Staying up after surgery

mmeany

Hi All,
I hope the day finds you well. I am a 42 year old newbie here. In April (on my birthday) I had a sigmoidoscopy which led to a colonoscopy a couple weeks later which lead to a diagnosis of rectal cancer. Quite a blow. I went through five weeks of radiation therapy concurrent to three weeks of 5fu. Could not complete a full five weeks of 5fu due to arterial spasms so three weeks was all I could get. I went through 6 weeks of healing and felt great presurgery. I had the surgery on July 27th which left me "cancer free" with 10 positive nodes, a 3B stage, and an ileostomy. Due to the nodes, I have to go through another six months of chemo but with the spasms, we can't use the 5fu. We are going to try Irinotecan and Erbitux starting in two weeks. The ileostomy was supposed to be reversed six weeks postop but the chemo can not be interrupted so it looks like I will have it for another six months. I am getting used to it but it is a little tough. Dressing for work is going to be interesting as I am a shirt and tie guy. Loose pants and suspenders look like the way to go.
Well, now you know my story. Seems similar to some I have read here. It is good to see so many of you with such positive attitudes. I was doing great after the diagnosis until I was told of the positive nodes and it is a little tough pulling myself back up again. I guess the key is to read some of these posts when I'm down. Some are truely an inspiration when I see they are dealing with far more difficult issues than I am but keeping a positive attitude. Best wishes everyone.
M

jana11

Welcome, sorry you are here. I am stage 4, after being stage 3 for a while. I am 34 yrs old. And doing pretty good. I am currently cancer free and on chemo after removing a met from the lung.

I am on xeloda and oxaliplatin - and tolerating it very well.. so sad for your chemo problems. YUCK.

I have a permanent ostomy after low rectal cancer - and it sucks, but doesn't bother me. And my friends told me they can't even tell it's there. Diarrhea with chemo can be a problem though.

Be strong and know that people beat the beast. Do everything in your power to have a positive outlook. I LOVE yoga. It helped with post op pain. Take it all one step at a time. Time is the best healer out there.

Good luck with the new chemo mix - hope the side effects are minimal.

Post with any question/problems. Therer is always someone here. jana

kangatoo

jana11 said:

Welcome, sorry you are here. I am stage 4, after being stage 3 for a while. I am 34 yrs old. And doing pretty good. I am currently cancer free and on chemo after removing a met from the lung.

I am on xeloda and oxaliplatin - and tolerating it very well.. so sad for your chemo problems. YUCK.

I have a permanent ostomy after low rectal cancer - and it sucks, but doesn't bother me. And my friends told me they can't even tell it's there. Diarrhea with chemo can be a problem though.

Be strong and know that people beat the beast. Do everything in your power to have a positive outlook. I LOVE yoga. It helped with post op pain. Take it all one step at a time. Time is the best healer out there.

Good luck with the new chemo mix - hope the side effects are minimal.

Post with any question/problems. Therer is always someone here. jana

Hiya M--welcome to the "semi-colon" club--although we would all much prefer that we could have met under better circumstances.As Jana said --come often and be aware that there will always be someone here to help yah out.Hey, if you just wanna come n vent or shout out loud--do so--the support from these guys here is nothing short of fantastic!Our very best to you from "down under".----kanga n Jen

mmeany

jana11 said:

Welcome, sorry you are here. I am stage 4, after being stage 3 for a while. I am 34 yrs old. And doing pretty good. I am currently cancer free and on chemo after removing a met from the lung.

I am on xeloda and oxaliplatin - and tolerating it very well.. so sad for your chemo problems. YUCK.

I have a permanent ostomy after low rectal cancer - and it sucks, but doesn't bother me. And my friends told me they can't even tell it's there. Diarrhea with chemo can be a problem though.

Be strong and know that people beat the beast. Do everything in your power to have a positive outlook. I LOVE yoga. It helped with post op pain. Take it all one step at a time. Time is the best healer out there.

Good luck with the new chemo mix - hope the side effects are minimal.

Post with any question/problems. Therer is always someone here. jana

Thanks Jana, let's both work on beating this beast. I agree with the sucks part of the ostomy but I'll get over it. It is a new change that I don't care for and hence I feel mad at it. Truth is, though, if I was using my own post operative plumbing, I think I would be in much tougher shape than I am in.
My Mom suggested yoga last week and I poo poo'd it, after reading your response, maybe I should take a closer look.
Thanks again for your feedback and be well.
Matt

mmeany

kangatoo said:

Hiya M--welcome to the "semi-colon" club--although we would all much prefer that we could have met under better circumstances.As Jana said --come often and be aware that there will always be someone here to help yah out.Hey, if you just wanna come n vent or shout out loud--do so--the support from these guys here is nothing short of fantastic!Our very best to you from "down under".----kanga n Jen

Hiya Kangatoo.
Catchy club name! I laughed hard when I saw it yesterday. Thanks for the support and I hope your swimteam does well in the Olympics.

Moesimo

Hi, I hope you are felling better and able to tolerate the chemo. It is tough stuff. You will get through this. I can't believe that it has been 14 mos. since my surgery. Stage 3 rectal CA with 2 positive nodes. I take things one day at a time. When I was sick, I sometimes took it one hour at a time. Good luck and keep us posted.
Maureen

spongebob

Ahoy, M -

You've come to the right place to get info and positive affirmation. Notall of us have appliances, but many of us do - or had them and then got reversed. Lots of knowledge and good positive energy here. Welcome to the club!

- SpongeBob

nanuk

Hi Matt: I have a colostomy, and threw out all my shirts with tails and ties. Tried the suspender
route, which works if I absolutely have to wear a shirt & tie, but find elastic banded pants with
a non-tuck shirt the most comfortable. the pants are hard to find, but I sometimes find them
at Burlington Coat Store or in the catalogs-(Sears, Penny's etc.) Only problem is air accumulation
in the bag-most of the filter systems don't work too well. I tried them all and went back to the
non-filter type, and just burp it when necessary. If you haven't tried them, you will find many tips
and stories on UOA and IOA websites. Shaz's site in AU is also a good one-you will see her
posts on UOA/IOA for her chats. Bud

Unknown

Hi and don't be bummed about the positive nodes. There are many here that are stage iv and doing very well and lots and lots of stage III's that are permanently cured. You have a lot of living to do and a lot to look forward too. My husband was diagnosed stage III last July (2003)...not rectal cancer but right colon cancer so no additional equipment for him. But he had four positive nodes...possibly more because they only took 8 (I was told afterwards when we switched oncologists that normally they like to see no less than 20 nodes removed) but anyway, he is here today and doing fine...NED and me praying to GOD ALL MIGHTY very, very hard that he stays that way.

Keep us posted, keep your chin up, opt for loose clothes and go live life!!!!

Hugs,
Monika & Bert