There is always hope
We live in mid Missouri. It is a 20 mile drive to the local hospital. The locals refer to this hospital as the vet clinic.
March of 08, the day after my 65th birthday, I had my first colonoscopy. When I came to they informed me that they had removed 5 polyps and referred me to a local surgeon as I had a large tumor in my rectum. This guy wanted to put me on a bag. So I went to St. Louis and found a colon surgeon that said he could do it transanal. He did not like the colonoscopy I just had so we did another one. This doctor removed 10 more polyps.
The colon doc then removed the tumor. He then called me to inform me that the tumor he removed was cancerous. Damn that was hard news to take. Spent many hours just sitting out in the woods thinking about it. Came to the conclusion that I was just not ready to croak.
After a CT scan they told me the cancer was also in a node near where the tumor was removed. Then they tell me I need 6 weeks of radiation/chemo. There was no way that I was going to drive 200 miles a day for 6 weeks. I was referred back to the vet clinic as they could do it. After getting a power port installed they did a PET scan and it showed it was also in my liver.
The chemo doc told me I had 2 years to live. I was stage IV grade 3. I went through the 6 weeks of chemo/radiation on the pump. Near the end I developed Lumbosacral plexopathy. 1 out of 300 gets this problem. It is when the nerves get burnt from the chemo/radiation.
Next they do another PET scan and it shows that the node is now clear. Still have the liver problem. I found a liver surgeon in STL and he is younger then my sons. He is going to cut the cancer out. I wake up from this operation to be told there was too much cancer to cut out.
Bummer. He did take biopsies of the cancer and said it was the slow growing type. Different then what they took from my rectum. This is at hospital B, my colon surgeon is at hospital A.
I go home from this and end up in the emergency room at the vet clinic. My bowels were still asleep from the surgery so I end up in the vet hospital for 3 days until they wake up. We now know this was because of the nerve damage. I am now talking to Hospice.
However now they will do liver immobilization. This is where they go into your artery and into the liver. Then they fill the liver with chemo. Then they block off the arteries to where the cancer is. This kills that part of the liver. This was not that bad to deal with at first. Then everything went to hell. I end up in the vet clinic emergency room again. They don’t know what is wrong with me and send me home.
We go to STL and they put me in the hospital to find out what is wrong. Seems the liver immobilization made a good size bleed below my stomach. They fix this and do yet another colonoscopy. He says I look great inside.
They also do a CT on me and it shows NED. They send me home. Now I get sicker then I have ever been in my life. I got C-Diff while in the hospital. After 2 weeks of hell I get another type of scan and it shows NED.
Then in August I got a PET scan that shows NED. A week later my colon surgeon calls me to inform me that his tumor board got a sample of the biopsy taken from my liver at hospital B and it is a perfect match to what was removed from my rectum. The doc at hospital B said he would get back to me on this screw up. He never did. Fired him.
A week ago I got a CT that showed NED. My colon doc does not want to see me until March to do yet another in office scope job on me. He does this nasty procedure every 6 months. (Found that if I take 500mg of percocet before the exam it helps.) He told me he cannot even tell I had radiation. He also thought I would be close to death by now.
I have learned now that there is always hope. You can’t just give in to cancer. If you don’t like what a doc is telling you get another opinion. At my age quality of life is at the top of my goal list. I once read “man is what he thinks about all day long”. If you think it is going to get you, it will. You can also have fun with it. I love going to my chemo docs office once a month to get my port flushed. I just grin at him. Drives him nuts.
Comments
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Wow!zigswife said:It is so helpful to see the
It is so helpful to see the big picture- there may be significant setbacks (Hospice- wow!) but there is always hope. Thank you for posting that!
What a great story! I am so happy for you.0 -
I commend you in that.........tootsie1 said:Good for you!
Way to hang in there!
*hugs*
Gail
you have life , and everything it throws at you by the tail...congrats to you Sir, you have already won the game. You have the "grasp" of controlling the emotion that cancer gives to people. You seem to be genuinely OK at life with what its throwing at you...Good for you, ......Buzzard0 -
Thank you Kerry
I'd love to see you grin at the oncologist as you get your port flushed! You are an inspiration!0 -
Awesome Story!!mom_2_3 said:Doing Well
What a great story and I am so glad that you are doing well. My father was from Missouri (and his family is still there) so I know that those from the Show-Me-State are a tough bunch!!! Good for you!!
You been through so much!! but you got where I want to be, and will not lose my hope!! thanks for sharing!!
Hugsss!
~Donna0 -
Why I am hereSandyL said:Incredible!
That's what you are-incredible. Sooooooo, what are you doing hanging around here? jk, Kerry. Thank you so much for sharing your story.
Sandy
What am I doing around here. That is a darn good question.
I came here to see if others were having problems with the side effects of treatment.
I also came to see if others were blessed with the same reversal of this damned disease as I have been. Believe it or not, it is a little scary to be winning this battle. Every time you are told your test is clear you have a very large sigh of relief.
I attribute my NED results to:
Attitude – It has a great placebo effect
Exercise – We live on an old 130 acre farm. There is always work to do. I also had a lot of work getting this place ready to sell for my wife if I croaked.
Prayer - I learned when I was fighting alcohol abuse back in the 80s to let go and let God handle my problems. Have not had a drink for 26 years. Yes, prayer plays a big part.
Genes – From my grandparents down to my kids there are 37 folks. Of those 37, 7 of us got a nasty type of cancer. All of the 7 were told they had a short time to live but only 2 died of it. My grandmother died of stomach cancer at age 79. My nephew died of leukemia at age 6. Both died back in the 70s. My other grandmother had, like myself, colorectal cancer and lived for 15 years after colon surgery. She died at age 85 during hip surgery. My sister had breast cancer 26 years ago. She is now 72. The other cousins are NED for 10 and 35 years. I was not about to be the only one in my peer group that croaked from this crap.
Kerry0 -
We'reKerry S said:Why I am here
What am I doing around here. That is a darn good question.
I came here to see if others were having problems with the side effects of treatment.
I also came to see if others were blessed with the same reversal of this damned disease as I have been. Believe it or not, it is a little scary to be winning this battle. Every time you are told your test is clear you have a very large sigh of relief.
I attribute my NED results to:
Attitude – It has a great placebo effect
Exercise – We live on an old 130 acre farm. There is always work to do. I also had a lot of work getting this place ready to sell for my wife if I croaked.
Prayer - I learned when I was fighting alcohol abuse back in the 80s to let go and let God handle my problems. Have not had a drink for 26 years. Yes, prayer plays a big part.
Genes – From my grandparents down to my kids there are 37 folks. Of those 37, 7 of us got a nasty type of cancer. All of the 7 were told they had a short time to live but only 2 died of it. My grandmother died of stomach cancer at age 79. My nephew died of leukemia at age 6. Both died back in the 70s. My other grandmother had, like myself, colorectal cancer and lived for 15 years after colon surgery. She died at age 85 during hip surgery. My sister had breast cancer 26 years ago. She is now 72. The other cousins are NED for 10 and 35 years. I was not about to be the only one in my peer group that croaked from this crap.
Kerry
GLAD you are here and welcome you with open arms, and hope you post more often to tell your story, and wonderful information about beating this, this is a wonderful family, as we are all brothers and sisters in cancer, and am amazed that you had it and here for so long...there shouldn't even have been a question of why are you here, everyone is welcomed, people with cancer, people who don't have cancer, people who have lost loved ones to cancer, people who are taking care of someone with cancer, you shouldn't even need a reason for being here, we're just glad you are here!
I hope to see you around more Kerry. I had a small family, and my mom died at age 40 from leukemia, (I was 16 then) and my dad died 4 years later of liver cancer, then my favorite aunt died of lung cancer, and then my other aunt died of Scirrosis (sp?), my grandmother had congenital heart failure, but the ones who had the cancer, went very quickly, in the early 80's they still didn't have much for leukemia and lung cancers.. I am the only one who even lasted this long with cancer, and hopefully will be able to live longer!
Hugsss!
~Donna0 -
Missing someone?Kerry S said:Why I am here
What am I doing around here. That is a darn good question.
I came here to see if others were having problems with the side effects of treatment.
I also came to see if others were blessed with the same reversal of this damned disease as I have been. Believe it or not, it is a little scary to be winning this battle. Every time you are told your test is clear you have a very large sigh of relief.
I attribute my NED results to:
Attitude – It has a great placebo effect
Exercise – We live on an old 130 acre farm. There is always work to do. I also had a lot of work getting this place ready to sell for my wife if I croaked.
Prayer - I learned when I was fighting alcohol abuse back in the 80s to let go and let God handle my problems. Have not had a drink for 26 years. Yes, prayer plays a big part.
Genes – From my grandparents down to my kids there are 37 folks. Of those 37, 7 of us got a nasty type of cancer. All of the 7 were told they had a short time to live but only 2 died of it. My grandmother died of stomach cancer at age 79. My nephew died of leukemia at age 6. Both died back in the 70s. My other grandmother had, like myself, colorectal cancer and lived for 15 years after colon surgery. She died at age 85 during hip surgery. My sister had breast cancer 26 years ago. She is now 72. The other cousins are NED for 10 and 35 years. I was not about to be the only one in my peer group that croaked from this crap.
Kerry
Don't forget to give SOME credit to your doctors. They are the ones who study hard and get their hands dirty doing the actual work.0 -
EveryonePhillieG said:Missing someone?
Don't forget to give SOME credit to your doctors. They are the ones who study hard and get their hands dirty doing the actual work.
is welcomed,
I'm glad to be here, I didn't think I'd be here this long, (been almost a year since dx) and she has helped in keeping me alive
Hugsss!
~Donna0
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