Newly diagnosed family member looking for support

tiff0379

My 51 year old mother-in-law after having a colonoscopy was told that she had a large tumor in her colon. A CAT scan also showed that it spread to her liver and lymph nodes. The tumor was removed this week. Surgery showed several mets on both sides of her liver. The initial oncologist she saw told her she has 2-3 years to live even with chemo. But, the surgeon said that if she responds well to the chemo they can remove the larger tumor on her liver. The surgeon also said she will continue thereputic chemotherapy. She is going to see a different oncologist in a few weeks. Could anyone provide some information about what to expect or what their experiences were, for those that have colon cancer that has spread to the liver/lymph nodes? After reading some of the discussions I am more hopeful. Thanks to those for sharing their stories, it gives new comers like my mother-in-law much needed hope.

bsrules

Hello!! Welcome!!!! My husband was diagnosised in Sept. 2003. The Doctor's gave him 6 months. He too had large tumor in his colon and his liver is over 60% involved. Well we have made it to 7 months and he is doing chemo and after 8 treatments it started working!! Things are finally starting to look up. You are right to get as many opinions as possible. It is alot to take in but knowledge is power!!! The people here have helped me alot with just reading everything that I can. Remember that you are not a lone!! The people here are GREAT!! It took me a long time to finally find a group like this!! I am so glad that I did!! Good Luck to you and you family!! Let us know how things are going! Sue

SassyinMN

Welcome! My story started with my yearly physical with a new M.D. She did a rectal exam which led to a colonoscopy a week later which showed a tumor. I had no "typical" symptoms and because I also have MS what I was experiencing I passed off as symptoms of the MS. I'll never second guess what my body is telling me again! A week later I had surgery and even though it was a clean removal, there were 3 lymphs nodes removed that were very close to the area where the tumor that tested positive for cancer cells. Chemo was suggested to which I said yes as there is a history of cancer in my family. The chemo has become what I like to call "my necessary evil"!! For me it's more of a precautionary measure, but one that I see as being a necessity since there is so much cancer in my family. My maternal grandfather died of colon cancer and even though I would tell doctors about it, they would always say that he was far enough removed from me that it wasn't something to worry about. WRONG!!! If there's cancer in any family member, it's something to follow up on. One of the things that I have found helpful is to have a support system in place in your community. I have a couple of dear friends that I know I can go to when the going gets too tough to handle alone. My family is always busy and sometimes it makes me feel like they are trying to avoid the issue. I know that they have to come to terms within themselves before they will feel comfortable talking to me about how they feel. I think she is on the right track by getting a second opinion. One should never settle on the first diagnosis if it doesn't feel right. Go by your gut instinct and never let anyone tell you that it's wrong to question a doctor. They're just as fallible as we are. Sometimes advice can feel redundent, but always remember that advice is just that. You can take it or leave it. I hope that your mother-in-law has much good luck with the journey she has found herself on. Don't ever hesitate to chat when you feel low. We may all have varying degrees of stage and grades, but we've all had our lives turned upside down and inside out. You will be in my prayers. Good luck!