Rectal To Liver Cancer

Magrao
Magrao Member Posts: 13
edited August 2011 in Anal Cancer #1
Hello, all. I'm brand new.

tpmack37's post on the Rare Cancer Support Forum (which I read yesterday)...

http://www.rare-cancer.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3626

...brought me to Google his alias and it brought me to this place, specifically his thread @ http://csn.cancer.org/node/190358

So here I am.

My family is currently living in Southern California, and I'm the son of a father who has cancer, diagnosed less than a week ago. It's been rough, and surreal. I'm numb...emotional...possibly in some level of denial...just all over the place.

I don't know if I should be posting in the liver cancer section instead (I'll probably do both), since that is all the cancer that appears to be remaining, but this isn't far off. His cancer began in his rectum.

\\

My dad, 55, has had ulcerative colitis for the past 12 years. I believe he'd had a total of 7 colonoscopies up until missing his annual last year (I know...), and since his recent condition flare up that has been for almost 2 months (which was progressively getting worse), his gastroenterologist ordered some blood tests and scans. On the morning I drove him to get some blood taken, which he'd been fasting for, he was already feeling dizzy and lightheaded. He ended up passing out for a short time before the nurse could even get blood from him. His blood pressure was 97/57 before we left for the ER.

Being admitted to the hospital after that, he had an abdominal CT scan amongst other tests, and the doctors were concerned about various spots on his liver from those images. He had the biopsy and it didn't come back with pus in the specimens (3), so that apparently indicated it wasn't abscess/infection. Not good news, well, at least until later on the GI doctor said to us ironically that would have been more life-threatening than with what we're dealing with now. Likely tumors.

He had his 8th colonoscopy scheduled 2 or 3 days after the preliminary biopsy results, and that came back with colon cancer, a tumor, despite the fact that blood work suggested things were normal there. Things started to make sense at this point.

My dad had a successful colostomy just days ago to remove the colon cancer, which was actually discovered to be in the rectum, not higher up into the colon as it was thought to be from the colonoscopy.

At this point in time we're waiting for him to recover so he can undergo whatever treatment(s) necessary for the liver issues. In a nutshell. It sucks to have to wait, but it's understandable.

I want to do everything I possibly can to lengthen his life, as much as possible. I'm looking at specific liver cancer diet for when he can eat (post-op and all, being the kind of surgery it was--waiting for his new digestive system to come together), what could help, possible mushroom remedies included, and of course what aggressive treatments are actually going to be the best come the time...NOT just going by what our oncologist is saying. Not just "chemo."

His cancer pathology points to SQUAMOUS cell, by the way. I hear that is not the most common, it's a bit harder to treat, and a bit faster growing than the other, more typical kind of colorectal and liver cancer found.

Reading what I've read so far on this place, namely from fellow user "winnipeg" from Los Angeles...

http://csn.cancer.org/user/120603

...about a particular cocktail for the liver that has worked for her, I like to think I've found some hope in these dark times. Truly. Like, I want to run to San Diego and have my dad see this oncologist.

Read this post of hers if you have not already:

http://csn.cancer.org/node/190358#comment-817872

But I guess that's it for now. I just want to check in here, and ask for all the advice I can get. Please!

Please and thank you.

/Adam

Comments

  • z
    z Member Posts: 1,414 Member
    #2
    Adam
    So sorry for your dads dx. I know that you might want to paste and copy this to the colon discussion board as there are many rectal cancer survivors there. Also many that have had a liver resection and 1 that comes to mind is Winter Marie (herdiziness), who is stage IV and had a liver resection and just received the great news that her liver is clear. There is a lot of hope and many things that could be done for your father. I also post on the rca web site and am familiar with the 2 posters you listed. I wish you and your father well. Lori
  • mp327
    mp327 Member Posts: 4,440 Member
    #3
    z said:

    Adam
    So sorry for your dads dx. I know that you might want to paste and copy this to the colon discussion board as there are many rectal cancer survivors there. Also many that have had a liver resection and 1 that comes to mind is Winter Marie (herdiziness), who is stage IV and had a liver resection and just received the great news that her liver is clear. There is a lot of hope and many things that could be done for your father. I also post on the rca web site and am familiar with the 2 posters you listed. I wish you and your father well. Lori

    Hi Adam
    I'm sorry to hear of your dad's circumstances and I agree with Lori--posting on the colorectal board may yield more info for you than the anal cancer board. Nonetheless, I'm glad you have found your way to this site and hopefully some helpful information. I, too, post on the other site you mentioned and am familiar with both posters you named. I hope that becoming familiar with their stories has given you and your father hope. I believe liver resection is definitely worth pursuing. I wish you both the very best.
  • Magrao
    Magrao Member Posts: 13
    #4
    Thank you both
    Thank you both for your quick responses, kind words. We appreciate it.

    (I posted this in the Colorectal subforum just a bit ago...totally missed that one at first.)

    I'll definitely check out the other Rare Cancer forum, sign up and post.

    The situation here now, deep down, is very sad 'cause now we have my dad, no longer having to worry about knowing where the bathroom is at all times, or consider his "window of time" where he's free... That was so hard on him for so long. I wish he'd done this sooner, and then this might not have ever happened. The liver.

    But that gets us nowhere. We need to fight this thing. We have to try. As best as we can. There's nothing more worthy.

    I'm going to be bringing everything in the book to help his liver health before, during, and after treatment... Milk thistle, mangosteen fruit extract, lycium, wolfberry, celery seed extract, grifola mushroom, brocolli sprouts, green tea, parsley, whey protein, grits, selenium, niacin, perilla oil, dandelion root tea, raspberries, raw vegetables, carrot juice, beet juice, kale, brocolli juice, cabbage juice, wheat grass juice, aloe vera juice, apricot seeds, Omega 3, shark cartilige, curcumin, sweet wormwood...

    Is there any way I can possibly get ahold of winnipeg to speak with her directly?
  • z
    z Member Posts: 1,414 Member
    #5
    Magrao said:

    Thank you both
    Thank you both for your quick responses, kind words. We appreciate it.

    (I posted this in the Colorectal subforum just a bit ago...totally missed that one at first.)

    I'll definitely check out the other Rare Cancer forum, sign up and post.

    The situation here now, deep down, is very sad 'cause now we have my dad, no longer having to worry about knowing where the bathroom is at all times, or consider his "window of time" where he's free... That was so hard on him for so long. I wish he'd done this sooner, and then this might not have ever happened. The liver.

    But that gets us nowhere. We need to fight this thing. We have to try. As best as we can. There's nothing more worthy.

    I'm going to be bringing everything in the book to help his liver health before, during, and after treatment... Milk thistle, mangosteen fruit extract, lycium, wolfberry, celery seed extract, grifola mushroom, brocolli sprouts, green tea, parsley, whey protein, grits, selenium, niacin, perilla oil, dandelion root tea, raspberries, raw vegetables, carrot juice, beet juice, kale, brocolli juice, cabbage juice, wheat grass juice, aloe vera juice, apricot seeds, Omega 3, shark cartilige, curcumin, sweet wormwood...

    Is there any way I can possibly get ahold of winnipeg to speak with her directly?

    Adam
    Go join the rca site winnie is one of the moderators, and theres a lot of information about the tx winnine had. Theres also other survivors with liver mets. Lori
  • mp327
    mp327 Member Posts: 4,440 Member
    #6
    z said:

    Adam
    Go join the rca site winnie is one of the moderators, and theres a lot of information about the tx winnine had. Theres also other survivors with liver mets. Lori

    Adam--
    Like Lori suggested, I would advise you to sign up on the other forum. There, you can leave Winnie a private message. She is not too active in discussions on that board, but checks in often.
  • Magrao
    Magrao Member Posts: 13
    #7
    Thank you both
    Thank you both for your quick responses, kind words. We appreciate it.

    (I posted this in the Colorectal subforum just a bit ago...totally missed that one at first.)

    I'll definitely check out the other Rare Cancer forum, sign up and post.

    The situation here now, deep down, is very sad 'cause now we have my dad, no longer having to worry about knowing where the bathroom is at all times, or consider his "window of time" where he's free... That was so hard on him for so long. I wish he'd done this sooner, and then this might not have ever happened. The liver.

    But that gets us nowhere. We need to fight this thing. We have to try. As best as we can. There's nothing more worthy.

    I'm going to be bringing everything in the book to help his liver health before, during, and after treatment... Milk thistle, mangosteen fruit extract, lycium, wolfberry, celery seed extract, grifola mushroom, brocolli sprouts, green tea, parsley, whey protein, grits, maybe selenium, niacin, perilla oil, dandelion root tea, raspberries, raw vegetables, carrot juice, beet juice, kale, broccoli juice, cabbage juice, wheatgrass juice, apricot seeds, Omega 3, shark cartilige...

    Is there any way I can possibly get ahold of winnipeg to speak with her directly?
  • Magrao
    Magrao Member Posts: 13
    #8
    mp327 said:

    Adam--
    Like Lori suggested, I would advise you to sign up on the other forum. There, you can leave Winnie a private message. She is not too active in discussions on that board, but checks in often.

    Waiting...
    Hey, all, thanks for the suggestions. I'm currently waiting for my RCA membership (also under "Magrao") to be valid. I thought I'd get the e-mail notice by now, 48 hours after submitting, but nothing yet.

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