Recovery without treatment?

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faith05
faith05 Member Posts: 2
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
My mother of 74 yrs old has had colon cancer for two years. It is now at stage four. She has been on 5FU, Avastin,Campasar,& Erbitux. She has not tolerated these treatments well. With the last treatment Erbitux she ended up in hospital for a week with severe diarrhea & nausea. During her stay a cat scan & chest xray were done. The doctors didn't really want to dicuss it too much except saying there were still legions in liver & lungs. She's home now gaining her strenghth back. During the past two years her blood work has always come back normal. Why wouldn't something show up in the blood work if the cancer has spread? She has a strong faith & a possitive attitude but I know she's now discouraged. Is there hope of survival after discontinuing treatment?

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  • HisJoy
    HisJoy Member Posts: 113
    #2
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    RE: Bloodwork - the colon cancer marker, CEA, may or may not show up if one has a recurrence or spread of the cancer. It is not a definitive test in and of itself. The only way they can check to see if there is a recurrence or spread of the disease is by CT scan (shows organs) or PET scan (shows cellular activity), or a biopsy of the site (invasive procedure).

    There are SEVERAL in here who are treating their colon cancer by diet or alternative methods and maybe you'll want to look into that, since she is not handling the chemo well.

    Best wishes,
    Bonny
  • spongebob
    spongebob Member Posts: 2,565 Member
    #3
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    Ahoy, Faith - I agree with Bonny. My CEA level was normal when I had active cancer.

    Scouty was stage 4 and quit chemo and statred an alternative method regime and now she's NED... it can happen. I'm sure she'd be happy to advise.

    Cheers

    - SpongeBob
  • scouty
    scouty Member Posts: 1,965 Member
    #4
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    I did chemo for 8 months and just couldn't do it anymore so I found a local naturopathic doctor (she has a PhD in Clinical Nutrition and success with helping others beat cancer). I followed her advice. I juice, eat only natural and organic foods, and take several supplements.

    Let me know if you want any more info. I have a write-up but it is intimidating. I recommend finding a local doctor to help you (not a dietician or a nutritionist).

    Lisa P.
  • nanuk
    nanuk Member Posts: 1,358 Member
    #5
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    Faith: Don't let the doctors off that easy; it's thier job to talk to you or your mom, and to answer any and all your questions.
    It's no suprise that these treatments make us sick; 5fu was derived from mustard gas, and leucorvin-(sp) was used to worm sheep! If there are lesions in her liver and lungs, she needs to know what can or cannot be done..how else can she make a decision? It will get better in the end, and if it's not better, it's not the end..don't give up. Bud
  • 2bhealed
    2bhealed Member Posts: 2,064 Member
    #6
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    nanuk said:

    Faith: Don't let the doctors off that easy; it's thier job to talk to you or your mom, and to answer any and all your questions.
    It's no suprise that these treatments make us sick; 5fu was derived from mustard gas, and leucorvin-(sp) was used to worm sheep! If there are lesions in her liver and lungs, she needs to know what can or cannot be done..how else can she make a decision? It will get better in the end, and if it's not better, it's not the end..don't give up. Bud

    ps.

    levamisole is the sheep wormer.

    leucovorin is called a "rescue factor" and actually is a folinic acid (Vit B). It is used to "prevent the patient from dying, summoning them back from what is euphemistically called the "vital frontier"". pg 178 from Questioning Chemotherapy by Dr. Ralph Moss.

    Just wanted to clarify that and avoid any confusion.

    (hi bud!)

    peace, emily who never did any chemo and is still alive and kicking!! (stage 3)

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