Opted out of doing the Treatment

Helen321

LindaK. said:

Think Positive!

Helen, I'm sure you will be in the 93%!  It's odd how our roles reversed during this cancer battle.  Before cancer, he was usually the positive one and I was more cynical.  I had to stay positive through it all or I would have stayed in bed and pulled the covers over my head.  He had a "bad feeling" all along and I guess he should know, it was his body.

I still wonder sometimes how it would have played out if he never had chemo...

Yeah it's all such a guessing

Yeah it's all such a guessing game. We have to support each prrson's decision. It's just hard to do sometimes. The panic sets in.

thingy45

skeets1961 said:

Kimber, 
i too, believe in

Kimber, 

i too, believe in the power of prayer.  But like someone said, God has made these medications available to us.  My husband was dx stage 4 colon cancer last October.  He has only had 5 treatments so far.   I admit, he feels fatigued most of the time, nauseated and has lost his appetite.  But, if chemo gives him extra time to hopefully one day see that first grandchild be born i know it will be worth it. At first i wondered if he should try the natural way with healthy foods and supplements instead of chemo but i thought that i had never heard of anyone claiming that had cured them.  I thought it was taking too much of a chance.  I guess we felt more comfortable with going with the flow.  I will pray for your situation Kimber and for guidance to do what is best for you and your children.  

Choices

indeed it is all in the choice we make. Personally I opted out of chemo and radiation. I am stage 3 with 1 lympnodes involved. Oncologist told me he cannot cure me, only prolong my life.

in 2011 when I was DX I had just lost my second husband, they took 10 lbs of cancer out me and 44 cm of colon. The short colon still gives me lots of problems, I can tell you were all the bathrooms are in the town were I live. I follow a very bland diet, high on fiber, chicken, salmon and Turkey and lots of vegetables. lucky I am NED so far. As with any decease it can come back or spread at any time and then I have to make more decisions. In Canada after 3 years no more colonoscopies or ct scans unless  I have problems. I do CEA tests every 3 months and they have been a good marker for me. inform yourself and then make what is the best choice and course if action for you.

marjan

hippiechicks

Hi ... first off .. I am

Hi  ... first off .. I am so sorry to hear of your diagnosis with CRC.  There is nothing pretty about this .. in fact it can be pretty darn ugly. I know how you feel having a young child .. I have 3.  I was also diagnosed at at 43 .. pretty scary, I also had emergent surgery to remove my tumor .. however, my colon was so damaged from all of its trauma that I needed an entire colectomy. I was given about the same odds as you .. although I had less node involvement.  I did my chemo (folfox) with hopes to maybe reconnect my small intestine to the little remaining rectum as there was enough to do that surgery.  

I did my research and was really on the fence on wether to do that or not because often in my situation with no colon things don't always return to "normal" so well.  Honestly ... over time, I realized how much better I felt with an ostomy.  Yes, it has its issues, and yes for a fairly young woman it is a tough adjustment, but over time things heal and a routine is set in place and things get better.  

As things turned out, I finished my round of chemo and was still pondering the reconnect.  I was only 3 months out from my chemo and it returned. I underwent yet another open surgery .. and was going to reconnect at that time .. but when I was opened, things did not go so well.  I had colon cancer in an ovary and fillopian tube.  The ovary leaked its fluid full of cancer all over my abdomen.  I asked my CR surgeon to please NOT reconnect me if things looked bad, as I NEEDED to fight this monster as hard as I could with the best treatment plan and did not want to have to worry or be uncomfortable with all of those side effects WITHOUT an ostomy. (It does have its perks during chemo). 

I grabbed trains, buses and cars and friends for transportation to get to some of the top Cancer Centers in our country.  I came back to my oncologist with enough information to decide which path to take.  It was not recommended the same by all either.  Each has their own ideas for me given my age and situation.  I ultimately took the road that I thought was MY best option.  It was a little of each.  I tailored it to MY needs.  I did more chemo, opted out of Avastan (the drug that would compromise the reversal) and opted out of radiation.  I kept my ostomy .. and boy am I glad I did!!!!! The diarreah that happens with Folfiri (the second chemo I took) is unreal.  But with an ostomy, there are no accidents, pain in abdomen, no running anywhere .. it is contained and managable giving ME more time to rest and take care of me. 

I respect any and all decisions each individual make in THEIR care, but I thought you should know .. there are options and we do get though.  I also had the same fatigue you had prior to surgery.  But, I will tell you .. it is totally different than the chemo fatigue .. there are cycles to chemo .. and the fatigue is the same .. it cycles. You know when you are going to feel crappy and when you will bounce back .. I also used alternatives such as acupuncture, message and PT to help regain my strength .. I still use them today. 

Research, research, research .. knowledge is your power here. 

My very best to you and hope to see you here again.  I will be keeping you close in my thoughts and prayers.