Hi from the UK! 32 Year Old Liver and Lung Mets

2

Comments

  • lisa42
    lisa42 Member Posts: 3,625 Member
    Hi again,

    Remember that those statistics are outdated! In order to be a "5 year statistic", one had to have been diagnosed and treated at least 5 years ago, which was before they had some of the current treatments! Current treatments are getting much better, but what we have currently won't be listed in the statistics for another 5 years, and it will probably be outdated by that time too!

    You asked about my tumors and if they were "scattered"... Yes, they certainly were. I had liver tumors scattered throughout my liver and my lung tumors were also scattered throughout both lungs. Definitely not good. But I still became a surgical candidate after responding so well to the Folfox and Avastin chemo regimen (Avastin is actually not a chemo- it works on shriveling up the bloodsupply to the tumors)Like I said before, 12 liver tumors were visible in my liver and after chemo I was down to three visible tumors in the liver. A year and a half later, I am still fighting it in my lungs again, but my doctors said nothing is life threatening to me now, as long as things in me stay either gone (of course that's the hope!) or even just small enough to not be of threat.

    I pray I will become NED (no evidence of disease) at some point soon, but as long as I'm being watched carefully and treated on and off, I'm here and doing well.
    Well, get that chest pain checked out and take care of yourself! I will be thinking of and praying for you.
    Blessings,
    Lisa
  • concernedgal
    concernedgal Member Posts: 33
    lisa42 said:

    Hi again,

    Remember that those statistics are outdated! In order to be a "5 year statistic", one had to have been diagnosed and treated at least 5 years ago, which was before they had some of the current treatments! Current treatments are getting much better, but what we have currently won't be listed in the statistics for another 5 years, and it will probably be outdated by that time too!

    You asked about my tumors and if they were "scattered"... Yes, they certainly were. I had liver tumors scattered throughout my liver and my lung tumors were also scattered throughout both lungs. Definitely not good. But I still became a surgical candidate after responding so well to the Folfox and Avastin chemo regimen (Avastin is actually not a chemo- it works on shriveling up the bloodsupply to the tumors)Like I said before, 12 liver tumors were visible in my liver and after chemo I was down to three visible tumors in the liver. A year and a half later, I am still fighting it in my lungs again, but my doctors said nothing is life threatening to me now, as long as things in me stay either gone (of course that's the hope!) or even just small enough to not be of threat.

    I pray I will become NED (no evidence of disease) at some point soon, but as long as I'm being watched carefully and treated on and off, I'm here and doing well.
    Well, get that chest pain checked out and take care of yourself! I will be thinking of and praying for you.
    Blessings,
    Lisa

    Thanks for the reassurance about the 5 year survivial rate. Seems to be everywhere I read.

    Been having a look at that website you recommended, its a good read and very informative. Will find out today if my brother is suitable for Erbitux and with the bad news we've been having im not getting my hopes up.

    No-one actually asked the oncologist of the size, how many etc tumors are on his liver or lungs as I think they are afraid to hear the answer. All I know is they are scattered and extensive.

    His oncologist mentioned Avastin at the start of their consultation but ran a list of horrible side effects and that they wont try it for now. I was wondering if the side effects i.e. blood clots, strokes are more common in older people?

    Take care x
  • snommintj said:

    A little help
    Hello,
    My name is John, I'm 35, both of my grandfathers immigrated from Scotland. I was diagnosed stage 4 CRC w/mets to liver, gall bladder, plus others. My son was 18 months old when I was diagnosed march 14th 2008. My original diagnosis was bleak, just 2-3 months. I felt it was an odd diagnosis since I was symptom free and had only gone to the doctor for an ulcer. Unfortunately the ulcer was being caused by a very large tumor in the upper right sigmoid colon. More on this later. I think I can help your brother a bit.

    1. I had almost unbearable pain from an ulcer caused by my tumor. The pain seemed to come from everywhere and nothing helped with the pain. The doctors couldn't pinpoint where the pain was coming from because I couldn't. I went to my sisters house for dinner and got wicked heartburn, they didn't have anything but her husbands aciphex, I took one, it eased both my heartburn and my other constant pain. I asked my doctor for a small prescription and within two weeks my pain was gone, ulcer was healed, I stopped the aciphex. Avastin sometimes causes perforation in your abdominal wall, maybe an acid inhibitor will help.

    2. If your not juicing, START!. Everyone I've shared this with has improved their situation, sometimes dramatically. Twice daily.
    a piece of fresh ginger about the size of your thumb, and according to size 2-3 lemons, 1-2 apples, 2 carrots, 1 beet. This usually make about 20 oz of juice. You will see dramatic results on his next round of blood tests. All of his counts will improve. Don't leave anything out especially not the lemons, the lemons and the ginger are the most important, the other fruits are mostly for flavor.

    3. If you brother is having a hard time going, use Colace. It's basically just a gel packed mineral oil. I was taking 3 tablets, 3 times daily. These along with the juice will speed things up and relieve internal pressure that will help with pain.

    4. Don't worry about your doctors bedside manner. Just worry about whether he is giving you the best chance possible. Your brother needs to know he is in the fight of his life. He doesn't need everyone telling him he's gonna be fine and everything is alright. I can't tell you how many people who have no idea what we're going through off handedly comment how wonderful everything is gonna be. The truth is, if we don't step up we're toast.
    5. I didn't qualify for any surgery at first. The doctors said I needed a miraculous response to chemo in order for a surgeon to look at my liver. I had my 1st liver resection july 1st 2008. The cancer recurred and I had a 2nd resection jan13. So just because he can't have surgery now doesn't mean he can't have it later. Find a good surgeon, and interventional radiologist. Perhaps he can get some RFA. I had 2 tumors ablated that weren't removable.
    I'm currently in my bed with a J-P drain hanging from my liver. I developed an infection after my last surgery, it hasn't let up. Hopefully things will be cleared up by my anniversary. Because, when the infection is gone my doctors say there isn't any evidence of cancer anywhere, which from where I started a year ago is almost unheard of. Tell your brother good luck. There is hope. He's gonna have the go through hell but it can be done.

    Just a reminder
    This is a great discussion, everyone. Open sharing of your cancer experience is welcomed--both what worked and what didn't work for you. However, please remember that dispensing medical advice to others is not permitted. We respectfully ask that you refrain from this in the future.
  • snommintj
    snommintj Member Posts: 601

    Thanks for the reassurance about the 5 year survivial rate. Seems to be everywhere I read.

    Been having a look at that website you recommended, its a good read and very informative. Will find out today if my brother is suitable for Erbitux and with the bad news we've been having im not getting my hopes up.

    No-one actually asked the oncologist of the size, how many etc tumors are on his liver or lungs as I think they are afraid to hear the answer. All I know is they are scattered and extensive.

    His oncologist mentioned Avastin at the start of their consultation but ran a list of horrible side effects and that they wont try it for now. I was wondering if the side effects i.e. blood clots, strokes are more common in older people?

    Take care x

    Avastin and Erbitux/panitumumab
    Small retort to cheryl on DCA first. There have been human trials on DCA conducted by university of Alberta, paid for by private citizens to the tune of over 1 million dollars, I was a donor. The trials concluded Dec 08. Results should be available soon. I only mentioned as an alternative/addition to conventional treatment. Plus, I personally know people who have benefitted from taking it. As far as the money aspect what a croc. If it's available you can get a months supply for $150. US. As opposed to $14,000.00 every 2 weeks for chemo. Who's making money?

    Anyway, if your oncologist is avoiding avastin, find a new oncologist. Avastin is considered first line treatment in the US. The terrible side effects are more common in older less mobile patients. If your brother is mobile and healthy he needs to be on avastin. I am in contact with dozens of CRC patients around my age and I only know 1 person that has had any type of reaction requiring them to stop taking it, and she had abdominal perforations from it.

    Erbitux- This is the second line treatment in the US. Only used when you don't respond to the first line of treatment. Erbitux is not a fully humanized antibody, you should see if panitumumab is available, it is the 2nd generation of erbitux that is fully humanized, studies seem to indicate it is better tolerated and more effective than erbitux. I only know a handful of people who have had Erbitux or panitumumab. Each developed a pretty nasty rash, fortunately they say the worse the rash the better it's working.

    Trovax? I've been watching this for many years, It's not available in the US, but I think it is available in Spain. It's an actual vaccine that
    helps the body fight cancer. It's a new line of treatment called immunotherapy. See if it's available or maybe see about taking a trip to spain. Studies seem promising even though they stopped they're most recent clinical trial in end disease renal cancer. I think their is a clinical trial coming up involving Stage 4 CRC patients. Maybe starting in June or so.
  • joanneire
    joanneire Member Posts: 75 Member
    snommintj said:

    Avastin and Erbitux/panitumumab
    Small retort to cheryl on DCA first. There have been human trials on DCA conducted by university of Alberta, paid for by private citizens to the tune of over 1 million dollars, I was a donor. The trials concluded Dec 08. Results should be available soon. I only mentioned as an alternative/addition to conventional treatment. Plus, I personally know people who have benefitted from taking it. As far as the money aspect what a croc. If it's available you can get a months supply for $150. US. As opposed to $14,000.00 every 2 weeks for chemo. Who's making money?

    Anyway, if your oncologist is avoiding avastin, find a new oncologist. Avastin is considered first line treatment in the US. The terrible side effects are more common in older less mobile patients. If your brother is mobile and healthy he needs to be on avastin. I am in contact with dozens of CRC patients around my age and I only know 1 person that has had any type of reaction requiring them to stop taking it, and she had abdominal perforations from it.

    Erbitux- This is the second line treatment in the US. Only used when you don't respond to the first line of treatment. Erbitux is not a fully humanized antibody, you should see if panitumumab is available, it is the 2nd generation of erbitux that is fully humanized, studies seem to indicate it is better tolerated and more effective than erbitux. I only know a handful of people who have had Erbitux or panitumumab. Each developed a pretty nasty rash, fortunately they say the worse the rash the better it's working.

    Trovax? I've been watching this for many years, It's not available in the US, but I think it is available in Spain. It's an actual vaccine that
    helps the body fight cancer. It's a new line of treatment called immunotherapy. See if it's available or maybe see about taking a trip to spain. Studies seem promising even though they stopped they're most recent clinical trial in end disease renal cancer. I think their is a clinical trial coming up involving Stage 4 CRC patients. Maybe starting in June or so.

    Dublin!
    Hi Romana

    I'm from Dublin and my husband has stage four colon cancer. We have a 5 month old son (who arrived as a big surprise considering all the chemo/mediacation my husband has taken!). We are both 29 and my husband was diagnosed in Oct/Nov 2004. Please feel free to send me a message if there's anything you'd like to discuss.
  • concernedgal
    concernedgal Member Posts: 33
    joanneire said:

    Dublin!
    Hi Romana

    I'm from Dublin and my husband has stage four colon cancer. We have a 5 month old son (who arrived as a big surprise considering all the chemo/mediacation my husband has taken!). We are both 29 and my husband was diagnosed in Oct/Nov 2004. Please feel free to send me a message if there's anything you'd like to discuss.

    Update
    Hi guys thanks for all the replies and info, really helpful.

    Joanneire - So sorry to hear about your husband,I will msg you.

    Well my brother met his oncologist on Thursday to see if hes able to get erbitux but the results hadnt came back. He said the Dr was the best hes been and a bit more positive saying hes pleased to hear his side effects werent as bad as most and thats good but needs to concentrate on gaining weight as hes very skinny.

    Can I ask if anyone had any problems when eating? My brother is really slow at eating and gets the hiccups a lot. He didnt mention it to his oncologist but my mum keeps commenting on it and is worried.

    Thanks x
  • snommintj
    snommintj Member Posts: 601

    Update
    Hi guys thanks for all the replies and info, really helpful.

    Joanneire - So sorry to hear about your husband,I will msg you.

    Well my brother met his oncologist on Thursday to see if hes able to get erbitux but the results hadnt came back. He said the Dr was the best hes been and a bit more positive saying hes pleased to hear his side effects werent as bad as most and thats good but needs to concentrate on gaining weight as hes very skinny.

    Can I ask if anyone had any problems when eating? My brother is really slow at eating and gets the hiccups a lot. He didnt mention it to his oncologist but my mum keeps commenting on it and is worried.

    Thanks x

    weight gain
    I don't know anything about the hiccups, but I gained 40 lbs intentionally before my last sugery, I needed it too, since this infection I've lost all of it but am now keeping my weight up. I just did the opposite of what dieters do. I ate more calories than I needed every day, I did most of this in the form of juices and protein shakes. I ate about 400 calories before I went to bed at night. Usually some form of complex carbohydrate so that it could digest slowly overnight, most common forms are sweet potato, oatmeal, brown rice. If he still has a blockage, liquid fiber, colace, and juicing might help with the added caloric intake.
  • concernedgal
    concernedgal Member Posts: 33
    Update
    Hi everyone thought I would give an update on my brother.

    He has his 2nd cycle on Thursday but was vomiting from the oxaplatin when he got home and couldn't eat.

    He then had severe stomach pain and was taken into hospital on Saturday. Hes still being kept in. They did an x-ray and CT scan and thankfully they couldnt find anything so they think its severe constipation again as he hadn't been to the bathroom since Monday.

    Hes on a morphine drip and getting fluids on a drip as he hasnt ate since Wednesday!

    Hes really tired from lack of sleep and drowsy from the morphine. We are all worried about him. Also found out he is suitable for Erbitux but we're glad he didn't get it on Thursday or we would be thinking it was that which caused the sickness
  • lisa42
    lisa42 Member Posts: 3,625 Member
    hiccups
    I forgot about hiccups! I don't get them now w/ the chemo I'm on, but I definitely did when I was on the Folfox. The only thing I had then that I don't now was the Oxaliplatin, so maybe that's what caused it. Funny thing- like clockwork, every time I'd bite into a hamburger or any bread, I'd instantly start hiccuping! It was annoying, but it will be temporary. I mentioned it to my Dr. & he acted like he hadn't heard of that & said it probably wasn't related, but I know better, especially after you saying your brother gets them.
  • dixchi
    dixchi Member Posts: 431
    lisa42 said:

    hiccups
    I forgot about hiccups! I don't get them now w/ the chemo I'm on, but I definitely did when I was on the Folfox. The only thing I had then that I don't now was the Oxaliplatin, so maybe that's what caused it. Funny thing- like clockwork, every time I'd bite into a hamburger or any bread, I'd instantly start hiccuping! It was annoying, but it will be temporary. I mentioned it to my Dr. & he acted like he hadn't heard of that & said it probably wasn't related, but I know better, especially after you saying your brother gets them.

    Sun Behind the Clouds
    Even though your brother had a bad bout of it, thank goodness they did not
    find anything new wrong. Constipation can really be bad on oxiliplatin and
    from pain meds. The chemo makes it worse because you don't feel like
    drinking lots of fluids with the side effects from the oxy and that is part
    of what keeps you from getting constipated is lots of fluids. Hoping the
    docs are able to prescribe a good diet and medication so that won't happen
    again. Exercise like walking also keeps away constipation but when you
    are on chemo, sometimes you don't have enough energy.

    Barbara
  • angelsbaby
    angelsbaby Member Posts: 1,165 Member

    Update
    Hi guys thanks for all the replies and info, really helpful.

    Joanneire - So sorry to hear about your husband,I will msg you.

    Well my brother met his oncologist on Thursday to see if hes able to get erbitux but the results hadnt came back. He said the Dr was the best hes been and a bit more positive saying hes pleased to hear his side effects werent as bad as most and thats good but needs to concentrate on gaining weight as hes very skinny.

    Can I ask if anyone had any problems when eating? My brother is really slow at eating and gets the hiccups a lot. He didnt mention it to his oncologist but my mum keeps commenting on it and is worried.

    Thanks x

    hiccups
    My husband got them alot and they would last up to 3 hours sometimes. They gave him some meds to take i don't know the name but it didn't help talk to the doctor about the hiccups. It was hard to watch him trying to sleep and he is hiccuping.

    michelle
  • concernedgal
    concernedgal Member Posts: 33
    dixchi said:

    Sun Behind the Clouds
    Even though your brother had a bad bout of it, thank goodness they did not
    find anything new wrong. Constipation can really be bad on oxiliplatin and
    from pain meds. The chemo makes it worse because you don't feel like
    drinking lots of fluids with the side effects from the oxy and that is part
    of what keeps you from getting constipated is lots of fluids. Hoping the
    docs are able to prescribe a good diet and medication so that won't happen
    again. Exercise like walking also keeps away constipation but when you
    are on chemo, sometimes you don't have enough energy.

    Barbara

    Thanks
    Hi

    Thanks for the comments. I know we are so glad nothing showed up in the scans as my brother was sure something wasn't right and from his previous scans he has had nothing but bad news.

    His oncologist will meet him tonight to discuss what the next step is to try and get him to eat. The constipation seems to be at the top of his stomach so an enema isnt possible and the drink sachets seem to be taking a while to work.

    They may have to change his painkillers again as thats what seems to make the constipation worse. I haven't even seen him for 3 weeks as I was away and when I returned had a bad cold and he didnt want to catch it. Ive been warned I might get a fright when I see him as hes lost more weight
  • Buzzard
    Buzzard Member Posts: 3,043 Member

    Thanks
    Hi

    Thanks for the comments. I know we are so glad nothing showed up in the scans as my brother was sure something wasn't right and from his previous scans he has had nothing but bad news.

    His oncologist will meet him tonight to discuss what the next step is to try and get him to eat. The constipation seems to be at the top of his stomach so an enema isnt possible and the drink sachets seem to be taking a while to work.

    They may have to change his painkillers again as thats what seems to make the constipation worse. I haven't even seen him for 3 weeks as I was away and when I returned had a bad cold and he didnt want to catch it. Ive been warned I might get a fright when I see him as hes lost more weight

    food for thought
    Try to see if he will eat some chili...It is very good to someone that has nausea... I think that the spices overwhelm the nausea feeling and it is very palatible during oxaliplatin. it will also serve to get his bowels going quickly too... That is the very first thing I could eat after 4 days of constipation and 6 days of nausea. Cottage cheese and peaches at room temp was also edible for me....Good Luck and God Bless you
  • marmite
    marmite Member Posts: 5
    31 year old stage iv cancer sufferer in London
    Hi,
    I'm not sure if this topic is still active but I've just stumbled across it and would really like to chat to people.

    I'm very sorry to hear about your brother. I am/was in a very similar position and I live in London. I'm treated at Charing Cross hospital in London which is excellent and may be worth contacting if you need help?

    I was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer eighteen months ago when I was 31, after months of feeling unwell and being told by the Doctors it was just IBS. I don't know what my actual odds were, but I found out later my parents were told it was probably terminal and I know it was considered inoperable. Anyway, that was then.

    I had three months of chemo - Oxaplatin, 5FU and cetuximab, which far exceeded their expectations in its success, and then I had bowel surgery and liver resection, also removing part of my ovary, 16 lymph nodes and some of my diaphram. I had three months of remission and then unfortunately the growths started in my lung again and I had another three months of chemo.

    Everything you've all said sounds very familiar. I didn't want to eat, I lost about two stone in weight, I was in a lot of pain, dosed up on morphine and my whole life went into limbo. But I had fantastic family and friend and a loving fiance, who told me every day that we would get through this. Most days I believe I will. I'm planning my wedding and that's fabulous. Sometimes I wobble - a lot. And I'm scared right now as my markers have started to fluctuate again. I do think the research and treatments have progressed fantastically over the past few years and we shouldn't lose sight of that. But it's so scary.

    Your success stories are so encouraging - thank you for sharing them. I hope I can stay as brave as you all.
    x
  • CherylHutch
    CherylHutch Member Posts: 1,375
    marmite said:

    31 year old stage iv cancer sufferer in London
    Hi,
    I'm not sure if this topic is still active but I've just stumbled across it and would really like to chat to people.

    I'm very sorry to hear about your brother. I am/was in a very similar position and I live in London. I'm treated at Charing Cross hospital in London which is excellent and may be worth contacting if you need help?

    I was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer eighteen months ago when I was 31, after months of feeling unwell and being told by the Doctors it was just IBS. I don't know what my actual odds were, but I found out later my parents were told it was probably terminal and I know it was considered inoperable. Anyway, that was then.

    I had three months of chemo - Oxaplatin, 5FU and cetuximab, which far exceeded their expectations in its success, and then I had bowel surgery and liver resection, also removing part of my ovary, 16 lymph nodes and some of my diaphram. I had three months of remission and then unfortunately the growths started in my lung again and I had another three months of chemo.

    Everything you've all said sounds very familiar. I didn't want to eat, I lost about two stone in weight, I was in a lot of pain, dosed up on morphine and my whole life went into limbo. But I had fantastic family and friend and a loving fiance, who told me every day that we would get through this. Most days I believe I will. I'm planning my wedding and that's fabulous. Sometimes I wobble - a lot. And I'm scared right now as my markers have started to fluctuate again. I do think the research and treatments have progressed fantastically over the past few years and we shouldn't lose sight of that. But it's so scary.

    Your success stories are so encouraging - thank you for sharing them. I hope I can stay as brave as you all.
    x

    Welcome to here, Marmite!!
    You can and you will... and we all will be celebrating your upcoming wedding!! That is wonderful news... look how far you've come in this past 18 months!! Through surgeries, treatments, feeling like kaka, having no appetite, losing weight, eating again... and now you are planning your wedding... you are every bit as strong and brave as anyone else here on these boards!

    Oh, the old fluctuating of the CEA markers... that can really drive the strongest of people into a tizzy. Likewise, when you have any of the scans done and you are waiting for the results... if it is like it is over here, sometimes you'll get the scan done one day and then you have to wait until your doctor gets the results. Again, depending on where you live, sometimes those results can be within a couple of hours, other times they are sent to your oncologist and you can't get them until you talk with the onc. Your mileage may vary.

    Do pull up a stump and join the rest of us... make yourself at home!! :)

    Hugggggs,

    Cheryl
  • marmite
    marmite Member Posts: 5

    Welcome to here, Marmite!!
    You can and you will... and we all will be celebrating your upcoming wedding!! That is wonderful news... look how far you've come in this past 18 months!! Through surgeries, treatments, feeling like kaka, having no appetite, losing weight, eating again... and now you are planning your wedding... you are every bit as strong and brave as anyone else here on these boards!

    Oh, the old fluctuating of the CEA markers... that can really drive the strongest of people into a tizzy. Likewise, when you have any of the scans done and you are waiting for the results... if it is like it is over here, sometimes you'll get the scan done one day and then you have to wait until your doctor gets the results. Again, depending on where you live, sometimes those results can be within a couple of hours, other times they are sent to your oncologist and you can't get them until you talk with the onc. Your mileage may vary.

    Do pull up a stump and join the rest of us... make yourself at home!! :)

    Hugggggs,

    Cheryl

    Thank you
    Thank you so much! This is the best site I've found.
    Yes it's great to have something to look forward to so much and it's nice to be able to categorize myself as a bride to be rather than a cancer sufferer. When you're off work and at home so much, you kind of lose your identity.

    It's pretty much the same here. I have a scan due in ten days time which is probably why I'm so jittery at the moment. The waiting is the worst thing - it's so hard to control those fears.

    Is there any pattern to the fluctuating CEA markers, that anyone knows of or is it just totally random?

    Thank you. x
  • CherylHutch
    CherylHutch Member Posts: 1,375
    marmite said:

    Thank you
    Thank you so much! This is the best site I've found.
    Yes it's great to have something to look forward to so much and it's nice to be able to categorize myself as a bride to be rather than a cancer sufferer. When you're off work and at home so much, you kind of lose your identity.

    It's pretty much the same here. I have a scan due in ten days time which is probably why I'm so jittery at the moment. The waiting is the worst thing - it's so hard to control those fears.

    Is there any pattern to the fluctuating CEA markers, that anyone knows of or is it just totally random?

    Thank you. x

    CEA Markers
    CEA markers are literally just one tool that Oncologists can use, but nothing is ever based on just one diagnostic tool. The reason being.. it is not always an accurate measurement. For some people, it is a very good indication that there is active cancer brewing somewhere in the body... with others, it doesn't mean a thing and is not a good indicator at all. To boot, CEA CAN fluctuate... if you have an infection, or even something as minute as a cold or flu could make your readings fluctuate. So, unfortunately, CEA will give all of us reason for stress if it rises or fluctuates and yet, it might not mean a thing!

    Also... everyone's normal reading can vary. Some people have CEA levels in the hundreds or even thousands (although these usually do indicate there is cancer in their system) and of course, are ecstatic if their CEA drops below 100. If I had a reading of two digits, I would be one very sick patient ;) My average is around 1.5 ... others average is below 1.0. They "say" anything below 5.0 is considered average... but one has to wonder, "who's average"?? :)

    Soooo, don't get too jittery over the one test. If it is elevated, then your onc will probably suggest doing it again in another month. If it's elevated again, then they will probably start taking some scans. The good thing is, IF they do find something, then it probably is at the very beginning stages and they can nip it in the bud with some treatment :)

    Keep us posted, Marm! :)

    Hugggggs,

    Cheryl
  • terriallen
    terriallen Member Posts: 2
    Hi! My name is Terri and I
    Hi! My name is Terri and I was diagnosed in 2006 with colon cancer... Stage 4 It had mets to my liver and my diaph. Right now I am well and living live to the fullest. I have 4 children, 22,20,19,15 and 1 grandson 2yrs old and another grandbaby on the way. I have faith that your brother will do well I hate that his doctor is such a flat bloon but you guys keep the faith. If you have time with everything going on you can reply back and ask me any questions about my treatment and I will try and answer them to the best of my ability.
  • dianetavegia
    dianetavegia Member Posts: 1,942 Member
    msccolon said:

    do prayers work?
    I know it is hard when you don't get the answer that you are hoping for, at least it doesn't SOUND like the answer you are hoping for! I know when I am dealing with a recurrence I wonder why I can't be the one who can say it's been 5 years of NED? I always do come to the realization, eventually, that I am a living miracle. The fact that I am still alive today, and that I have the love of my daughters and my family is a miracle, indeed! Sometimes the path is rough, but God gives me the strength I need when I need it and that's enough! I have been greatly blessed over the 48 years I have been on this earth, and I certainly don't deserve even 1/2 of what I have received! I am able to look back on my life and see the many angels who I have met along the way and the many wonderful experiences I have been able to enjoy! Sure, there have been some really hard times, and there will undoubtedly be more in the future, but the rainbow always comes after the storm. On Sunday I was talking with some ladies in my Sunday School class about the surgery I will be having in May. Their response was that they are amazed that I can be so happy through the things I have experienced. The obvious response to that is two-fold. First, come see me on the days when I am on chemo and feeling like crap, I'm not so happy! But, the second part of my response is even more obvious; I have 2 choices on how I can deal with this beast. I can be determined to live and ENJOY my life the best that I can, and to continue this fight as long as I can, or I can give up and whine about the lot I have been given. I've never been much of a whiner, although I do have my days! Jesus gave His life on the cross for my sins, and I owe Him nothing less in return!
    Just my thoughts.
    mary

    Well said, Mary!
    I have 2 choices on how I can deal with this beast. I can be determined to live and ENJOY my life the best that I can, and to continue this fight as long as I can, or I can give up and whine about the lot I have been given. I've never been much of a whiner, although I do have my days! Jesus gave His life on the cross for my sins, and I owe Him nothing less in return!
    Just my thoughts.


    Better said than any preacher on TV this a.m. Without HIM, all we deserve is hell.
  • dianetavegia
    dianetavegia Member Posts: 1,942 Member

    Hi! My name is Terri and I
    Hi! My name is Terri and I was diagnosed in 2006 with colon cancer... Stage 4 It had mets to my liver and my diaph. Right now I am well and living live to the fullest. I have 4 children, 22,20,19,15 and 1 grandson 2yrs old and another grandbaby on the way. I have faith that your brother will do well I hate that his doctor is such a flat bloon but you guys keep the faith. If you have time with everything going on you can reply back and ask me any questions about my treatment and I will try and answer them to the best of my ability.

    Terri! Thanks for that sucess story!
    Have you had any recurrences? Sounds like you live a very happy and full life! God Bless you!

    Diane