Mom with Stage IV Colon Cancer & Liver Mets

KFen725

Hello! My family & I are only about 5 weeks into this, so bare with me if I sound a little new to everything...

Mom had a colon resection end of June on her sigmoid colon. Was in the hospital for 7 days after. She just had the port put in yesterday. Today, she starts chemo. She will be taking FOLFOX & Avastin every 2 weeks, but this first week they are just doing FOLFOX because she is obviously healing from the port wound, and I've read that Avastin inhibits wounds from healing.

So anyway, my question is just if any of you all have any words of advice or encouragement for my family? I am trying to be as supportive as possible by helping with meals, cleaning her house, etc. Also, do you have any advice on dealing with this regime of chemo?

We are strong believers in the healing power of Jesus, so if you don't mind praying for my mom, we would really appreciate that, too! We are trusting God to do a miracle in her body and heal her completely.

Thank you so much for any & all advice.

Fight for my love

I am sorry that we have to
I am sorry that we have to meet here.But if you find this board,it's a kind of lucky.I am a caregiver for my husband,I was very overwhelming at the beginning.After I found this board,things changed,because I got lots of support and information from here,so I think right now I am coping things much better than before.If you have any questions,just ask,many people here are very knowledgeable and they can always give you good answers and suggestions.Actually I found lots of useful information online,knowledge is power,the better we know about the disease,the better we deal with it.If you would like to learn,you can go to the link:http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ESN/content/ESN_3_1X_I_Can_Cope.asp?sitearea=ESN(this is a online class for free,which I found very helpful).You can also go to http://chemocare.com/,this website provides the latest information about chemotherapy and side effects management.Anyway best luck to you and your family,and I will be praying for your mom.

Sandi1

Hi
Hi, my husband also has stage 4 colon cancer with mets to his liver and lungs. He had his colon resected too, they did not start him on the Avastin until 2 months after surgery to give his colon a chance to heal.

My husband was diagnosed in 8/08 and at this moment he is NED (no evidence of disease) which means that the chemo worked (he had the same as your mother)and all of the tumors are gone. He will however, be on maintenance chemo for the rest of his life. It will be the same as your mom is getting just at a smaller dose.

Everything you are doing is perfect. You need to be positive all the time, your mom and all of your family has to believer that she will bet better.

The one thing my husband hated, was when I would say to him, you can't do that your sick. He always liked to try - if he can't do it then he would stop. Right now, if you were to look at my husband and watch him you would not know that he has cancer and that he is on maintenance chemo.

They have come so far with cancer treatment, there is no reason to believe that your mom will not get better. Just pray and stay positive.

My husband and I have a motto, it is - Fight the good Fight, because the results are worth it!

Good Luck, come back and ask any questions that you have - someone will answer you.
Oh yeah, and don't pay attention to the statistics - they are wrong!

Sandi

lisa42

prayers will abound
Hello,

I am also a strong believer and I will definitely be praying for healing, peace of mind for everyone in the family, and for "maximum results of the chemotherapy, with minimum side effects".
Folfox and Avastin is apparently the most commonly used regimen for stage IV colon cancer. I had it, as did most others here on this board. The oxalyplatin in the Folfox is the one the can have some really punching side effects. The side effects on that include extreme oversensitivity to cold so you can't eat or drink anything cooler than room temperature for a few days after getting it. It has some others too, but the other main one is neuropathy. This can cause tingling in the hands and feet and eventually numbness. It can also cause muscle cramps which could make the hands cramp inward. About halfway through all the treatments, I started losing feeling and control of my hands and I'd start dropping things, couldn't hold a pen or pencil, and would have tingling/numb feet, which make walking uncomfortable. Not to scare you, but just make you aware of what to watch for. The good news for me was that I got all the feeling back in my hands and most in my feet. None of the other side effects from it lasted in me. From the 5FU (what comes out of the pump that she'll likely be "hooked up" to for a couple of days), side effects can include having the hands turn a brownish color, with the palms of hands and soles of feet turning a splotchy red. They may also get sore and the skin may peel there. Also watch out for sores in the mouth. Biotene mouthwash is good to have on hand ahead of time to help with that. Also, biotene toothpaste or some kind of sensitive mouth toothpaste will probably be needed. For the sore, dry, or peeling skin, try Bag Balm ointment or any other "cow udder" ointment. Aveeno lotion with oatmeal also worked well for me.

I'm reminding myself about the 5FU side effects as I write this to you, as I will be going back on it again next week, myself.

I know this is a very tough time on your mom, you, and the whole family. As the one with the cancer, I sometimes felt I had to be the one to do the emotional boosting up for my husband and other family members. I'm grateful I was able to be in that state of mind- I believe it was the Lord giving me that strength.
Again- I will be praying for your mom, you , and your whole family.

Note: Even though I was not considered a surgical candidate at the time of my diagnosis (too many widespread tumors in my liver and both lungs), I responded well to the chemo & after just three Folfox/Avastin treatments, about 2/3 of my tumors had shrunken away or had gotten smaller. I ended up not needing that colon/rectal resection because my rectal tumor disappeared with radiation! I did end up getting liver surgery in May '08. Mine was pretty bad at diagnosis and I'm still here alive and very kicking! While my cancer isn't gone, it is manageable and I'm hanging in there. There are MANY other people on this site, however, who have actually gone from stage IV to NED (no evidence of disease), and some have been that way now for several years. So, there is definitely hope!!!

If you haven't already been told so, I'll tell you now "don't read or believe the internet survival statistics on stage IV colorectal cancer!" They're dismal, but more importantly to know, they're all outdated! In order to be a statistic, the information has to be at least 5 years old because survival statistics are usually based on patients diagnosed and treated at least 5 years ago. Five years ago, there weren't as many treatment options, so the outcomes now are much, much better than you'll read about!!

Best wishes to your mom, you, and your family!

Take care,
Lisa

KFen725

Thanks!!!
Hi, all,

Thank you so much for the encouragement & advice. I agree that it is very important for my family to be positive ALL THE TIME in front of mom. I really feel like God has been holding us in the shelter of His wings during these past few weeks and will continue to do so. He is faithful!

Also very awesome is how often I'm reading that the stats online are so outdated - THAT IS AWESOME!!! I remember first reading 8% right after mom was diagnosed and just feeling such a shock. But I hear it's more like 30+ nowadays for a lot of people. Either way, God is bigger than any statistic, and each person is different! We are not statistics!!!

Praying for healing for all of you that are in this fight with us. Cancer really changes the course of things, but it doesn't have to be "who someone is".

dianetavegia

KFen725 said:

Thanks!!!
Hi, all,

Thank you so much for the encouragement & advice. I agree that it is very important for my family to be positive ALL THE TIME in front of mom. I really feel like God has been holding us in the shelter of His wings during these past few weeks and will continue to do so. He is faithful!

Also very awesome is how often I'm reading that the stats online are so outdated - THAT IS AWESOME!!! I remember first reading 8% right after mom was diagnosed and just feeling such a shock. But I hear it's more like 30+ nowadays for a lot of people. Either way, God is bigger than any statistic, and each person is different! We are not statistics!!!

Praying for healing for all of you that are in this fight with us. Cancer really changes the course of things, but it doesn't have to be "who someone is".

I also believe in the power
I also believe in the power of prayer and praise God for my healing from colon cancer. I'll be praying for your husband and yourself.

God Bless,
Diane

KFen725

dianetavegia said:

I also believe in the power
I also believe in the power of prayer and praise God for my healing from colon cancer. I'll be praying for your husband and yourself.

God Bless,
Diane

Amen, Diane!
Diane,

I TOTALLY agree with you - He is mighty to save! I will be praying for your complete healing & deliverance from this disease as well. My mom is strong, and she is leaning on the promises of God. His Word is true!

I appreciated all the verses you have listed on your profile. We have been claiming many of these over my mom daily. When we don't know much, we know that He is faithful!

luv3jay

I am a believer and I will
I am a believer and I will be praying for your family. Your mom has no better hands to be in, other than the hands of God. Be blessed!

-Sheri

tootsie1

Praying
I'll be praying for you and your mom. You sound like a very sweet daughter. I'm sure you'll be a big comfort to her.

*hugs*
Gail