Stage IV Colorectal Cancer

Andres03

Dear All,

On December 31st, 2021, my mom was diagnosed with Stage IV Colorectal cancer ( What a great way to receive the New Year). She has one tumor on her lung, and 7 in her liver( the largest being 3.2cm). She started with FOLFOX, but after her fourth round she was completely constipated, and surgery had to be performed to set up the bag for her. Since then, she has had 5 cycles of FOLFIRI and is about to have the sixth cycle soon. After that, a new round of scans will be performed to see what is her status.

I am not going to lie, it has been a very agitated week to the point I had a panic attack just by having the thought that the chemo did not work. However, after reading some of the posts it has given me a new perspective on this illness. I see many people fighting and obtaining great results to the point of achieving NED.

I was hoping any of you could share your experience so I can share it with my mom. She is a very strong woman, and her willpower amazes me every single day. She is confident she will beat the monster as she calls it, but sometimes on her bad day, it can be difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel. So showing her there are other people out there that have beaten the monster will definitely help her during those days.

Thank you in advance for sharing your story, and I wish the best to everyone in this forum. It is a tough disease, but with hope and the willpower to triumph everything is possible

BerniceOB

First, I'd like to say that I'm sorry that you and your mom are going through this. I'll share a bit of my husband's story because like you when he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in November of 2020, I searched for stories of positive outcomes.

One of the stories that I read over and over again which gave me and my husband hope and strength was the story of country music singer Wade Hayes. He was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in Nov or Dec, 2011 and he is still in remission today.

Now to share with you a bit of my husband's story. My husband was diagnosed with stage 4 in Nov, 2020. His cancer had spread to the liver. He started chemotherapy in January, 2021 and had 3 cycles of Folfox which he did not tolerate well. It was causing him complications with his liver and his chemo kept getting postponed due to the liver issues. His oncologist then decided to switch him to Folfori and he was able to complete 6 treatments of Folfori before being switched to targeted oral chemotherapy coupled with 25 radiation treatments.

In mid-September, he had ostomy surgery and the surgery was successful in removing the cancer. He is currently NED.

My husband does have a permanent stoma which he is already used to and he is starting to get back to doing everything that he was able to do prior to his cancer journey. Chemo did take a lot out of him and so did the surgery but he is getting stronger and stronger every day.

You mentioned having a panic attack and I can completely relate. I had never experienced anxiety prior to my husband's diagnosis but anxiety became a part of my life throughout his treatments and I still struggle a bit with it today. As a caregiver, it can be difficult. You are not alone. There are many of us here that can relate and I for one will be thinking of you and your mom and sending positive thoughts your way. Take care of yourself!

Bernice

Andres03

Dear Bernice,

Thank you so much for sharing your story. It helps a lot to know that it is possible to reach good results after being diagnosed with stage IV cancer. I will share this story with my mother and I know this will bring up her spirit.

She currently had her sixth FOLFIRI chemo and Saturday had her scans. Next week we will have a meeting with the doctor and find out how she responded. We are a little bit anxious and scared, but we have faith and hope that she is on the right path.

Thank you again for sharing your story. I appreciated it from the bottom of my heart.

Best,

Andres