about the future, unless it's about financial stuff or your kid's well being?

    (If you look at my pic....I never imagined I would be skating on a piece of frozen canal in a far off land....but I did and I enjoy every experience to the hilt...file it away in my head for memories when I'm old and grey...*smile*).

    Dutch knuffels, Kathi

    HI, dx feb 2009 stage 3
    HI, dx feb 2009 stage 3 rectal, chemo, radiation, suregery, ostomy takedown, bowel obstruction needing emergency surgery on last day of chemo jan 13,2010.. NED since... I lurk alot on here, but dont write much anymore..
  • plh4gail
    plh4gail Member Posts: 1,238 Member

    You are all so awesome
    Thanks to everyone who took the time to respond ~ you are all great and inspiring too. I am so scared ~ just can't quite get over this daily fear thing. I lift it to the Lord everyday and night...but always lurking in my thoughts throughout the day. I think what I most struggle with is thinking about the future...beyond 1 year. I have a tough time when my husband asks me "where should we be 3-4 years from now", I just seem to freeze and usually get a tear in my eye of wondering what my response should be~

    I pray we will all still be corresponding together 5 - 10 -15 years from now!!!

    Oh "Need Support" ~ numbness in your hands and feet can last for up to 1 year from treatment or forever...I am still dealing with it in my ankles, feet, toes, hands...about 9 months out now from last treatment ~ be careful so you don't fall or burn yourself taking a shower/bath...been there and done that~ I take Vitamin B6 but I don't think it helps. I also did swimming prior to hip fracture and I think that kept blood flow going but hard to swim when you don't feel your ankles or feet ~ but it can be done! Good luck to you and I hope yours leaves quickly...

    Thanks again everyone, ~"Minnie"

    Minnie...honestly I have a
    Minnie...honestly I have a tough time with the future question my self. But I pretty much try to keep it to myself. For my kids I tell them a long time so lets plan for great vacations. The month after I finished chemo my 12 yr old son asked me what if it comes back and without taking a second to take a breath I said then I'll do it again. And that satisfied him. And for now that is what I want. My family to be comfortable enough to not worry about me not being here. I'm still new here in the cancer world, so I hope that the longer I play the part of a survivor that it will become habit and I will too believe it. It's what I want and reach for. I still follow Emily and Scouty's paths (the best I can as I'm a work in progress) but I sure hope I never have the delima again of to chemo or not to chemo.

    Cheers to a long future, with a glass of veggie juice!

    gail
  • RobinKaye
    RobinKaye Member Posts: 93
    plh4gail said:

    Minnie...honestly I have a
    Minnie...honestly I have a tough time with the future question my self. But I pretty much try to keep it to myself. For my kids I tell them a long time so lets plan for great vacations. The month after I finished chemo my 12 yr old son asked me what if it comes back and without taking a second to take a breath I said then I'll do it again. And that satisfied him. And for now that is what I want. My family to be comfortable enough to not worry about me not being here. I'm still new here in the cancer world, so I hope that the longer I play the part of a survivor that it will become habit and I will too believe it. It's what I want and reach for. I still follow Emily and Scouty's paths (the best I can as I'm a work in progress) but I sure hope I never have the delima again of to chemo or not to chemo.

    Cheers to a long future, with a glass of veggie juice!

    gail

    Check this out
    Check out this thread: http://coloncancersupport.colonclub.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=10574 at the Colon Club, it's over two years old and filled with Stage 3 and NED.
  • zirotra
    zirotra Member Posts: 30

    Oh you are so young...
    Zirotra,

    I am so sorry that you are facing all of this at such a young age. Unbelieveable and to think you have also lost your mother. I am so very, very sorry. I see that you believe in God also from your bio...I will add you to my prayer list. I am hoping that the CEA is nothing but something definitely to take seriously`...take good care of yourself and make sure you ask lots of questions. Were you tested for Lynch Syndrome being you are so young or does your family have a cancer history? I am curious why they did not give you chemo prior to surgery? Well, enough questions from me...you can tell I am a mother at heart? I have three grown children and a 1 year old grandson.

    Keep in touch...I want to make sure you are not alone on this journey. Prayers of healing to you Dear One and God Bless.

    Minnesotagirl

    Thanks
    They did give me some chemo and radiation b4 surgery, they are unsure why i got cancer. they did test me for lynch syndrome and it was -ve . life throws curve balls at you and in my case all the curve balls came too fast, right after one another. currently i tried to switch treatment strategy from Xelox (nasty drug which worked) to CPT-11/Xeloda (it didnt work for me). Now i have to see if i should go onto clinical trials and or take xelox... best of luck to you also. will PM you for your treatment details
  • LOUSWIFT
    LOUSWIFT Member Posts: 371 Member
    stage three twice
    2006 stage 3 rectal cancer - radiation- chemo- surgery - chemo - NED 2006
    2008 Stage 3 colon cancer with three lcalized nodes involved - surgery - chemo NED 2010
    chemo induced cirrhosis from Folfox so I will likely die of cirrhosis but still NED tests in August 2012 to see if cancer has returned and how the cirrohosis is doing. Race is on to see which will kill me first. Best of luck Lou
  • Dyanclark
    Dyanclark Member Posts: 296
    neons356 said:

    Here's one
    Diagnosed stage 3, age 53, 1993. Permanent colostomy, chemo, radiation, and 2 more surgeries. One to remove another piece of colon damaged by the radiation, and the other to remove adhesions which kept causing blockages. 18 years later still NED, very little change in lifestyle or diet.
    Carl

    Second surgery ??????
    Your case is almost the same as my husbands. He is going in to have surgery to remove scaring from radiation. Very encouraging. He had been in total remission 3 years then started having problems about 9 months ago just finished 5 mons chemo scan normal, CEA at 4 and still doing Avastin but will have to take a break for surgery.
  • steved
    steved Member Posts: 834 Member
    Stage 3 with recurrence
    Was stage 3 at resection in 2004 (age 31) and had 7 years clear. Now dealing with recurrence in pelvis probably with radical surgery of hemipelvectomy and exenteration combined (linba nd pelcvic organs being removed). Not a great outcome but did get 7 good years in the interim and hoping to get many more in the future.
    steve
  • YoVita
    YoVita Member Posts: 590 Member
    Stage 3 rectal
    Diagnosized stage 3 rectal in February 2010. One lung nodule identified with ctscan in June 2012. Dealing with it. So - 2+ years NED. Hoping for good news for us all.
  • Helen321
    Helen321 Member Posts: 1,459 Member
    I'm still in the ratrace
    I'm still in the ratrace with you but then I just finished round two of chemo. First resection was a flop. Went to stage 3 by the time I had my surgery checkup so now I'm doing xeloda, 7 on, 7 off and 5FU 8 rounds. Then it'll be chemo/rad 6 weeks. Then surgery one to remove rectum, then two to reverse ileostomy and then I'll be NED=) So please ask this question again next year! lol Because I plan to answer, ME!!! ME!!!
  • Minnesotagirl
    Minnesotagirl Member Posts: 141
    Helen321 said:

    I'm still in the ratrace
    I'm still in the ratrace with you but then I just finished round two of chemo. First resection was a flop. Went to stage 3 by the time I had my surgery checkup so now I'm doing xeloda, 7 on, 7 off and 5FU 8 rounds. Then it'll be chemo/rad 6 weeks. Then surgery one to remove rectum, then two to reverse ileostomy and then I'll be NED=) So please ask this question again next year! lol Because I plan to answer, ME!!! ME!!!

    Great to see this old thread resurface again
    Hi Everyone,

    I was so surprised to see this old thread of mine resurface again. Thanks for the correspondence everyone! I pray for those of you who are still in this battle. I am having my next 6 month scan this week...really nervous about it. I try to stay positive but the fear is real and a bit overwhelming currently. I know you all can relate. I am concerned about a small bean size lump in my abdomen area...I can't help but worry about lymph node involvement again. Crazy but I hope it may just be the start of a hernia...

    My prayers to those of you who lost your Stage 3 diagnosis and moved on to Stage 4. I cannot imagine how difficult that journey and news must be to hear and live with. I wish you all blessings and healing prayers from Minnesota.

    "Minnesotagirl or Minnie"
  • Coppercent
    Coppercent Member Posts: 158
    One year since diagnosis
    I am only one year out from diagnosis but I am currently in remission after a challenging year. I had chemo/radiation then had my surgery. In the past year I have had 4 surgeries and a couple rounds of different chemos. I finished my last round of chemo in the beginning of June. I am currently in remission and will have my three month check up in September. It is so great reading all of the great success stories. Thanks for making the new post and asking the question. It is always nice to read the good stories!
  • RickMurtagh
    RickMurtagh Member Posts: 587 Member
    sitting here w my grandson
    it has been so long i forget my exact dx (ok maybe chemo brain) - my dx was march of 2008, but it was stage 3 and i have no colon. pretty happy. life is good. who knew pooping in a bag could be so okay.