Rectal cancer metastasized to lung

Only God knows for certain...

A short story;

When I was 16 and had just gotten my drivers license, my dear elderly aunt called me to ask if I would come to pick her up and go to the hospital since she wasn't feeling well.  When we arrived, the doctor told me that her heart was in very bad shape and she may not last the week.   To this she simply said, "Oh nonsense, I'll be back home in a few days, even though her prognosis was grim.  But home she went! And as time went by, she attended three of my graduations, attended my wedding, saw her grandchildren born, attended her own son's funeral (officer killed in line of duty), and watched the towers fall on 9/11/2001, but then lose all of her memory on 9/12/01.  It was if that attack was just too much to take.  But you know what?  She OUTLIVED her healthy cardiac doctor by 15 years!!!   So my point of course is, only God knows when your time is up.  Just enjoy your time on this beautiful earth while you can.

All my best,

Cyn

I've been Stage 4 for 3 1/2 years, diagnosed with lung tumors among others at that time, have had all the other tumors taken out or gone through chemo, but as for the lung tumors still have them, still here.  if the other tumors will stop appearing here and there I believe we'll get around to getting rid of the lung ones at some point, many have calcified my onc thinks from the chemo and I believe there are three left To deal with at some point, the chemo has worked well with keeping them in check so far.

Winter Marie

herdizziness said:

Lung nodules

I've been Stage 4 for 3 1/2 years, diagnosed with lung tumors among others at that time, have had all the other tumors taken out or gone through chemo, but as for the lung tumors still have them, still here.  if the other tumors will stop appearing here and there I believe we'll get around to getting rid of the lung ones at some point, many have calcified my onc thinks from the chemo and I believe there are three left To deal with at some point, the chemo has worked well with keeping them in check so far.

Winter Marie

Think I'm like u Marie.  I have 4 mets to lung from bowel cancer 3 yrs ago.  Been on chemo pretty much fortnightly.  Currently nn cetuximab. Left Timor scar tissue now and right lung with three mets largest shrunk from 69mm to 45mm.  GOD is good.  If start to grow will have to decide on surgery or diff chemo...........keep the faith!

kennyt said:

Marie how come they don't

Marie how come they don't place as much importance on removing the lung stuff as the others?

Because if they did I could be refused the many surgeries that I've needed on my liver and colon.  They have been shrunk before and three calcified (died) so as long as they stay small from chemo and they don't biopsy them I can get surgery for other areas.  So we haven't worried about them too much until after I can quit coming up with other tumors (new primary in my colon) That need surgery.

Winter Marie

herdizziness said:

Kenny

Because if they did I could be refused the many surgeries that I've needed on my liver and colon.  They have been shrunk before and three calcified (died) so as long as they stay small from chemo and they don't biopsy them I can get surgery for other areas.  So we haven't worried about them too much until after I can quit coming up with other tumors (new primary in my colon) That need surgery.

Winter Marie

Hi Marie,  did u get new primary tumor in bowel whilst on chemo ?

Hooley said:

Message

Hi Marie,  did u get new primary tumor in bowel whilst on chemo ?

First it had to be a polyp at some point.  And I was warned to have colonoscopies each year after my colon resection as a couple of polyps which were not there during my colonoscopy showed up 2 months later during my colon resection (I had been off of chemo for surgery) The surgeon said I had fast growing polyps. I did not get the follow up colonoscopies religiously as I should have.  I have been off chemo for a few months in the past 3 1/2 years so I don't know when it appearedAnd grew into a tumor. I don't know if I have more tumors either, this tumor did not show up on last two CT/PT scans.  I asked for a colonoscopy and they removed one polyp and then ran into this tumor and could go no further up as they could not get around it.  Now not getting a colonoscopy every year is my fault, even though for most people this would not be necessary And I along with everyone else on my team was trusting the CT/PT scans.

Biopsies shows it is malignant and the surgeon's office called today (I missed the call and didn't see the message until to late to call back) to discuss surgery.  

I thought CT/PT scans (one 1 month before liver surgery and 1 after colonoscopy) should show all tumors that were of any size, but was informed more often then one would think they do not show in the scans when in the colon. I hate to think of it growing while I was on chemo, but it is a good possibIlity. I have been off chemo since April and colonoscopy was in July, I don't think that was enough time to grow this large, so I do have to seriously consider that it grew while I was on chemo.

ALLRIGHTY THEN, just looked at my CSN Space and read what I had written on 10/01/2012, it showed a tumor from scan in my sigmoid colon (where it still is) and then on another just before thinking of surgery (which they didnt do due to excess tumors) scan on 11/05/2012 it showed as gone, and three scans since then have also shown it as gone, I had been off chemo (I was still on Avastin which at the end of Decmber 2012 it was shown along with Oxi and Xeloda to longer be working for me) for  about six  months at the October point. So the one scan showed it was there and every scan since then has shown it gone, all the while it's been hiding.

Winter Marie