New here with questions

Hi Rachel and my name is Monika. My husband Bert, age 51, was diagnosed stage III colon cancer July 2003. It was in the right colon, at the ileocecal value (where the small intestine connects to the large intestine). 4 out of 7 lymph nodes were positive, which places him at high risk for recurrence. More nodes should have actually been taken as there is great risk it could have been in more.

Be that as it may, Bert is still on a regime of 5fu at 1000 mg combined with leucavorin, initially at 1000 mg, but reduced to 250 mg because of sever colon infection and partial small intestine blockage half way through treatment.

My advice to you is research, explore, ask questions, get second and third opinions, and encourage your mom to help so that she and you can be your dad's strongest advocates. It won't be easy and the answers won't always come overnight (God knows I feel more often frustrated than not), but knowledge is power. I would also suggest that you have your dad looked at at a major cancer center. I'm not familiar with Iowa, but I'm sure there must be some good ones there as well. I have found that in taking Bert to USC/Norris Cancer Center instead of just going along (which for the most part we had been doing while waiting for my insurance to pick Bert up) with what his HMO covered and deemed as protocol, the doctors at major or university cancer centers tend to be more aggressive in their treatment of patients, more up to date on the latest developments, which they don't mind trying, and are actively involved in ongoing research or cutting edge,if you will, where they see first hand the advantages/disadvantages of some treatments versus others. There are a number of different combinations of chemo out there...Camptosar or CPT-II being one of them. There are also a number of alternatives (I'm sure you'll be hearing from Emily on this Board regarding this is....she's great). I have heard that Oxaliplatin works just as well but is less toxic. This is what the University Center is planning to put Bert on for the last two months of his treatment....something giving him a small added edge to prevent recurrence and which according to them he should have gotten from the get go, something that the HMO and his current onc weren't going to touch because stage III treatment protocol is mostly 5fu/leucavorin.

Lastly, I would like to pass along to you that don't ever, ever give up. Support your dad and let your him know that you are with him all the way in this. Rally your mom and as hard as it is not the be anxious all the time, please try your darndest not to be. It will make you crazy, worthless as far as a support system is concerned, and destroy all the good moments. And sadly, that feeling is also conveyed to patients who pick up on our emotions real quickly. Believe with all your heart that your dad will get well and he will pick up on that too and begin to think along those lines and it can make all the difference in the world. I lost my father 12 years ago and never got an opportunity to fight with him. I guess I'm making up for lost time...I'm fighting two fronts...mom has lung cancer, husband has colon caner. I can tell you first hand that the road ahead is bumpy, rough, and full of pot holes but there will be many good days, weeks, months when life can be pretty darn good and normal.

Pray hard (God will hear you), keep posting on this board (we will hear you too):-), wear a smile on your face as many times as you possibly can, get the best treatment you possibly can for you dad, and leave the rest in God's hands.

Fondly,
Monika