Father starting FOLFOX next week

mysweetgrace

Hello everyone. I am new to the board.

My Dad, who is 56 years old, was diagnosed in October of last year with Stage 2B colon cancer.

He had been having symptoms for a very long time, and had put off getting a colonoscopy for years. Finally, the symptoms got so bad that he could no longer ignore them. By the time he had seen a doctor and got scanned, he had an 8 cm tumor in his colon causing obstruction and infection.

I rushed him to the ER immediately where he spent the next two weeks. He had surgery to remove the tumor, and had a temporary colostomy put in. We saw an oncologist who claimed that the surgeon had removed all the cancer, but Dad was given the option to do chemotherapy. After qualifying for a trial about 3 months later, he started Xeloda. He wanted to be sure that any cancer that may be left be hind would be taken care of. The oncologist said they would only do bloodwork to make sure his numbers were good.

After a couple rounds of Xeloda, I had to rush my Dad back to the ER in April because he was having horrible abdominal pain. After more CT scans, an MRI, and a biopsy, we discovered that his tumor had came back. He had a CEA of 34 at this time, and the oncologist said the tumor was now inoperable and incurable, and told us that the only thing we could do would be to give him more chemo to increase his survival time. We were told by this doctor that Dad was now a Stage 4 case and had cancer cells in the "dome of the belly". They sent him home with pain and nausea medication, and a prescription for an anti-depressant. My Dad, throughout all of this, has no insurance. He stopped all treatment at this time, as the doctor told him he would have anywhere from 6 - 18 months to live. He didn't want to spend that time sick on chemo.

We decided to go for a second opinion at another facility, and there we got a different story. We saw another oncologist who reviewed my Dad's case, sent us to a cancer surgeon who ran new tests (bloodwork, CT scan, and PET scan) and told us that the cancer was localized (good news, no lymph involvement and it has not spread) and that the tumor could be removed surgically if chemotherapy could shrink it first. The new scans revealed a softball-sized tumor wrapped around my Dad's colon at the surgical site. The tumor is borderline operable according to the new doctors, and they'd like to see if they can shrink it first so that they don't have to remove so much tissue. They are also testing the original tumor for KRAS mutations.

Now, we have been given the option for Dad to have treatment, surgery if the treatment works, and even reversal of his colostomy. We have new hope that this treatment will save my Dad's life. The new facility we are going to has a specialized cancer center.

He had a port placed last week, and will be starting 4-6 cycles of Folfox 6 with Avastin on Tuesday. He has not been feeling well, extremely fatigued and has issues with his colostomy bag. He has dropped about 60 pounds; he was 220 before surgery, and is 6 feet tall.

I'm terrified of the chemotherapy, but hopeful and thankful that we have the option at the same time.

I know he needs to do this. I'd love to hear from anyone who has been through this type of treatment, and any tips or advice you can give me that might help him during his treatment, or if you had a similar case and a good outcome. We are currently seeing a nutritionist as well to help my Dad maintain his weight and help him through the treatment. Thanks for reading!

peterz54

each person is different
my wife just completed 12 cycles of FOLFOX6 w/Avastin and it beat her into the ground in terms of lack of energy. But we understand she is an exception, having started out very weak. Depending on how many cycles he has he could develop neuropathy. Research suggests that magnesium and calcium supplementation will help, or infusions. Discuss with his Onc.

As for general things to consider - an excellent diet with little to no reliance on red meat and a good variety of fruits and vegetables has been shown to help extend the lifes of stage III patients. If he can be active and walk, try to assure that he does. modest exercise and weight control helps.

link to Dr Saltz on diet

If it's a cancer center ask them about supplements such as curcumin and a basic multi-vitamin.

good luck..

YoVita

Folfox
Good to hear you got a second opinion and a more hopeful outcome.

I went through a Folfox regimen (no Avastin) about two years ago. It was very challenging, I experienced all of the side effects, but I survived. One thing I learned from that experience which might be helpful to your dad is to tell the oncologist and nurses when your dad experiences any side effects. They have many medicines, creams, rinses, etc. that can help. The sooner you jump on side effects, the better. Good luck to you and your Dad - he's lucky to have your support. Keep us posted. Many others can offer you good advice too. One other suggestion, keep a journal to keep track of how different foods/drinks affect the digestion.