Any good stories to share for stage 4 colon cancer patient with no options for surgery?

Hi
You need to convince your dad that he is not 'average', but it destined to be well above average in this case.

Cutting back on the narcotics should definately help with the tiredness.

Don't know what part of the world you are in, but if the weather is nice try to get him out for even a short walk to the porch, down the drive or just outside the door. Also when you are maybe on little errands see if you can get him to go along...or maybe entice him with a 'treat' if he will keep you company. Sounds silly I know, but every little bit helps. As my grandma used to say..."stir around a little and you will feel better".

There are lots of success stories. Tell your dad to make plans to be another. Without hope or belief that he can do better he won't succeed.

Hugs,

Marie who loves kitties

R2 -

Re:
"Doc also recommended getting up and active to stay strong and
help your body fight the chemo better. "

Isn't that disgusting? They tell you to be strong to fight the ravages
of chemo, not cancer..... Something's wrong with that picture!

Re:
"w/mets to liver, surgery not an option "

What you should do, is locate a colorectal surgeon that's not
in the same organization or group as your present physicians,
and get dad a second opinion. There are many new surgical
techniques and procedures; you might be able to find another
physician with knowledge of them.

As far as the 23 month prognosis? Moderately insane.

He's not telling you "one and a half years", or "two years",
he's telling you 23 months? Maybe he can pick some
lottery numbers for me, ehh?

A prognosis is made by noting the speed at which the tumor
(or cancer) is advancing, and how much it will impact the
body's functions in a specific amount of time, assuming it
continues growing at that rate.

It's a projection; a guess based on an assumption. The time
is not exact, but a generalization..... 23 months is not a
generalization, it's an exact figure; a proclamation. Any physician
claiming to know the exact time one will die, should send
the patient running to a different physician.

(That's my opinion, of cuz)

If the chemo is causing the tumor to shrink, he oughta' stick
with it. If it's causing too much pain, or neurological problems,
the physician should be addressing that.

As far as longevity? There's no way to know. Plan for the worst,
and hope for the best.

I've been OK since my stage four DX in 2006. They didn't
give me a very good prognosis, and no prognosis when I didn't
do chemo. But I didn't just sit and do nothing, I used an
alternative.

They now tell me that I'm just very, very lucky because I didn't
do chemo. If I did chemo, they would be telling me that I have
chemo to thank for my existence. I'm always amazed at the
overwhelming hypocrisy in the health care industry; I guess
it's that "Hippocratic oath" they take, huh?

Tell pop to hang in there, and do what's working -for him-.
He's the one who's judgement and intuition has to be honored.

Survival is a personal thing; what's good for me, could be
bad for him. And what a physician tells you is best, just might
be the worst thing for you. The survival instinct should be
listened to; it's what keeps things alive when nothing else will.

Take care, and give pop my best!

John

lisa42 said:

averages
Hi,

I think it's a shame the doctor said "23 months" at all, but especially without qualifying that it's an average (and I think it may even be a somewhat outdated average). My oncologist said he never likes telling people their "prognosis" and only does if they really pull it out of him. He said, even then he tells them that everone is different and no one knows how individuals will do & that he has many patients that are going strong long after that time period.

I was diagnosed 3 yrs, 8 months ago as stage IV rectal cancer & not a surgical candidate. The cancer had already spread to my liver and both lungs & I had too much there for surgery at the time. I did eventually become a surgical candidate for my liver and I had a liver resection in May '08. My lung situation still has remained basically the same, but I have been "living with cancer" and am still doing alright. By alright I mean that I am functioning as a busy mom of three kids, and still participating in most everything I ever used to. My only limitations are that I get really tired for a few days following chemo & have to take naps on those days.
I also recommend the Anticancer book- it is very, very informative. I have recently also incorporated some natural supplements into my treatment, along with the chemo & I really believe they are helping my body to stay strong through all this. My bloodwork has greatly improved & the nurses notice and comment each time. The jury is still out on whether it's actually helping the tumor situation, but I still have great hope for that.

Do take care & let your dad know that there are things out there that can be done & to not let his doctor's picture of gloom and doom affect his attitude too much. I know it's hard to not be affected when you're told news like that, but if he can take the "I'm going to fight and beat those odds" attitude, well, I really believe attitude helps a lot in how our bodies respond.

Take care!
Lisa

11/2008, Stage IV, Mets to
11/2008, Stage IV, Mets to the liver and I can say that I have passed the 23 months! Here's to many more! I also used many supplements, let's see how they do!

NED since April 2009.