Anyone out there with stage 4 colon cancer / went to the lung?

Bearsmile said:

stage 4 colon cancer
Hello I guess you could say my Dad has stage 4 colon cancer. About 8 years ago after several tests a tumor was removed from his colon and it was cancer. He went through chemo and was fine for a number of years. About 5 years ago they found the cancer in his liver so they removed it and again he had chemo. About 2 years ago the cancer was found in his lungs. He has been under going chemo ever since. He had a severe allergic reaction to one of the drugs so was sent down to Dana Farber in Boston where he now goes every 2 weeks since they are able to give him the drug through desentization. It means getting up at 4:30 in the morning so that we can make the 2 hour drive to Boston and be there for 7am and we are then lucky if we make it home by 8 or 9pm. We have had our ups and downs and sadly right now as his daughter and caregiver I am going through a tough time.
I have learned that even though the cancer is on the lungs it has to be treated as colon cancer and not lung cancer. The treatments are different and it is important to treat the right type. My father has not had any growth in his tumors for the last several months so the chemo is working. It allows him to go fishing and enjoy different things. He retired from teaching so that he could have more time to read, focus on treatment and fishing. I lost my job and so am now his caregiver since he does get tired quickly and the arthitis he has in his knees is only being treated for the pain. The cancer makes him ineligible for a knee replacement. We will get through things one day at a time.
Good luck and keep fighting the battle

smacclen said:

Colon Cancer Surviour

hI MY NAME IS SANDRA AND I AM A CANCER SURVIOUR. I HAD COLON CANCER STAGE 4. DOCTOR'S DID HAVE TO REMOVE MY RIGHT BOWEL. WHEN I FIRST WAS DIAGNOSED THE AREA IN MY BOWEL WAS NO MORE THAN 2 INCHES, AND JUST DAYS LATER WAS MY SURGERY AND HAD SPREAD TO THE COMPLETE RIGHT BOWEL.  I THEN ENDED UP GETTING A INFECTION IN MY INCISION AND I HAD TO HAVE THE INCISION REOPENED AND CLEANED AND THEN HAD PACKING.  AND THE PACKING REALLY HURT.  I THEN HAD TO WAIT UNTIL THAT HEALED BEFORE I COULD START MY CHENO TREATMENTS.  I THEN HAD MY PIC LINE PUT IN MY RIGHT ARM.  AFTER MY FIRST TREATMENT I ENDED UP GET A BLOOD CLOT IN MY PIC LINE, SO MY CHEMO TREATMENTS WERE PUT ON HOLD UNTIL MORE TESTING. I THEN HAVE TO HAVE BLOOD THINNERS EVERY DAY IN MY LEG.

AFTER THAT I STARTED BACK ON MY CHEMO TREATMENTS AGAIN, I WOULD GO TO THE CLINIC AND I SAT THERE FOR ABOUT 2 1/2 HOURS AS THEY PUT TWO BAGS IN AND THEN ANOTHER BAG WAS ATTACHED TO A PUMP AND I WAS SENT HOME FOR THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON, THE WHOLD NEXT DAY AND THEN ON THE THIRD MORNING I WOULD RETURN TO THE CLINIC WHERE THEY WOULD TAKE THE PUMP OFF.  I THEN WENT HOME AND TOOK THE PILLS THEY TOLD ME TAKE.  THE FIRST FEW TIMES WERE FINE, BUT THEN I STARTED TO GET SICK, ALWAYS UPSET STOMACH, I WAS TIRED ALL THE TIME AND WAS IN THE WASHROOM QUITE A BIT. AT FIRST I WAS HAVING NORMAL BOWEL MOVENMENTS BUT THEN WHEN I HATE BEEF I WOULD END UP WITH CONSTIPATION.  I HAD TO TAKE A STOOL SOFTENER AND IF THAT DIDNT WORK I THEN HAD TO TAKE A LAXATIVE.  IT WAS EITHER ONE OR THE OTHER.  I WOULD HAVE TO MAKE SURE I HAD ENOUGH OF BOTH PILLS ON HAND. 

I WAS LIVING WITH A MAN FOR 10 YEARS AND HE NEVER DID WANT TO GET MARRIED BUT AT THE BEGINNING OF DEC/12 HE ASKED ME TO MARRY HIM, AND WE GOT MARRIED JAN /13.  I DONT REMEMBER MUCH OF THE DAY BUT BITS AND PIECES. I CONTINUED MY TREATMENTS AND STILL SICK, TIRED ALL THE TIME, AND STARTED TO GET VERY WEAK.  I KNOW MY HUSBAND WAS DOING ALOT BUT AT THAT TIME I WASNT THINKING OF ANYTHING BUT IF I WAS GOING TO LIVE OR DIE.

WELL I AM FINALLY DONE MY TREATMENTS AND I HAD TO WAIT 3 MONTS. I THEN WENT INTO TO GET SOME BLOOD WORK DONE AND THEN SEE MY DOCTOR ABOUT 3 WEEKS LATER TO GET THE RESULTS.  THAT WAS A LONG WAIT TIME.  BUT I GOT GOOD NEWS THAT ALL THE CANCER IS GONE AND I AM A SURVIOUR. I WAS VERY HAPPY AND SO WAS MY HUSBAND.

THEN DAYS AFTER THAT I STILL WAS TIRED ALL THE TIME AND HAD NO STRENGH .  I STARTED TO TAKE MY DOGS OUT FOR WALKS AND DO WHAT I COULD TO HELP GET MY STRENGTH BACK.  BUT I WAS SO TIRED, I JUST SLEPT ALOT. AND THEN THAT IS WHEN MY WORLD FEEL APART.  MY HUSBAND GET AT ME TO GO BACK TO WORK THAT MAYBE THAT WOULD HELP ME.  I KNEW I WASNT READY AND NOTICED THINGS CHANING INSIDE ME AND I WOULD CRY OVER ANYTHING.  I STARTED TO SEE THE SOCIAL WORKER AT THE CANCER CLINIC AND INFORMED THERE WERE AFTER EFFECTS OF THE CANCER. I HAD ASKED MY HUSBAND TO COME WITH ME SO HE TOO COULD LEARN ABOUT THIS. BUT HE REFUSED.  WELL I TRIED HARD TO GET MY STRENGH BACK AND OVER DID IT ALOT AND ENDED UP I WOULD SLEEP FOR LONG NAPS, GO TO BE EARLY AND GET UP EARLY.  I WAS EXHAUSTED ALL THE TIME. SO WITH ME SLEEPING ALL THE TIME MY HUSBAND STILL HAD TO THE SAME AS BEFORE AS WHEN  I WAS ON  TREATMENT.

AND THE SAD NEWS IS  I MOVED OUT OF THE HOUSE FEB 28/13 AS HE SAID IT HAS AWAYS BEEN ABOUT ME.  HE CHANGED SO DRASTIC AND I DIDNT KNOW WHO HE WAS ANYMORE. SO I AM STILL ON MY OWN AND GOING THROUGH A SEPARATION SOMETING ELSE TO ADD TO THE AFTER EFFECTS OF THE CANCER.

SO IT HAS BEEN TWO YEARS AND I AM STILL NOT WORKING BUT SEEING COUNSELLORS AND SOCIAL WORKERS AND DOCTORS TO DO WHAT EVER THEY CAN TO GET ME BACK ON THE RIGHT TRACK OF MY RECOVERY TO RETURN TO WORK. I AM DEVASTED THAT MY HUSBAND FELT AND DID WHAT HE DID. I AM STILL SO VERY SAD AND ALONE THAT SOMETIMES I DONT KNOW IF IT IS THE AFTER EFFECTS OF CANCER OR THE STRESS OF CANCER.

SO ALL I CAN DO IS TAKE ONE DAY AT A TIME,.

SANDRA

I don't know if you noticed the date on the first entry of this thread or not, but it was started some time ago. I would really recommend that you visit the colon board. There are some great people on there who can offer you some insight and support. I am sorry that you have been through so much. As a caregiver, I can never understand why some aren't able to stay and support their loved ones who are dealing with cancer, but, sadly, I have read about that here way too often. Hang in there, Fay