stage 4 colon cancer with liver/bone mets

I am so very sorry to hear about your sister. Yes, I know how devastating it can all be. Two years ago my mother was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer....last year, my husband and the absolute love of my life was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer. Needless to say, it's been a roller coaster ride ever since.

My mom's "statistical" outlook at her stage was about 12 months. Point here being is that after a few months of chemo, she went into clinical remission that lasted almost 8 months. Although the cancer did come back, and we knew it would, it didn't make it any less of a shock when it did. However, she is now in a clinical trial chemo and it is working. It will be two years in September and she is going strong...and that's a big blessing.

My husband, at stage III, was hopefully cured with surgery. However, four nodes were positive (high recurrence odds) and he will be finishing up chemo in two weeks. He has been on well over 10 months, the firs four on just 5fu/leuc and then after switching oncologist, oxaliplatin was added to the cocktail because of his high recurrence risk. So far, so very good...he's clean and he gets his chemo and has been getting his chemo for the last six months via pump over a period of 46 hours...that's just the 5fu. It's much easier for many folks to tolerate and yes, if chemo works, it works just as well as direct infusion over a period of a couple of hours and is a little less harsh on the system.

As far as survival odds or length of time for your sister...heck, no one can say. There are plenty of stage IV's right here on this board who've been around for quite some time, some even cured, and still going strong. My husbands oncologist treats three of them that have been in "remission" for well over 8 years. Only God can determine how long each of us have on this earth. All we can do is try to seek the best medical treatment that we can and not give up hope that our time hasn't come yet and that God will help us on our journey. Hang in there for your sister and give her the support and strength that she will need. Having fought this demon already, she sounds like a real tough cookie to me so please, don't you go and through in the towel by asking "how long has she got." May, and hopefully, and most likely, a lot longer than you think.

Big, big hugs,
Monika

StacyGleaso said:

Hi!

I was 33 when I was diagnosed with stage 4...my mets was to two lymph nodes and 40% of my liver. Today, I am all clear. I too had the chemo pack which fed the chemo right into my port continuously. And I'm not kidding when I tell you I had NO side effects. I was confident they were giving me a placebo, as nobody even knew I was sick while getting treatment. Today, at 36 (and a half!) I am healthy and no signs of cancer whatsoever.

Tell you sister to stay strong, and positive. Have her e-mail me through this web site if she has more personal or detailed questions or concerns she may have. There are some very inspirational books she can read, but sometimes it's hard to keep your mind from racing long enough to sit down and read something.

Tell her not to concern herself with statistics regarding prognosis. Everyone here will agree that if doctors are that good at predicting timelines, then they should also give each patient some winning lottery numbers as well.

Everyone here understands what you are going through as a caregiver, but probably one of the most vivacious people here is Monika (monikaz)...she is a true pillar of strength, and will be able to help you understand how to best help your sister.

Please keep us posted,

Stacy

P.S. Two VERY encouraging words...LANCE ARMSTRONG...talk about beating odds!

Ah Stacy thanks!!! I owe it all to you guys for helping me see this nightmare through. You continue to stay healthy....you are one of my biggest inspirations for hope for my Bert and mom.

BIG BIG HUGS,
Monika