My mom just diagnosed with stage IIIA colon cancer

mama2lexi

Hi, My mom, 53, was just diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer yesterday. She had undergone surgery to remove 8 inches of colon due to a polyp that they said was benign on the outside. While removing the polyp,they also removed 13 lymph nodes, one of which was found the be cancerous. Apparently, the cancer had not broken through the wall but was in one lymph node and she now has to have chemo. She will be meeting with an oncologist on Tuesday. Has anyone had this same diagnosis and if so, what are we potentially looking at for treatment and prognosis? I guess any info and stories would be helpful, as we are all scared to death after losing my step father (her husband) to lung cancer 2 years ago. Is it normal for the cancer to have not broken through the colon wall, but still be in a lymph node? Also, we are worried about it spreading to other organs, although her MRIs and CT scans on her liver and kidneys and lungs before surgery were fine. Even the docs were surprised she has cancer becuase she is so healthy and every scan for pre-op looked great.

Thanks for reading and any advice is great!

Jenn

Patteee

Hi, I am also 53. dx'd
Hi, I am also 53. dx'd stage 3B, 2 years and 7 months ago. Resection, chemo, take down of colostomy. So far, so good. Cancer free!

My tumor had perforated the colon, but only the first lining. The surgeon said, "hardly". I also had 6 nodes that were cancerous. One more node and stage 3C.

It is indeed a very fine line they have between the stages and the letters within. It all is about the extent it has spread and ultimately the so called "prognosis". Example, according to stats, your Mom has an excellent chance of beating this. Mine went down to like 60% and stage C to like 20. I use these numbers only for an idea of how good your Ma is sitting based on the 3A diagnosis. You will find on this board that we don't like to talk about expiration dates as though we are cartons of milk. Many stage 4 have beaten this and gone on to happy and healthy lives.

You indeed can and should have every hope that your Mom is going to beat this. ABSOLUTELY

Go into the coming days, weeks and months ahead of you with a very hopeful outlook. It will help your Mom to be surrounded by people who think and believe a positive outcome.

plh4gail

Me too
Hi Jenn, I was diagnosed last June with colo-rectal cancer. In July it was staged through endoscopic ultrasound as stage 3. I had a 6cm tumor nearly circumferencial which was into the last layer of my colon, but not through it. It was also seen in lymph nodes with the ultrasound. My CEA was normal.

July/August 5 weeks radiation/5FU pump
October Resection (12 inches) and iliostomy
November iliostomy reversal
December started 12 rounds of Folfox

I'm pretty new on here, but ask me anything.

I was scared then and still am, I just try to mix in some confidence, hope, and dreams.

Gail

AnneCan

Welcome Jenn
I hope you will find this a helpful place. My colon cancer has progressed further than your mother's; I have mets on my liver so my treatment is different than your mom's will be. I just wanted to say "hi".

keystone

Hi Lexi my husband was just
Hi Lexi my husband was just diagnosed with 3a stage rectal cancer. He will hoefully start radiation/chemo next week. His cancer also had not broken through the wall. It looks like this is a very good place for good info and emotional support. You as I are the cheerleaders for our loved ones but I think we need to have an ear to lisen too also. You are probaly about the age of our daughters and I know its tough on them. Since we are dealing with similar diagnosis don't hesitate to keep in touch. God is awesome and we need to remember that!

CherylHutch

Welcome to the gang
Hey Jenn,

Glad to see you found the boards here... it's a great group to get lots of emotional support and factual information.... not to mention, you'll get first hand experience and information on what's out there in the way of treatments. Someone is bound to have had one or multiple treatments before so can give first hand experience on what to expect. There are so many treatments out there, that no one person will be knowlegeable on all of them, but there are enough of us here that we all have a variety of knowledge on lots of them

First... tell your mom that she can rest easy... there's no need to panic On the other hand, you can reassure her and your family members that when one first hears the diagnosis of "cancer" and then the fact one has to be treated with either "chemo", "radiation", or a combination of "both"... it's enough to throw everyone into a complete tizzy. Add to that you know of a close family member who has died of cancer... well, is it any wonder your heads are spinning??

But the good news is... it looks like your mom's cancer has been caught at a fairly early stage. Ok, it's not a stage 1 or stage 2, but hey, it's not a stage 4 either Her oncologist will most likely treat it very aggressively. By that, I mean they will bring out all the weapons of mass cancer destruction and make sure that she gets every treatment that will be the best for giving her the best chance that the cancer doesn't come back. Me, I was a Stage 3 when first diagnosed, but within a few months, they realized that I was actually a Stage 4 because the cancer had spread to my lungs, my adrenal gland and now possibly my kidney (although the jury is out whether this is a spread or a new primary kidney cancer). But I digress... since my disease has progressed to my lungs, they are treating me somewhat aggressively in stopping the growth and slowing down the progression.... but in your mom's case, if there is no sign of the cancer having progressed, then they are still going to treat her aggressively to make sure that if there are any single cancer cells floating around her system, looking for a place to take root... the chemo will kill them off before they have a chance to settle

So, no, it's never fun to get a diagnosis of cancer... but the good news in your mom's case is they found it before it progressed to a point of no return, and now they will treat it so that she gets the best of chances that it won't return. Meanwhile, you have found a great home here on these board for asking questions and we will all be here to go on the journey to health with you and your mom

Cheryl

christinecarl

I think your mom is going to do fine
I was diagnosed III B back in Dec 2008 and I am doing fine, chemo was not as bad as I thought it would be and I continued to work throughout it (my friends all thought I was crazy) But honestly I found it to be very manageable. The emotional part of it can very hard both for the person with cancer and the family. So you will need to be there for her in that way too. livestrong.com has resources for this. Your mom may find a source of comfort becoming a member here herself, I know I sure did.

Good luck to you and your mom and keep us updated!!

tootsie1

Hey
Hey, Jenn.

I'm so sorry about your mom's diagnosis. What a way to start the new year! I do think she'll do fine. Please stop by often and let us know about her progress. And let us know how we can help you cope.

*hugs*
Gail

P_I_T_A

If it's any consolation....
I just went through the exact same scenario. Original thought would be stage I resection and done. Well, had resection, which was done superbly, was out of the hospital after 5 days. No evidnece of disease after surgergy. Then get the call 1 out of 18 lymph nodes removed came back positive. Only 2mm, but since it was there, I ended up with adjuvant therapy. Twelve rounds of FOLFOX5. Everyone's experience is different, but mine was for the most part was eventless. The Oxi is the worst part of it. Cold sensitivity was awful. Everything drank had to be luke warm at best. I had the hands and feet neuropathy. My Onc stopped that one particular drug at 8 rounds to prevent any permanent neuropathy (my hands are fine, but the bottoms of my feet still get tingly when they're cold or sweating.) I was really only sick about three days out of two weeks. Disconnect day was the worst and it gradually got better (for me that was Thursday, and by Sat/Sun I was fine.) If possible, the port/cath is the way to go over the IV. Makes things go much smoother. 15mo. later I'm still NED and pretty back to normal(whatever that is.) As long as she has a good Onc team, keeps a positive attitude and fights all the way, with good support from the 3Fs (Faith, Family, and Friends) she should do just fine!

-DJ

TMac52

P_I_T_A said:

If it's any consolation....
I just went through the exact same scenario. Original thought would be stage I resection and done. Well, had resection, which was done superbly, was out of the hospital after 5 days. No evidnece of disease after surgergy. Then get the call 1 out of 18 lymph nodes removed came back positive. Only 2mm, but since it was there, I ended up with adjuvant therapy. Twelve rounds of FOLFOX5. Everyone's experience is different, but mine was for the most part was eventless. The Oxi is the worst part of it. Cold sensitivity was awful. Everything drank had to be luke warm at best. I had the hands and feet neuropathy. My Onc stopped that one particular drug at 8 rounds to prevent any permanent neuropathy (my hands are fine, but the bottoms of my feet still get tingly when they're cold or sweating.) I was really only sick about three days out of two weeks. Disconnect day was the worst and it gradually got better (for me that was Thursday, and by Sat/Sun I was fine.) If possible, the port/cath is the way to go over the IV. Makes things go much smoother. 15mo. later I'm still NED and pretty back to normal(whatever that is.) As long as she has a good Onc team, keeps a positive attitude and fights all the way, with good support from the 3Fs (Faith, Family, and Friends) she should do just fine!

-DJ

DJ god to hear from u im
DJ god to hear from u im happy to see a sucsess story.
Tom

atrue

sorry to hear that
hi i was dx may 2010 with stage 3 colon cancer..had 70% of colon removed 1 lymph node showed postive for cancer..did 12 treatments of chemo (folfox)..dec 11th 2010 i was cancer free....tell your mom to keep her spirits up and fight she will beat this...give her the support she needs that helps...god bless and prayers for all

tr71068

Sorry about your mom
I am a 42 year old female and was dx with colon cancer stage III B in Sept 2010, I have had 90 percent of my colon removed due to total blockage and had one lymph out off 55 that were positive. I had alot of set backs due to total blockage and my surgeon not wanting me to end up with colostomy bag. And due to his skill I am bag free. They did leave wound open and I had to wear a wound vac for a couple of months till wound healed most of the way. I am doing Folfox chemo, 12 treatments one every two weeks. I have had alot of trouble with the chemo but alot of people have no trouble. They have meds that help most of they side effects, they just havent helped me. So my doc is taking out the booster (not good with names)and giving me straight chemo next treatment. I find that a positive attitude from me and the people around me helps alot. Doc says attitude is everything. I hope all goes well with your mom. Thoughts and prayers go out to you and your mom.

Kenny H.

tr71068 said:

Sorry about your mom
I am a 42 year old female and was dx with colon cancer stage III B in Sept 2010, I have had 90 percent of my colon removed due to total blockage and had one lymph out off 55 that were positive. I had alot of set backs due to total blockage and my surgeon not wanting me to end up with colostomy bag. And due to his skill I am bag free. They did leave wound open and I had to wear a wound vac for a couple of months till wound healed most of the way. I am doing Folfox chemo, 12 treatments one every two weeks. I have had alot of trouble with the chemo but alot of people have no trouble. They have meds that help most of they side effects, they just havent helped me. So my doc is taking out the booster (not good with names)and giving me straight chemo next treatment. I find that a positive attitude from me and the people around me helps alot. Doc says attitude is everything. I hope all goes well with your mom. Thoughts and prayers go out to you and your mom.

A stage 3a here but I had a
A stage 3a here but I had a tumor in my rectum. 1st was the 5 weeks of radiation and xeloda tabs daily cept weekends. Shrank the tumor but was to close to the spinchter muscle had to have rectum removed and a perm Colostomy. That alone has allowed me more freedom, no more 12-15 times a day in a bathroom & no more accidents ect, can eat what I want basically to.
After the surgery was a month waiting period and due to 6/37 nodes positive Im 5 rounds into Folfox 5fu. Taking it well other than some minor nausea on disconnect day and after.
Stay tuned and follow along with us, you'll be fine.