Let me introduce myself.....

...my name is Dario, I am Italian, 37 years old and I live in NYC since 3 years, last July the first I went to Bellevue Hospital for a terrible left side stomach pain, after that ct scan, blood analysis and other checks didn't show anything they did a colonoscopy and they found a "tennis ball" in the middle of my colon.....after the biopsy they told me that it was a carcinoma!
The doctors told me that there was no time, the monster was going to spread around so in the rush i had 11 hours surgery where they cut out the 50% of my colon and 2 sections of intestine.
Unfortunately some cancer cells could have run out so I am in the middle of a 8 cycles chemo with Xeloda and Oxaliplatin, a nightmare of side effects and bad sensation.....but I know that you know what I mean.....
Next week I will have a genetic exam to understand if I had a genetic modification to my genes so maybe I could have a better view of what will be the next 5 years frequency exams; they told me that maybe my cancer grew so fast that I could need a by monthly colonoscopy, endoscopy, lungh ct scan and liver checks.....for me that I was very healthy, in shape, runner in Central Park, no cigarette and alcohol, eating clean ecc ecc this cancer has been a completely disaster!!!!!
When I think that the great surgeon team that saved me told me that i was the best in shape patience of the last years.....I get more mad!!!
Hello to everybody!

PS this was my first post.....sorry for the length!
Ciao,

Dario

Comments

  • plh4gail
    plh4gail Member Posts: 1,238 Member
    Hello Dario...sorry about
    Hello Dario...sorry about what happened to you. Glad you found this board, we all have similar stories and will be here for you. It's a great place to ask questions, vent, share experiences, and sometimes laugh.....Best of luck to you

    Gail
  • Dario_Italy
    Dario_Italy Member Posts: 8
    plh4gail said:

    Hello Dario...sorry about
    Hello Dario...sorry about what happened to you. Glad you found this board, we all have similar stories and will be here for you. It's a great place to ask questions, vent, share experiences, and sometimes laugh.....Best of luck to you

    Gail

    Thank you very much Gail,
    Thank you very much Gail, big kisses and good luck to you, talk soon
  • laurettas
    laurettas Member Posts: 372
    Welcome, Dario
    Sorry you have to join this group, but if you have this disease, this is a great place to be!
  • LAF53
    LAF53 Member Posts: 60
    HI
    I too take Xeloda and Oxaliplatin, and they are a nightmare. And I too have always been healthy. I hardly ever would even catch a cold. Now, I just always feel rotten. Sorry you are here.

    Lydia
  • lauragb
    lauragb Member Posts: 370 Member
    I'm sending love and light
    I'm sending love and light your way. It seems to me colorectal cancer likes healthy
    people judging from your post and so many on this forum. I am heading for surgery tomorrow, another person in this situation. I'm glad you found the forum. Hang in there.
  • Dario_Italy
    Dario_Italy Member Posts: 8
    lauragb said:

    I'm sending love and light
    I'm sending love and light your way. It seems to me colorectal cancer likes healthy
    people judging from your post and so many on this forum. I am heading for surgery tomorrow, another person in this situation. I'm glad you found the forum. Hang in there.

    Good good good luck for the
    Good good good luck for the surgery, will go great!!!
  • johnnybegood
    johnnybegood Member Posts: 1,117 Member

    Good good good luck for the
    Good good good luck for the surgery, will go great!!!

    Welcome
    Dario,sorry you have to be here,this is the right site to be.i have had a recurrance in jan.2011 i just had the right lobe of my liver cut out and i am going to start chemo again tomorrow for my lungs.i am not as young as you but the doctors told me the same thing back in 2008.that i was young and healthy and now look at me 3 years later and a stage 4.....Godbless....johnnybegood
  • Annabelle41415
    Annabelle41415 Member Posts: 6,742 Member
    Welcome
    Sorry about your diagnosis. Sounds like you were very lucky to have such a great team of doctors and with such a fast growing tumor. A lot of us have been on your treatment of chemo and understand the side effects. If you have any questions, just ask away. We are here to help you through the ups and downs of this whole process.

    Kim
  • tommycat
    tommycat Member Posts: 790 Member
    Hello Dario~
    The shock of

    Hello Dario~
    The shock of what you will be dealing with sounds like it is settling in. This is tough stuff. Time to channel your inner warrior.
    Glad you found the Board. Good people here with some good insight.
    Your new Friend in California~
  • janie1
    janie1 Member Posts: 753 Member
    tommycat said:

    Hello Dario~
    The shock of

    Hello Dario~
    The shock of what you will be dealing with sounds like it is settling in. This is tough stuff. Time to channel your inner warrior.
    Glad you found the Board. Good people here with some good insight.
    Your new Friend in California~

    Hi Dario
    Know what you mean about a disaster, but this is where we are, and we have a new normal. We have to take it day by day (hard to do), get the treatments behind us one by one, and all of the exams, and appointments, one by one. It's hard to stay patient, but enjoy the days and moments when you aren't waiting at an appointment, etc. Try to keep positive. You will see things in a different light, which isn't bad.
    I, too, could not have been healthier. I have no other health issues, other than cancer. Never took more than a dozen aspirin or tylenol in my entire life. Only experienced a couple of headaches, but that was only due to a lack of sleep. I exercised, and ate healthy. Longevity runs in my family. So the disbelief and the anger still makes its way in my mind. But, have to take it and move forward. Sounds like you have a good medical team, but, second, and third opinions are good, even if they only confirm that your treatment plan is right on. Keep us posted.
  • pete43lost_at_sea
    pete43lost_at_sea Member Posts: 3,900 Member
    just welcome
    your physical health maybe your greatest asset.
    post away frequently, and goodluck coping with folfox.

    google milk thistle and folfox , it makes for interesting reading,

    hugs,
    pete
  • Dario_Italy
    Dario_Italy Member Posts: 8

    just welcome
    your physical health maybe your greatest asset.
    post away frequently, and goodluck coping with folfox.

    google milk thistle and folfox , it makes for interesting reading,

    hugs,
    pete

    Thanks everybody for the
    Thanks everybody for the support, i would like hug you very strong one by one
  • christinecarl
    christinecarl Member Posts: 543 Member
    Hi
    I am sorry about your diagnosis, I remember how shocked and scared I was when I first heard the news. I hope that the treatments are killing the cancer and that the side effects get better for you!!
  • steveandnat
    steveandnat Member Posts: 886
    You found your new friends
    Dario, you are lucky that you are healthy to start with because it really helps to get through all the treatments and ups and downs. We will all be here to support each other so please stay in contact and let us know whats going on. Praying for you .
    Jeff
  • sharpy102
    sharpy102 Member Posts: 368 Member
    :(
    Ciao Dario:

    How do they know that your "tennis ball" grew fast? I'm only asking as what I've heard so far that the reason that people with colon cancer can get diagnosed with "tennis ball" size cancer is because colon cancer is not an aggressive, fast growing one. People with lung cancer never develop "tennis balls"...they develop a tiny marble and from that moment when their marble develops they have a rapid very rapid spreading and if untreated they make it for another 6 months and that's it. If treated, even still today, it's not curable...it's a palliative treatment they are giving to the patient so instead of the 6 months the patient can live for another 2 years....but that's it. In terms of colon cancer, it's not aggressive...obviously with all the chemo post surgery we basically select for the ones that can overcome the chemo due to rapid mutations occuring...of course, depends on the primary tumor's location and whether say it grew to the peritoneal membrane or not is going to dictate the outcome. For those of us, who "just have a big tennis ball in their colon but didn't grow and fuse with the peritoneal membrane" are better off. They can be cured with more or less pain and time and chemo. Those with a fusion to the peritoneal wall is a different story. That is a harder case...but not impossible!!! I would say right now, you focus on fighting hard with this monster disease! Like you see yourself, cancer is not necessary only due to smoking, bad diet, no exercise etc....some of us have "bad genes" that are susceptible to mutation/translocation more than in other people. I know, you'll fight this off! You seem to be a very strong mind which is exactly what we need for the cure! I wish you the best!
    Arriverderci,
    - Sophie