What do you think you did that help you beat this disease?

good question
A few that come to mind...

1) Attitude. Stay positive. It's hard to do sometimes, especially when you're staring down the barrel of a chemo session, or being rolled into a white room for a rather unsavory operation. Just the same, it really does work. Gloom and doom is not the answer- and remember, your loved ones take everything to heart. The slightest wince makes their heart drop, so if nothing else, try to keep a smile on. I'd bet my life on it's merit.

2) Drink aloe juice. It helps with the nausea, even if it tastes kind of bad. I bought a plant and it pretty much takes care of itself. Just fillet the tough skin off, throw it in a jug of water, let it sit for a while and pinch your nose when you drink it. There's a lot of conflicting facts written about its effectiveness, but it worked for me, especially at the beginning of chemo.

3) Have an advocate, and stand up for yourself. Remember that while doctors are usually very qualified, they are still reacting to protocol of tests that are 7 years out of date by the time they are put into use. What works for the average is not necessarily the best route for you, so don't be afraid to ask what plan B is. A real doctor will understand this. And also, never be afraid to ask your oncologist what he would do if he had a tumor in his butt. If it resembles what he sees for you, you can expect to be on the right track.

Keep on keepin' on!

NEVER GIVE UP
Luck

It was luck that caught the cancer at an early stage before it invaded too far into my system. After that fateful visit at my doctor's office with my wife, learning that I had cancer, and being told that I would have surgery to remove the tumor after several weeks of testing, chemo/radiation, I remember turning to my wife and telling her that I just couldn't deal with the stress of making appointments and more decisions necessary to find 2nd or 3rd opinions. We made a gut decision that we would stick with my doctor, a colorectal surgeon. He referred me to a top notch radiation oncologist and oncologist, all at the same hospital, which happened to be close to my home.

It was luck that the chemo-radiation shrunk and destroyed the tumor and luck that the 21 lymph nodes removed with most of my rectum were negative for cancer. It was luck that my ileostomy was able to be reversed although the tumor was fairly low. I am lucky that after months of post surgery chemo my CT scans and colonoscopies have shown NED. I was diagnosed in Sept., 2004. I feel I have beaten this rotten, horrible disease.

Luck and good physicians, nurses and great support from my wife, family and friends. I read so many stories of other group members who have shown courage and have beaten all odds against them, but also I read about others who haven't done as well. I don't see any rhyme or reason. You posted a great question and I will keep checking in to see how others answer. One thing I learned, however, is NEVER GIVE UP.

Good post!
Survivor of cc since August 12th 2004, recurrence in 2006, still kicking
1) Faith that God has a purpose for me and it just isn't my time yet
2) Finding humor in all this. Helps tremendously for me AND my loved ones that I don't take this too seriously.
3) Information and LOTS of it! I found everything I could online, ignored those *&^* statistics and participated in a survey project that was seeking information on how to reach other survivors.
4) Maintaining a journal on CaringBridge.org so my loved ones can know how things are going without having to call me (sometimes i couldn't speak because of the decadron or was just too tired!)
5) Letting a friend take charge of arranging help for me, including transportation to and from treatment, sitting with me treatment night to be sure I ate, checking up on me through the week, lawn work, house work, food, you name it! I didn't have to worry about remembering, didn't have to worry about finding people to help. Dena was a GODSEND!
Mary

Super
Hi Andrew,

First, I'm sorry you are fighting this disease, but I'm glad you came to this site. You asked a very good question. Here's my take on it:

1. Research your disease, ask questions of everyone-doctors, nurses, fellow patients. A doctor who gets defensive or obnoxious if questioned is not a doctor you want.

2. Get a really good support base. My friends and sister were my mainstays. My husband was a wreck and not good for much except negative vibes, so surround yourself with positive people and energy

3. Attitude. Sometimes I think that attitude alone can beat this beast into submission. No, not really, but if you are low and have a negative attitude, you can submerge into depression which DOES take a physical toll and uses energy you need to fight the cancer. I found that antidepressants made a world of difference.

4. Watch and ask. I had one unfortunate experience where the wrong meds were hung for my drip, so verify that everything going into your body is the correct thing.

5. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Friends and family feel so helpless in the face of cancer. Usually they welcome the opportunity to do something, anything, to help you fight it. Sometimes I think it's harder on them, because they can't DO anything to make you get better, and they really want you to get better. So accept and ask for help.

That's most of it. The physical aspects of treatment are what they are, but the intangibles are also very important. Keep your spirit uplifted. I am praying for you.

Hugs,
Kirsten

Attitude!
Hello Andrew.

Glad you found this site. It is such a big help to all that come here.

I was Stage 3 colon (Ascending). 12" colon removed. 12 rounds of chemo. As of this past December I am NED! (No Evidence of Disease. I like that better than the word Remission)

1) ATTITUDE. Don't look back. Keep your energy for moving forward. You will need that energy. You can have your "pity me" days BUT...don't let them last. I would have one day (maybe two) right after chemo. Then a few days after, I'd say "enough of that".

2)REST. Your body will tell you when, trust me. I was one that never took naps, would always be "puttzing". While on Chemo, you can't always keep going. You've got to sit down and rest. That's part of the healing process soooo Just Do It! >>>>grin>>>>

3 WATER, WATER, WATER. Drink lots of water. Get those toxins out of your body.

You are stonger than you know.

Best of luck to you. Keep up posted on now you are doing. We are here for you

Claudia

Complex Question
Hi Andrew,

Welcome to the boards.

Stage III sigmoid colon cancer, lymph pos, zero mets. Declined adjuvant chemo of 5-FU and leucovorin. For this reason it's a difficult question to answer because I did so much. I will try my best to narrow it down.

1) NUTRITION -- colon cancer is 80% dietary so that's where I started. I became aware of balancing my pH since cancer prefers acid and cannot live in an alkaline environment. I started juicing fresh organic veggies and drank up to 3 quarts a day....lots of greens. GREEN = LIFE

2) DETOXING -- I cleansed my body, mind, and spirit. I rid myself of toxins -- getting my amalgams removed, did organic coffee enemas, ingested no animal products for 6 months, juiced, ate macrobiotically etc. I got rid of toxic people and gravitated towards uplifting and positive people. This would encompass having a good attitude that others have mentioned. It's hard to maintain a positive attitude if you have a bunch of Eeyores around with their black clouds. I also did some very deep emotional cleansing getting rid of toxic emotions through body work, accupuncture and massage along with counseling and journaling. Getting to the ROOT problem, I believe, is imperative in cancer healing. Cancer is a symptom of a deeper problem on all three levels. (mind, body, spirit). As for detoxing the spirit, I rid myself of dogma and just clung to my Creator, who for me is Jesus. Detoxing the spirit is easier when the other two are being detoxed too. The three are too interconnected to separate for me.

3) EMPOWERMENT -- this includes researching my options in the alternative world, researching what has helped others (just like you are doing) successfully heal from cancer, making decisions that were not always popular with the general thinking in Western Medicine but which were right for me, educating myself in my choices so I could share my successes coherently and intelligently with others who may choose a similar path, questioning typical protocols and keeping vigil on the fact that we are all unique and respond differently...ie, what works for me may not work for you and vice versa, listening to my inner voice and trusting that God will lead me on my path.

Great question.

peace, emily