PET results - Mets to liver, and a worrisome spot in the rectum - UPDATE April 17th

Trubrit
Trubrit Member Posts: 5,804 Member
edited April 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1

Thank you so very much, Patchadams and those who were thinking of me today. 

So, there is a worrisome spot in the rectum and a growing spot on my liver. As far as the spot in the rectum, my Oncologist is baffled, as I was radiated to Hell and back in that area, plus I had a clean colonoscopy in January. Anyway, he wants me to have another colonoscopy and follow that up with a liver resection. 

I have now been bumped up to a Stage 4 of course. 

BUMMER!

Oh well! Me and thousands and thousands of other fine folk out there fighting this battle, means that I'm not going to spend my time feelign sorry for myself. We'll move on, and do what has to be done. 

I am so very thankful that I found this fourm, and so very thankful to all of you. For your support, your willingness to share information, and I feel the love, so I'm thankful for the love that is shown. This forum is truly a blessing. 

I'll be after info on liver resections now. Advice about what to take to the hospital, how long are patients usually kept in. Problems that might happen. Clothes to wear. All the good info kind of stuff. 

Onward and upward (but not Heaven, not yet).

APRIL 17th - UPDATE - I have an apppointmet for a Flexi Sig on Monday and an consult with a Surgical Oncologist on Tuesday. My first appointment is 2 hours East of home, and the second appointment 3 hours West. Gotta love living in the rural outback of desert Nevada. 

I'm very happy to be moving forward to get this taken care of. Waiting stinks!

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Comments

  • UncleBuddy
    UncleBuddy Member Posts: 1,019 Member
    #2
    Oh, shoot!

    That's not the news I wanted to hear. Is it possible that it's an ulcer or something else that's non cancerous? I'm hoping...

    When will they do the liver resection? How big is the spot on the liver?

    I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the spot on the rectum is nothing.Will they biopsy the liver or is that not a good idea?

    Lin

  • lp1964
    lp1964 Member Posts: 1,239 Member
    #3
    Dear Friend,

    I won't tell you a secret that with the raising CEA that spot on the liver is most likely metastasis. But the good news is that with resection you have a good chance of recovering from that.

    I want to tell you more about the rectum part. 10 weeks after my radiation and initial chemo my rectal cancer actually looked worse. Still at the time of the removal there were no cancer cell in it. The radiation killed them all. The colonoscopy and the little samples they are gonna take will give you more definite answers.

    We really root for you and wish you good luck. Those people who had gone through this before you will give you a lot of good advise.

     My only standard advise is to start taking 800mg of cimetidine one week before and two weeks after the surgery. It seems to reduce the chance for the spreading of cancer cells.

    Laz

  • Lovekitties
    Lovekitties Member Posts: 3,364 Member
    #4
    Sending the love

    I am so very sorry to hear this outcome from your scan, but am glad you and the doc were on top of the CEA rise.

    Prayers and love coming your way that all will be better and easier than expected.

    Marie who loves kitties

  • jen2012
    jen2012 Member Posts: 1,607 Member
    #5
    Damn Sue, I am sorry.  I

    Damn Sue, I am sorry.  I would say you are entitled to a little pity party, so don't feel bad if you need to vent, cry, scream or break things.  I hope it's a quick fix with surgery.

  • Cathleen Mary
    Cathleen Mary Member Posts: 827 Member
    #6
    jen2012 said:

    Damn Sue, I am sorry.  I

    Damn Sue, I am sorry.  I would say you are entitled to a little pity party, so don't feel bad if you need to vent, cry, scream or break things.  I hope it's a quick fix with surgery.

    Sue, So sorry you have more

    Sue, So sorry you have more to go through. You can do it! I love your attitude.  Prayers every inch of the way. Thinking of you....

    Hugs,

    CM

     

  • Lisa2012
    Lisa2012 Member Posts: 142
    #7
    Stage IV

    Sorry to hear that you have joined those of us in the Stage IV category.   You have the right attitude, onward and upward.   You and I are on a similar path right now.   I was diagnosed stage IV two years ago.  I currently have a tumor in my rectum and two liver mets. The plan is to remove the tumor on 4/28 using a process called TEM.  The liver mets will be handled with Y90.

    A year ago, I had a liver resection.  They did an ultrasound of my liver while I was in surgery.  After about six hours, they had removed the right lobe of my liver, my gall bladder, and a few other non essentials.  I spent two nights in ICU and a week on a surgical  floor, nine days total.  I tried hard to be a good patient, I walked the halls at least four times a day.  My surgery was on March 5 and I returned to work the first week of April.

    i think the biggest shock to me was the length of my incision.  My scar runs from between my breasts to my pubic bone.  I had 160 staples and three J-P drains.  

    Good luck to you, keep us posted

     

  • annalexandria
    annalexandria Member Posts: 2,571 Member
    #8
    Ah Sue...

    Frown.

    I was just really hoping for you this would turn out to be nothing.  F'ing cancer.

    Is it just the one spot in the liver?  

  • aggie0053
    aggie0053 Member Posts: 110
    #9
    good luck on your journey to

    good luck on your journey to beat this, i know you will

  • PatchAdams
    PatchAdams Member Posts: 271
    #10
    Stage IVa

    Sounds like you might be a Stage IVa which is a newer staging system when someone is more than 12 months out and has one or a few small mets. That's considered highly curable. 

    I had my liver resection two years ago this week and it was a hard recovery because I couldn't take the pain killers. They gave me anorexic type symtoms where even smelling food, looking at cook books, sherbert caused projectile vommiting.  So, I had to deal with some pretty awful pain.  NO follow up chemo ..... no studies have shown it to be of any benefit.  

    Here's some great links. The first one is my favorite and even tho the study ended 10 years ago, the success rates are superb!  My favorite quote is: 

    Solitary Colorectal Liver Metastasis Resection Determines Outcome FREE

    Thomas A. Aloia, MD; Jean-Nicolas Vauthey, MD; Evelyne M. Loyer, MD; Dario Ribero, MD; Timothy M. Pawlik, MD, MPH; Steven H. Wei, MS, PA-C; Steven A. Curley, MD; Daria Zorzi, MD; Eddie K. Abdalla, MD

     

     

    Researchers at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas prospectively studied patients with a first solitary liver metastasis who were treated either with hepatic resection or radiofrequency ablation. ….

     present study shows an 80% 3-year survival rate (and a 71% 5-year survival rate) after HR and well-established data showing 10- and 20-year survivors after HR of solitary and multiple metastases, even without adjuvant chemotherapy.  (The rates are higher for mets smaller than 3cm)

    http://archsurg.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/141/5/460

     

    http://www2.mdanderson.org/depts/oncolog/articles/11/4-5-aprmay/4-5-11-2.html

     

    I got these from a friend who was just days ahead of me on everything.  She got a term from Bev on Colon Club that you might look up. Ogliometastases (?)  Curative local therapy for oligometastases and oligo-recurrence represents a brilliant opening to the era of cancer therapy. Several decades ago, most metastatic and recurrent cancer patients died within a year. However, we cope with metastases or recurrences considering whether the state is oligometastases or oligo-recurrence. In the state of oligo-recurrence, all the gross tumors could be treated with local therapy, meaning curative treatment.

     

    Do a search for more info.

     

  • janderson1964
    janderson1964 Member Posts: 2,215 Member
    #11
    I am truly sorry to hear

    I am truly sorry to hear that. i am glad you have a strong fighting attitude. At least they are already talking about liver resection. I will keep you in my prayers.

  • maglets
    maglets Member Posts: 2,576 Member
    #12
    janderson1964 said:

    I am truly sorry to hear

    I am truly sorry to hear that. i am glad you have a strong fighting attitude. At least they are already talking about liver resection. I will keep you in my prayers.

    Sue

    Sue so so sorry about this news.....darn it all.....but having liver resection in your sights is such a good thing.....

    there are so so many liver resections on this forum, we will get you set up and ready with lots of tips

    sending love dear girl......you are a trooper I can just tell

    mags

  • LindaK.
    LindaK. Member Posts: 506 Member
    #13
    Darn and dang

    Stupid cancer!  I woke up during the night and thought about you, almost got online to see if you had posted anything.  I'm sorry you got the stage IV news.  At least now you know and you can move forward with treatment and plans.  I'm glad they gave you plans for surgery which will hopefully get rid of the beast.  It sucks, but you can do it.  Thanks for letting us know the scan results.  Your good attitude will help.

    Linda

  • danker
    danker Member Posts: 1,276 Member
    #14
    attitude

    I just love your attitude regarding your battle.  It will do much for making you a long-time survivor.  Best of luck to you!!!

  • DD3
    DD3 Member Posts: 136 Member
    #15
    danker said:

    attitude

    I just love your attitude regarding your battle.  It will do much for making you a long-time survivor.  Best of luck to you!!!

    Okay...

    damn it Trubit... This is not wanted I (or anyone else on here) wanted to hear.  Not at all.  You positive outlook is inspiring to say the least.  Please keep us informed.  Thoughts and prayers for you will continue. 

  • marbleotis
    marbleotis Member Posts: 720 Member
    #16
    Sorry for that news.

    My cancer-mentor and friend was stage 4 with mets to liver.  She had the resection, 12 chemo treatments and about 70% of her liver resected.................  that was 12 years ago.  This was the first thing she told me when we first spoke. 

    I thought this may help you feel a little better.

    Please keep us all posted - we are here for you as you move through these challenges.

    You are one tough cookie!

  • ron50
    ron50 Member Posts: 1,723 Member
    #17
    G'day Sue

      Sorry you are back into treatment mate. Just remember ,cancer is just a disease and diseases can be beaten. You need a bit of luck and the resolve to do whatever it takes to beat it. I'm sending the luck and you already have the resolve,Hugs ron.

  • Annabelle41415
    Annabelle41415 Member Posts: 6,742 Member
    #18
    Sorry

    Sorry to hear of your scan.  You have a great attitude on trying to beat it again.  Hoping that you and your doctor can put a plan in the works to get you clear again.

    Kim

  • johnnybegood
    johnnybegood Member Posts: 1,117 Member
    #19
    Annabelle41415 said:

    Sorry

    Sorry to hear of your scan.  You have a great attitude on trying to beat it again.  Hoping that you and your doctor can put a plan in the works to get you clear again.

    Kim

    thinking of you

    as you are once again going thru the testing phase and then probably the waiting phase.so sorry this has hit you again my prayers are with you...Godbless...johnnybegood

  • Momof2plusteentwins
    Momof2plusteentwins Member Posts: 509 Member
    #20
    Sue
    I am glad you have Appts to get this started. I am also stage IV with a single liver met. I am now NED after liver resection almost 2 years ago. Even though any recurrence is not positive, I believe you will be NED soon. I had my liver resection surgery along with my colon surgery and my gallbladder out and was in the hospital for 6 days. Good luck with treatment and always remain positive and you will get through this!
    Sandy
  • YoVita
    YoVita Member Posts: 590 Member
    #21
    Sorry to hear about your stage IV status

    Like PatchAdams, I've done some research on single metastases (although mine was lung) and the outlook is very promising.  I'm two years out from my lung recurrence and surgery.  Like PatchAdams I did no follow up chemo.  Good luck Sue.  Sounds like you have a great plan.

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