returning colon cancer stage 4

I had colon cancer in 2009, stage 3 and now it has returned in my uterus, colon and 1 ovary, stage 4. I have had 5 months of chemo, Avastin and Oxilaplatin. Got another CT scan last week and my tumors aren't shrunk enough and one tumor is too close to a major artery to my leg, so, surgery isn't possible right now. I have to have 3 more months of chemo with 2 different drugs. I have been hospitalized 3 times in 5 months. Chemo makes me so sick. My Dr. told me to expect the same side effects as the last chemo. Hoping to make it through these rounds of chemos with no serious problems. Does anyone know some foods i can eat to maybe prevent my cancer from coming back? there was a man on Dr. Oz that said that he cured his colon cancer by eating the right foods, but only caught the end of the shoe.  I know exercise is good and can extend my life. I don't know how long i have, only god knows. I pray alot and think about it alot. Just not ready to go anytime soon. I was first diagnosed at age 43 and now at age 48. Also, does anyone know ways to deal with depression? Side effects from chemo are gruelling for me. Hope i can handle it this time around. Wish me luck!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

  • Trubrit
    Trubrit Member Posts: 5,796 Member
    Welcome and sorry

    It is always sad to add another to our ranks, but we are happy that you have found this forum, as much information and support can be found here. 

    I am very sorry that your Cancer has returned, and spread.  We normally hear of spread to the liver and lungs.  I am surprised that they have not done a complete hysterectomy. Is it because of the tumour that is close to the major artery?  Have you looked for a second opinoin? 

    I watch Dr. Oz off and on. I know he talks about Cancer and food allot. The only thing I've heard him tout is adding Tumeric to your foods, he even drank a Tumeric Tea the other day.

    I'm not sure if foods can cure Cancer, but I have no doubt they can go a long way in keeping you healthy. 

    There are some extreme diets that say they can cure Cancer, and there are foods which you should eat, and foods that you shouldn't eat that can help. Refined sugars are a big no, no. Probably one of the hardest things to give up. I'm still working on  it. 

    There is a great book (one of many) called Radical Remission by Kelly A. Turner. Ph.D.  And I have a great cookbook called Cooking with Foods that Fight Cancer by Richard Beliveau, Ph.D., and Denis Gingras, Ph.D.   

    I am going to be trying juicing after my upcoming trip. I have started by purchasing juices and like them, so will make my own. There are members here, who you will hear from, who swear by it, and I think they are on to something. 

    You will probably have to pay close attention to the foods you eat, and how your body reacts to them. I suggest keeping a notebook and record everything that goes in your mouth, and also how you are feeling. I have done this, and have discovered that bread and potatoes along with too much sugar causes my joints to ache terribly. 

    I hope that you are able to find foods that help you during your next round of chemo. 

    Post often, there is always someone around to offer you support. 

    Sue - Trubrit

  • Fucc
    Fucc Member Posts: 92 Member
    When i was first diagnosed in

    When i was first diagnosed in 2011 I spent quite a bit of time resarching this disease and natural approaches.  A great starting point is the LIfe Extension website.  See link http://www.lef.org/protocols/cancer/colorectal_01.htm.  It will provide you with a general undrstanding of the cancer and some natural approaches.  I also recommend the book Anti Cancer, it is a fantastic read and give you some hope.  In addition, I recommend you find a Natriopathic Doctor with a specialization in ocology to help you going forward.  This can help with the side effects as well as give you some guidlines to support your body.  

  • Nana b
    Nana b Member Posts: 3,030 Member
    Fucc said:

    When i was first diagnosed in

    When i was first diagnosed in 2011 I spent quite a bit of time resarching this disease and natural approaches.  A great starting point is the LIfe Extension website.  See link http://www.lef.org/protocols/cancer/colorectal_01.htm.  It will provide you with a general undrstanding of the cancer and some natural approaches.  I also recommend the book Anti Cancer, it is a fantastic read and give you some hope.  In addition, I recommend you find a Natriopathic Doctor with a specialization in ocology to help you going forward.  This can help with the side effects as well as give you some guidlines to support your body.  

    Wish every one would have

    Wish every one would have listened to the first 10 podcastsof the cancer Summitt gong on.   They were excellent. Many natural foods and supplements were talked about. The podcasts can still be purchased with membership. I think I'm getting the 3rd packGe so I can attend the Cure for Cancer Summitt In 2015. 

    It is about no sugar accept from fruit, no bread (sprouted if you must have, no white), no dairy, no red meat, not too much oil, exercise, lessen stress (you know what has to go), juice, eat raw as much as possible.  Turmeric, milk thistle, vitamin D3, green powder, bentonite clay hot baths (drink a tsp that was mixed with water or juice.  It detoxes), hot green teas (can use local honey). Lemon juice in hot water each morning. Immune builders. 

     

    A point mentioned was that just cause you have a tumour doesn't mean you need chemo, if they aren't growing use alternatives. We all have cancer, it's the diagnosis that sends us to chemo.   

     

    http://thecuretocancersummit.com/2014-summit-replays/

  • annalexandria
    annalexandria Member Posts: 2,571 Member
    Hi Donna, and welcome to the forum.

    I'm really sorry to hear that you have to face another round of treatment.  I have had four recurrences and know how difficult it is to be back in the trenches.

    So, imo, it's very natural to feel depressed.  The things that helped me were medication (esp an anti-anxiety med), making sure to get some fresh air whenever possible, and making a little time to do something fun whenever my health permitted.  Didn't have to be anything major...just planning an outing for the day could lift my spirits a little.  Watching a light movie or reading a good book also helped.  Really anything to distract me.

    But sometimes the side effects from treatment are too extreme for distraction, and it sounds like that may be the case for you.  You might ask your doc about changing the drug regimen, at least the doses.  For example, oxiliplatin was very hard on me, caused a lot of neuropathy.  So my doctor cut it back by 20%, then took it out all together.  Chemotherapy is something of an art, and it can take some adjustments to get things better (or at least as good as they can be).

    If you let us know what regimens you've done, and what issues you tend to have, I'm sure people will chime in with suggestions.

    Have you had a 2nd opinion?  It can really help to get more eyes on the situation as things get more complicated, esp when it comes to surgery.  Hopefully you already have an experienced crc surgeon looking at your case.

    Hang in there, and let us know how you're doing!

    Big hugs~AA

  • leidybug
    leidybug Member Posts: 14 Member
    Advanced Stave 4 Colorectal Cancer

    Hi Donna,

     

    I am sorry to hear that your Cancer is back and at Stage 4.

     

    I was diagnosed with Advanced stage 4 Colorectal Cancer January 23 2013 I am 50 years old and diagnosed 2 months after turning 49.

    On Febbruary 4 2013, I had all my female organs, part of my colon, small intestine and some tumors removed. I had 12 sessions of Chemo which started March 11 2013 and ended the first week of August 2013, with two more Chemo sessions left to do, I was told that I needed another major surgery, but the probabilities of my not making it out of surgery were very high, about 90%. I decided to do the surgery regardless of the out come. The day of my surgery, August 12 2013, the waiting room was packed with my family members. There were over 30 family members in the waithing room praying for me. Many people, churches, different Congregasions, co-workers, friends, people that I didn't even know were praying for me. I told my family, that if I diid't make it out of surgery, know that I love them, and what ever Gods will is, to please accept it as it is his will. The Sugery took 5 hours, they emoved half of my Liver, my Gahlladder, Apendix, and some tumors that had shrunk with the Chemo and were now operable.

    I was declared "Cancer Free". The Doctors told me to go Celebrate, because me being Cancer Free was a "True Miracle" and un heard of for Advanced Stage 4 Colorectal Cancer. 

    November 4 2013, my CT Scan showed a small lesion on my right Lung. The Doctors were not worried about it as they thought it was cuased by a Pulminary Embolism that I had after my first surgery. In March of 2014 I was diagnosed with Lung Cancer "Metatstatic". I chose to have Lung Resectioning, instead of Chemo Therapy. The Chemo made me really sick. I had in house Chemo for 8 hours then went home with a Chemo Pump attached to my port for 3 days. This is why I chose Lung Resectioning this time around, the side effects from Chemo was just too much and I did not want to end up in a wheel chair due to the Nerve Damage to my feet and hands from the Chemo.

    I have a lot of Neuropathy from my Chemo Treatment and my memory is not back 100%. I know of people who are very athletic and eat nothing but organic foods, but still got Cancer. Just like me, no one in their families had Cancer and therefore not Heredetary.

    There is a lot of talk aout he types of food you eat, but I am not sure that they are true. I have always exercised and ate / eat healtthy and still got Cancer. No one in my family has it.

    Depression is  a major thing with Cancer patients. It is very important to stay positive and not to stress. Cancer feeds off of stress. There has been talk about people getting Cancer due to their very stressful lives. Again, I am not sure that there is any truth to it, but I do know that my Doctor and his staff "adimately stressed that there be no stress at home for me". I was to remain stress free and they only talked to my husband about billiing / billing issues. My kids, mom, siblings, as well as my co-workers were very supportive and helped me a lot. I think the more support and positive attitudes in your life also help. 

    Don't lose hope, stay positive and have faith and suround yourself with peopple who are supportive and have nothing but positive vibes around you.

    My internal organs were all covered in Cancer. It has been a long road, but I have been in Remission since April 2014.

    Good luck, I will be praying for you.

  • Phil64
    Phil64 Member Posts: 838 Member
    Chemo, cancer, eating right

    I too am going through my third regimend of chemo. This is by far the worse in terms of side effects. Nausea, vomiting, dirrehea were all very bad with treatment one. This last treatment (started on Thursday 9/18) has been much better managed. Still had nausea but with better medication and quicker use I've managed to avoid vomiting. I've also had to suspend my healthy eating during chemo. Eating lots of fruits and vegetables does not go well with managing the side effects of chemo. Instead I'm learning to eat bland foods during chemo. like turkey, white rice, mashed potatoes, bananas, and other bland foods. Also eating multiple smaller meals seems to help a lot too. The fiber in fruits and vegetables and wheat products stimulates digestion and causes diarrhea.

    I believe that eating well is a good thing to do. However I am not convinced that eating well will cure you from cancer. I think there are a lot of authors that have published in this field but there's not a lot of scientific data to substantiate their claims. I do think eating well and exercising can help prevent cancer. But once we have cancer and we're trying to cure ourselves from cancer I'm not convinced that the eating / vitamins / juicing are going to resolve the issues.

    God willing, surgery and chemo just might cure me of the cancer and eating well/exercise may help keep the cancer away long term.

    so here I am in another regimen of chemotherapy. And I'm hoping that in a few more treatments I will be a candidate for another liver resection surgery. Meanwhile I'm going to do the best I can to try to manage the chemotherapy side effects.

    This is only my opinion. I'm certainly not up-to-date on all the facts and all the data.

  • Yolllmbs
    Yolllmbs Member Posts: 360 Member
    Phil64 said:

    Chemo, cancer, eating right

    I too am going through my third regimend of chemo. This is by far the worse in terms of side effects. Nausea, vomiting, dirrehea were all very bad with treatment one. This last treatment (started on Thursday 9/18) has been much better managed. Still had nausea but with better medication and quicker use I've managed to avoid vomiting. I've also had to suspend my healthy eating during chemo. Eating lots of fruits and vegetables does not go well with managing the side effects of chemo. Instead I'm learning to eat bland foods during chemo. like turkey, white rice, mashed potatoes, bananas, and other bland foods. Also eating multiple smaller meals seems to help a lot too. The fiber in fruits and vegetables and wheat products stimulates digestion and causes diarrhea.

    I believe that eating well is a good thing to do. However I am not convinced that eating well will cure you from cancer. I think there are a lot of authors that have published in this field but there's not a lot of scientific data to substantiate their claims. I do think eating well and exercising can help prevent cancer. But once we have cancer and we're trying to cure ourselves from cancer I'm not convinced that the eating / vitamins / juicing are going to resolve the issues.

    God willing, surgery and chemo just might cure me of the cancer and eating well/exercise may help keep the cancer away long term.

    so here I am in another regimen of chemotherapy. And I'm hoping that in a few more treatments I will be a candidate for another liver resection surgery. Meanwhile I'm going to do the best I can to try to manage the chemotherapy side effects.

    This is only my opinion. I'm certainly not up-to-date on all the facts and all the data.

    I think

    eating right never hurt anyone BUT I don't think it's going to cure cancer or keep it from you.  I think eating foods good for your body helps it work better.  It keeps you a well oiled machine.  I hope things go well with you.  I'm sorry you had to come to the forum.  This is a great place for questions.  Chemotherapy is so different for so many.  My biggest side effect has been fatigue followed by my tongue seems to be on fire if I have food with any kind of pepper on it!  I was a chili eater (I'm 100% native-american) so spicy spicy spice but not anymore!  Hope they can manage your side effects better.

     

    Yolanda