Husband dx yesterday
I go from being upbeat and positive, to being terrified, to sad - I don't know how I'm going to be able to focus these next few weeks. What questions should I be asking? What should we expect these next few weeks? Any advice and prayers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your support!
Scared Wife
Baltimore, MD.
Comments
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HI TLG
I'm sorry to hear about your husband. Stage III is curable.
) Almost 50% are cured by surgery alone. I was dx'd Stage III on Jan. 2nd with surgery on Jan. 7th 2009. My chemo ended on Aug. 12th. )
Your hubby will not begin chemo for 5 or 6 weeks after his surgery. That's so he can heal up because chemo affects healing. During this time, have hubby get to the dentist for a cleaning and X-Rays. Dental work during chemo can be very, very dangerous.
Hubby will have a port inserted into his upper chest. No big deal. It allows chemo to be given via that instead of through the veins.
Hubby will have chemo every 2 weeks for a total of 12 treatments. He'll wear home a fanny pack pump for 46 hours. Chemo takes about half a day and doesn't hurt. It does cause neuropathy that can last for a year after chemo ends, or forever. It also causes some people to have nausea and almost everyone feels like they've crashed after the pump is disconnected. Chemo on Wed. with disconnect on Friday allows hubby to rest over the weekend.
BTW... our 39 year old son and family live in Baltimore and attend Eastern AOG. Scott is one of the managers at the Tweeter store in Towsend. His wife teaches at the local college. Scott has Celiac Syndrome (a colon issue that puts him at a much higher risk for co)
I will gladly pray for both of you!
Diane0 -
Thanks Dianedianetavegia said:HI TLG
I'm sorry to hear about your husband. Stage III is curable.) Almost 50% are cured by surgery alone. I was dx'd Stage III on Jan. 2nd with surgery on Jan. 7th 2009. My chemo ended on Aug. 12th. )
Your hubby will not begin chemo for 5 or 6 weeks after his surgery. That's so he can heal up because chemo affects healing. During this time, have hubby get to the dentist for a cleaning and X-Rays. Dental work during chemo can be very, very dangerous.
Hubby will have a port inserted into his upper chest. No big deal. It allows chemo to be given via that instead of through the veins.
Hubby will have chemo every 2 weeks for a total of 12 treatments. He'll wear home a fanny pack pump for 46 hours. Chemo takes about half a day and doesn't hurt. It does cause neuropathy that can last for a year after chemo ends, or forever. It also causes some people to have nausea and almost everyone feels like they've crashed after the pump is disconnected. Chemo on Wed. with disconnect on Friday allows hubby to rest over the weekend.
BTW... our 39 year old son and family live in Baltimore and attend Eastern AOG. Scott is one of the managers at the Tweeter store in Towsend. His wife teaches at the local college. Scott has Celiac Syndrome (a colon issue that puts him at a much higher risk for co)
I will gladly pray for both of you!
Diane
Thanks for the encouragement, Diane. He hasn't been staged by his doctors yet - out of curiosity, why do you say stage III?
Congratulations on finishing your chemo! I will definitely be picking your brain over the coming weeks and months. This whole board seems to be really wonderful and encouraging - more so than any other I've found so far.
We live near Towson - in Lutherville. I know where the Tweeter store is! :-)0 -
Welcome
Hi, my husband was diagnosed on April 8th with colon cancer. the doc knew right away his tumors were cancerous, he had a total of 3 tumors. After surgery it took about 7-8 days for the pathology report to come through with a complete diagnosis, 4 out of 30 lymph nodes tested positive for cancer so he is staged at stage 3C. He had all but about 6 inches of his colon removed and today received his 10th treatment. Expect your husband to be in the hospital about 5-8 days, and whenever you think of something don't expect to remember it to ask the docs. Write everything down. I started keeping a journal of meds and procedures that started on 4/8. Every med they gave him in the hospital and since surgery. He has trouble with clotting, so he is on coumadin and that has to be monitored closely. Not everyone has this problem. Remember your doc works for you. If you think your husband will require chemo, start checking out different docs now. Try to find one that is compassionate and will spend time talking to you. His onc will spend as much time with us each visit. The letter explaining what to expect when we first visited him, said "Be prepared to wait." Nicest doc and my husband needed that. You did the right thing by checking out this website. The people on this site are very supportive and always receptive to whatever your needs. Take care and God Bless. Margaret0 -
About 5 Weeks In Front of You
I'm 38 and was Diagnosed on 9/14. My tumor and Ascending Colon was removed on 9/21. 0 for 37 on my Lymphnodes. It's a roller coaster ride. I chose to focus on whatever the next step was and not get caught up in %'s etc. The thing with %'s no matter what they are you don't know which side you'll end up on. I got as much information as I could, found Doc's I was confident in, and assumed things would work out.
My surgery was Laparoscopic. I had some difficulties after surgery. My digestive system went on vacation for a few days, then I had a small infection. Within 2 weeks I was feeling like my old self, just needed to take naps for a while. I return on work this coming Monday.
Now I'm working with my Oncologist to figure out whether to have Chemo or not. . . Again I would worry about that now. Focus on Surgery and recovering from that. I tell you my experience just so you can get a sense for what you may experience. By the way I'm outside of Philly, as a kid I spent summers with my gradmother on the Elk River at the top of the Chesapeake.0 -
This comment has been removed by the Moderatorabmb said:Welcome
Hi, my husband was diagnosed on April 8th with colon cancer. the doc knew right away his tumors were cancerous, he had a total of 3 tumors. After surgery it took about 7-8 days for the pathology report to come through with a complete diagnosis, 4 out of 30 lymph nodes tested positive for cancer so he is staged at stage 3C. He had all but about 6 inches of his colon removed and today received his 10th treatment. Expect your husband to be in the hospital about 5-8 days, and whenever you think of something don't expect to remember it to ask the docs. Write everything down. I started keeping a journal of meds and procedures that started on 4/8. Every med they gave him in the hospital and since surgery. He has trouble with clotting, so he is on coumadin and that has to be monitored closely. Not everyone has this problem. Remember your doc works for you. If you think your husband will require chemo, start checking out different docs now. Try to find one that is compassionate and will spend time talking to you. His onc will spend as much time with us each visit. The letter explaining what to expect when we first visited him, said "Be prepared to wait." Nicest doc and my husband needed that. You did the right thing by checking out this website. The people on this site are very supportive and always receptive to whatever your needs. Take care and God Bless. Margaret0 -
Sparrows PointTLG320 said:Thanks Diane
Thanks for the encouragement, Diane. He hasn't been staged by his doctors yet - out of curiosity, why do you say stage III?
Congratulations on finishing your chemo! I will definitely be picking your brain over the coming weeks and months. This whole board seems to be really wonderful and encouraging - more so than any other I've found so far.
We live near Towson - in Lutherville. I know where the Tweeter store is! :-)
Scott lives in Sparrows Point.) Stop by the store and introduce yourself. He's got a whole group of prayer warriors he calls on.
Hmmm... I thought I read Stage III but am guessing I assumed it because of the extent of the surgery. Has the surgeon implied the tumor broke through the wall?
I'll help any way I can. We have loads of people who've been doing this much longer than I have.
Hubby should start taking Calcium, Vit. D3, NO red meats (eat a Mediterranean Diet), exercise 5 X week and once he's finished with surgery and chemo, 1 full strength aspirin daily.
Click Here0 -
Ms. R: Rectal cancer would
Ms. R: Rectal cancer would be radiation and chemo, surgery, then more chemo. Colon cancer, unless it's spread to other organs, is surgery and then chemo.
Anal cancer is a totally different thing. It's caused by the Human Papilloma Virus, like cervical cancer, and gets different chemo drugs, etc.
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My husband's ascending colonSteve Z said:About 5 Weeks In Front of You
I'm 38 and was Diagnosed on 9/14. My tumor and Ascending Colon was removed on 9/21. 0 for 37 on my Lymphnodes. It's a roller coaster ride. I chose to focus on whatever the next step was and not get caught up in %'s etc. The thing with %'s no matter what they are you don't know which side you'll end up on. I got as much information as I could, found Doc's I was confident in, and assumed things would work out.
My surgery was Laparoscopic. I had some difficulties after surgery. My digestive system went on vacation for a few days, then I had a small infection. Within 2 weeks I was feeling like my old self, just needed to take naps for a while. I return on work this coming Monday.
Now I'm working with my Oncologist to figure out whether to have Chemo or not. . . Again I would worry about that now. Focus on Surgery and recovering from that. I tell you my experience just so you can get a sense for what you may experience. By the way I'm outside of Philly, as a kid I spent summers with my gradmother on the Elk River at the top of the Chesapeake.
My husband's ascending colon is also being removed. Did your surgeon recommend laproscopic surgery, or did you have the option between that and open?
Good luck returning to work on Monday. I'm sure you're looking forward to getting back to a schedule. Keep up posted on whether or not you decide to do Chemo.0 -
How soon after...abmb said:Welcome
Hi, my husband was diagnosed on April 8th with colon cancer. the doc knew right away his tumors were cancerous, he had a total of 3 tumors. After surgery it took about 7-8 days for the pathology report to come through with a complete diagnosis, 4 out of 30 lymph nodes tested positive for cancer so he is staged at stage 3C. He had all but about 6 inches of his colon removed and today received his 10th treatment. Expect your husband to be in the hospital about 5-8 days, and whenever you think of something don't expect to remember it to ask the docs. Write everything down. I started keeping a journal of meds and procedures that started on 4/8. Every med they gave him in the hospital and since surgery. He has trouble with clotting, so he is on coumadin and that has to be monitored closely. Not everyone has this problem. Remember your doc works for you. If you think your husband will require chemo, start checking out different docs now. Try to find one that is compassionate and will spend time talking to you. His onc will spend as much time with us each visit. The letter explaining what to expect when we first visited him, said "Be prepared to wait." Nicest doc and my husband needed that. You did the right thing by checking out this website. The people on this site are very supportive and always receptive to whatever your needs. Take care and God Bless. Margaret
How soon after surgery did you husband begin chemo? How many months is his chemo regimen? Thanks Margaret!0 -
thanks for the infodianetavegia said:Sparrows Point
Scott lives in Sparrows Point.) Stop by the store and introduce yourself. He's got a whole group of prayer warriors he calls on.
Hmmm... I thought I read Stage III but am guessing I assumed it because of the extent of the surgery. Has the surgeon implied the tumor broke through the wall?
I'll help any way I can. We have loads of people who've been doing this much longer than I have.
Hubby should start taking Calcium, Vit. D3, NO red meats (eat a Mediterranean Diet), exercise 5 X week and once he's finished with surgery and chemo, 1 full strength aspirin daily.
Click Here
Neither the surgeon nor gastrointerologist implied that the tumor had broken through the wall. What caught all of this was my husband's anemia - he's had no other symptoms whatsoever. Before the biopsy results even came back, his gastrointerologist said that whatever it was, it needed to come out because of the bleeding. That was his initial reasoning for getting him in for surgery quickly.
Thank you for your prayers, Diane!0 -
Chemo beginsTLG320 said:How soon after...
How soon after surgery did you husband begin chemo? How many months is his chemo regimen? Thanks Margaret!
Chemo begins 5-6 weeks after surgery. It's 12 treatments over approx. 6 months. One every two weeks. FOLFOX is the standard treatment for Stage II, III and other drugs are added for Stage IV's. Tx can be postponed if the WBC's or platelets drop or liver enzymes rise.
FOLFOX is a cocktail of 3 drugs. Pre-treatment is an infusion of a steroid, usually Benadryl or another antihistamine to prevent allergic reactions and a med to prevent nausea.
The pre treatment takes about 30 mins, then the RN starts the chemo. That can take 2 - 4 hours. Some people are given smaller amounts two days in a row. When the chemo ends, the nurse gives a 'bolus', think booster shot, of a chemo drug into the line and then hooks up the fanny pack to wear home for 46 hours.
Diane0 -
This comment has been removed by the Moderatordianetavegia said:Ms. R: Rectal cancer would
Ms. R: Rectal cancer would be radiation and chemo, surgery, then more chemo. Colon cancer, unless it's spread to other organs, is surgery and then chemo.
Anal cancer is a totally different thing. It's caused by the Human Papilloma Virus, like cervical cancer, and gets different chemo drugs, etc.
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Take it a day at a timeunknown said:This comment has been removed by the Moderator
I was diagnosed on July 27, and had surgery on Sept. 3. I too focused on the next steps, never allowing my mind to go beyond that. (I am 45 with three kids). And I agree with not dwelling too much on %'s. True, you never know what side you'll end up on. Every test I did came back with "something" which always turned out to be not much of anything. Doc told me after surgery that the tumor was deep in the wall- and we were all surprised and pleased that I was negative in all 26 nodes! Stage 1- after "all that." Stay in the moment. And experience all the emotions you are experiencing. We have all been there and will hold you through this.0 -
As a stage 4 guy here is
As a stage 4 guy here is some advice:
1) Make sure you are going to a well known cancer center if at all possible. Get a surgeon who has done this before
2) keep all records - start a binder
3)You have plenty of time... but do your research in your area. Find a good onc that you feel comfortable with
4)Accept all help from friends and family and get support for yourself as a caregiver.
I'm sure all will be good.
Chip0 -
I would opt for laproscopicTLG320 said:My husband's ascending colon
My husband's ascending colon is also being removed. Did your surgeon recommend laproscopic surgery, or did you have the option between that and open?
Good luck returning to work on Monday. I'm sure you're looking forward to getting back to a schedule. Keep up posted on whether or not you decide to do Chemo.
I would opt for laproscopic if he is a candidate for it. The recovery is much faster. They will warn you that if things don't go smoothly you can end up with open anyway.
It isn't quite like other laps, because you need an incision large enough to take out the colon. I had one small incision below the bikini line (on a previous scar line), two small incisions upper and lower abdomen on the right side, and a larger incision on the left (about 3 inches). My surgeon says it is the same one he uses for laproscopic appendectemies. I am thrilled with the results of my surgery. I healed quickly, and 7 weeks out you can't hardly even see any scars - it is amazing! (I've had multiple surgeries before, and this was the easiest one.)0 -
I'm a caregiver alsoimpactzone said:As a stage 4 guy here is
As a stage 4 guy here is some advice:
1) Make sure you are going to a well known cancer center if at all possible. Get a surgeon who has done this before
2) keep all records - start a binder
3)You have plenty of time... but do your research in your area. Find a good onc that you feel comfortable with
4)Accept all help from friends and family and get support for yourself as a caregiver.
I'm sure all will be good.
Chip
Hi - I'm sorry to hear about your husband's diagnosis. My partner was dx'd 2 years ago with stage 3 as well (age 49). Chip's suggestions are good ones. We started a notebook right away where we keep track of questions we want to ask, the answers we receive, notes about each visit and procedure and a list of medications. We also picked up business cards from each doctor or nurse that we met with and keep those in the notebook as well. I recently started my own notebook and keep a list of current medications in the front. It comes in really handy if you have to go to the ER or urgent care where they'll need that information.
There's a really great book I'd recommend called The Power of Two: Surviving a Serious Illness with an Attitude and an Advocate, by Gerri and Brian Monaghan. First off, it's a great story (even funny in places) and it's full of really useful tips for caregivers. I think it's about $15 on Amazon.
Take care of yourself through this as well -
wishing you tenacity and courage,
Adrian0 -
Hello and Welcome
Welcome! You will find tons of support on this site and it does help to have people to chat with that are going through the same stuff. I was diagnosed on 4/10/09 and had surgery on 4/12/09. I didn't even have time to think about what was happening. I had a CT scan on 4/9 that showed cancer in my transferse colon, and cancer in half of my liver with cancer in many lymph nodes. My cancer was Stage 4 because it had spread to the lymphatic system and to a major organ. It sounds like they caught your husbands cancer at an early stage since it is not in a major organ like the liver or lungs. When I had my surgery they removed half of my colon and did a biopsy of the liver and removed 16 lymph nodes. There are lymph nodes that are cancerous around the major blood vessel leading to my heart. Due to the danger of removing those lymph nodes they had to leave them there. I started chemo 3 weeks after surgery on 5/4, they wanted to start it on 4/27 (2 weeks after surgery) but I was still feeling pretty miserable from the surgery. My surgical oncologist was involved in the trials for Oxilaplatin which is one of the newest chemos for colon cancer, so I felt really confortable with the decision to have the chemo tx. The side effects from the chemo can be brutal, but just keep saying "it's getting rid of the cancer." I just finished my last round of 12 treatments and have a CT scan in 2 days to see how the chemo worked. I am convinced that it did the trick. Make sure that you let the oncologist know if your husband gets lots of nausea from the chemo. There is no need to be nauseous, there are lots of drugs that can help control it. I have been a nurse for 33 yrs and never thought that I could get cancer, but it happens to lots of people. We on the board are here for you, just ask and people will help as best they can.
Pat0 -
Thoughts and Prayers!
TLG,
You and your husband will be in my thoughts and prayers.
I was diagnosed Oct 6th with Stage IIB SIgmoid colon cancer. My surgery is scheduled for Nov 13th. is going to be laproscopic (if everything goes as planned).
This discussion group has been heaven sent for me. It has helped me through a very difficult time. I have received support here that has helped me wade through all the medical terms and decisions. The folks on here are great! And I don't feel so alone.
My blessings and prayers for you and your husband during this difficult time,
Amy0 -
Well My Dear You Are !!!TLG320 said:You all are amazing!
You'll be hearing more from me in the coming weeks, I'm sure. I am so appreciative of your encouragement and willingness to share your experiences. You are all incredibly strong human beings. I feel as though I'm in very good company!
In the best of company...and in the most knowledgeable bunch of semi colons one could ever meet. You need to first learn how to "b-r-e-a-t-h-e", then proceed with each individual task with him. Take each appt, each scan or whatever it is as another step towards the finish line, and you will both get there, it just takes patience and time. Look at it as spending the quality time with each other that the both of you never could find the time for before now. It will be taxing but manageable...Good luck to both of you,Clift0
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