Colon Cancer stage 4 can someone give my dad hope??

elaine77
elaine77 Member Posts: 30
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Hi
My dad was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer 1 year ago. He had 8 months of chemo and the hipec/hot chemo. Everything I read online is so negative and grim is there anyone out there that can give us hope?
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Comments

  • La.Grammy
    La.Grammy Member Posts: 35
    #2
    It has been 2 years for my
    It has been 2 years for my husband & he is still going strong.
    Since his surgery in Sept 2008 he has gained back about 50 pounds, this is all while doing chemo. We will find out on Monday if he will start radiation for the mets to his ribs.
    The 1st doctor that we saw told us he had a 10% chance of being alive in 2 years.
    He didn't listen to him and 2 years later he is still here.
    Don't believe everything you read online.
    Never ever give up!
    Jeannie
  • elaine77
    elaine77 Member Posts: 30
    #3
    La.Grammy said:

    It has been 2 years for my
    It has been 2 years for my husband & he is still going strong.
    Since his surgery in Sept 2008 he has gained back about 50 pounds, this is all while doing chemo. We will find out on Monday if he will start radiation for the mets to his ribs.
    The 1st doctor that we saw told us he had a 10% chance of being alive in 2 years.
    He didn't listen to him and 2 years later he is still here.
    Don't believe everything you read online.
    Never ever give up!
    Jeannie

    Thank you for your words of
    Thank you for your words of hope!
  • Kerry S
    Kerry S Member Posts: 606 Member
    #4
    I don’t even smell bad yet
    There are more of us stage 4 folks making it fine. This March my colon surgeon told me “you are going to be around for a long time”. I am 28 months from DX. The idiot doc that did my chemo said I would be dead by now. I don’t even smell bad yet.

    It is up to his docs and his attitude.
  • John23
    John23 Member Posts: 2,122 Member
    #5
    elaine -
    Re:
    "Everything I read online is so negative and grim is there anyone
    out there that can give us hope?"

    No-one likes a "doomsayer", but ignoring reality can cause
    complacency, and you can't afford to be complacent when
    it comes to fighting cancer. "Hope is good, but reality is better."

    Cancer -is- negative and grim; It's a terminal disease, as statistics
    indicate.

    26% make it 5 yrs or more doing absolutely nothing after surgery.
    Of those that do chemo, the stats are 28%. (The 2% advantage is offset
    by neurological problems, second cancers, heart failures, etc).
    There are exceptions to that, of course.

    A single cancer cell can take between 1 and 2 years to grow large
    enough to be identified as a cancer cell; Try to keep that in mind
    as time passes; you do not want to be "blind-sided" by false hope.

    Take a real deep breath and understand the seriousness of cancer.
    Try as hard as you can to understand and comprehend the real
    statistics of the survival rate.

    Yes, statistics can be tweaked and skewed to fit an argument, but
    they are -real- figures representing the survival rate (those numbers
    are echoed here, as you are noticing with our membership).

    You have to know and understand what you are fighting, because
    you can't fight successfully anything that you can't comprehend
    the power of....

    Once you accept the seriousness, and the likely outcome, you
    can fight cancer in any manner you feel it should be fought.

    Do your absolute best not to allow fear to drive you to do things that
    are not in your best interest.

    There are good physicians that can do wonders with chemo
    and radiation, and there are good alternatives also. But.... there
    are quacks and snake oil among them all.

    Try not to put all your trust in any one physician, or any one type
    of practice or remedy, regardless of what that might be..

    Take your time to research as much as you can, and try to build
    the immune system up as much as possible to enable the body to fight.

    There are no guarantees with life, but it's not something most
    of us thought we'd ever be thinking about right now.

    Things will be fine.


    Good health,

    John
  • PhillieG
    PhillieG Member Posts: 4,866 Member
    #6
    Hi Elaine
    I'm in my 50's and have been living with Stage IV Colon Cancer for over 6 1/2 years now. I am not totally rid of it yet (or possibly will not be rid of it ever) but I have been living a mostly happy, enjoyable life through out this ordeal. It's not always great but it's far from being all bad.

    While cancer stinks, please remember that cancer is NOT a terminal disease.
    Many people get through cancer and go on to live a long time.

    I don't think it does a person much good to be looking too deeply into statistics, the data is usually real old and it's also somewhat skewed. Rarely do people have the exact same responses to treatments or to the disease either.

    Best wishes to your Dad.
    -phil
  • elaine77
    elaine77 Member Posts: 30
    #7
    PhillieG said:

    Hi Elaine
    I'm in my 50's and have been living with Stage IV Colon Cancer for over 6 1/2 years now. I am not totally rid of it yet (or possibly will not be rid of it ever) but I have been living a mostly happy, enjoyable life through out this ordeal. It's not always great but it's far from being all bad.

    While cancer stinks, please remember that cancer is NOT a terminal disease.
    Many people get through cancer and go on to live a long time.

    I don't think it does a person much good to be looking too deeply into statistics, the data is usually real old and it's also somewhat skewed. Rarely do people have the exact same responses to treatments or to the disease either.

    Best wishes to your Dad.
    -phil

    I really appreciate the time
    I really appreciate the time and words of encouragement that everyone has shared with me. You have given me such hope out there. I wish everyone and their families the absolute best please keep me posted on your progress.
  • hoya1973
    hoya1973 Member Posts: 37
    #8
    elaine77 said:

    I really appreciate the time
    I really appreciate the time and words of encouragement that everyone has shared with me. You have given me such hope out there. I wish everyone and their families the absolute best please keep me posted on your progress.

    You Are Not Alone
    I also appreciate the reinforcement of hope. I am a recent stage IV dx and through 7 rounds of chemo so far. Every day is special and I remain optomistic for many years to come. I only wish there were more frequent status reports but the PET scans are expensive...
  • elaine77
    elaine77 Member Posts: 30
    #9
    hoya1973 said:

    You Are Not Alone
    I also appreciate the reinforcement of hope. I am a recent stage IV dx and through 7 rounds of chemo so far. Every day is special and I remain optomistic for many years to come. I only wish there were more frequent status reports but the PET scans are expensive...

    hoya1973 keep strong best
    hoya1973 keep strong best of luck to you keep us posted
  • geotina
    geotina Member Posts: 2,111 Member
    #10
    Elaine
    My hubby was diagnosed 3/09, Stage IV, mets (lots) to liver and lungs. He is alive and well and we are currently at our cottage for a weekend (even with the rain). Does he still have cancer, yes, does he still work full time, yes. Does he enjoy life, yes. In fact, we are taking a trip in August.

    If you look at the date of publication on the internet stuff, it is usually a few years old, so my best advise is, stop reading. Took me some time, but I haven't looked at it in six months or so. Just read about treatment, procedures he is about to undergo. Better yet, come on here, post a new discussion, and people who have had that procedure will respond with their personal experience. It's not medical advise, just their experience so you have a good idea what to expect from people who have gone through it.

    Some people do very well with this disease, some do not, its a crap shoot but I can tell you we do not sit around waiting for the other shoe to drop, if it does, we will deal with it then.

    Best regards - Tina
  • Lisa_R
    Lisa_R Member Posts: 59
    #11
    i am 3 years strong with st
    i am 3 years strong with st 4 c c ...
  • Nana b
    Nana b Member Posts: 3,030 Member
    #12
    Lisa_R said:

    i am 3 years strong with st
    i am 3 years strong with st 4 c c ...

    Encouragement has to come
    Encouragement has to come from deep within. We can tell you anything you want to hear but unless you actually feel it, there is nothing that we can do for someone. You see people die from this disease, it's going to happen, we can only hope that we are in the 26 percentile that will live.

    I am stage !V, I am NED, and everyday I wake up with a good attitude, not because I make myself feel that way but because I do. I am thankful for today, and with that attitude you take care of tomorrow!

    Live for today....tomorrow is around the corner!

    Hugs!
  • drookID
    drookID Member Posts: 20
    #13
    Still kickin'
    We are currently spending a week long vacation with my dad who was diagnosed almost 7 years ago (stage 4 over five years ago). He has never been NED, but has lived life to the fullest every day!
  • elaine77
    elaine77 Member Posts: 30
    #14
    drookID said:

    Still kickin'
    We are currently spending a week long vacation with my dad who was diagnosed almost 7 years ago (stage 4 over five years ago). He has never been NED, but has lived life to the fullest every day!

    Thank you everyone I am glad
    Thank you everyone I am glad everyone is doing so well. Ok so I am new to this what does NED mean? Also has anyone done the hipec? Does anyone see any drs in the city that they can recommend?
  • Nana b
    Nana b Member Posts: 3,030 Member
    #15
    elaine77 said:

    Thank you everyone I am glad
    Thank you everyone I am glad everyone is doing so well. Ok so I am new to this what does NED mean? Also has anyone done the hipec? Does anyone see any drs in the city that they can recommend?

    NED is good
    NED, no evidence of disease, what city?
  • elaine77
    elaine77 Member Posts: 30
    #16
    Nana b said:

    NED is good
    NED, no evidence of disease, what city?

    In Manhattan

    In Manhattan
  • geotina
    geotina Member Posts: 2,111 Member
    #17
    elaine77 said:

    In Manhattan

    In Manhattan

    Manhatten
    If you are in Manhatten, Sloan is one of the best hospitals. I think it is #2 in the country. Many on this board treat at Sloan and some travel a long distance for tretment there. If you need the names of their doctors start a new discussion and they will come on and let you know.

    #1 in the country is M. D. Andeson in Houston.

    Best Regards - Tina
  • Left Coaster
    Left Coaster Member Posts: 25
    #18
    Stage IV is not curable ... but is manageable
    As it stands right now stage IV colorectal cancer is not curable. This is a fact. It is also a fact that people are living longer these days with the disease. Looking at the treatment as treating a chronic disease rather then a terminal one is becoming more of a norm in my world. What I mean by this is that I am young (relatively speaking) and with that comes a higher white cell count that can manufacture the cells that will fight off the disease and the chemicals introduced to kill the cancer and/or slow the growth of the tumors. Be diligent in monitoring the disease and insist on treatment as quickly as possible when there is a recurrence. I have lived long enough to be the first patient my Neurosurgeon has seen with colorectal mets to the brain (does that make me a **** head?, ha ha pardon the lanuage I couldn't resist).

    Enjoy now and stay informed.
  • PhillieG
    PhillieG Member Posts: 4,866 Member
    #19
    Left Coaster said:

    Stage IV is not curable ... but is manageable
    As it stands right now stage IV colorectal cancer is not curable. This is a fact. It is also a fact that people are living longer these days with the disease. Looking at the treatment as treating a chronic disease rather then a terminal one is becoming more of a norm in my world. What I mean by this is that I am young (relatively speaking) and with that comes a higher white cell count that can manufacture the cells that will fight off the disease and the chemicals introduced to kill the cancer and/or slow the growth of the tumors. Be diligent in monitoring the disease and insist on treatment as quickly as possible when there is a recurrence. I have lived long enough to be the first patient my Neurosurgeon has seen with colorectal mets to the brain (does that make me a **** head?, ha ha pardon the lanuage I couldn't resist).

    Enjoy now and stay informed.

    Wait a minute!
    You have your facts mixed up. You say that "As it stands right now stage IV colorectal cancer is not curable. This is a fact. It is also a fact that people are living longer these days with the disease."

    It IS curable. Maybe not always but it is sometimes curable. It can also become a chronic disease like you said but to say that it is not curable is just plain incorrect.
    -phil
  • Left Coaster
    Left Coaster Member Posts: 25
    #20
    PhillieG said:

    Wait a minute!
    You have your facts mixed up. You say that "As it stands right now stage IV colorectal cancer is not curable. This is a fact. It is also a fact that people are living longer these days with the disease."

    It IS curable. Maybe not always but it is sometimes curable. It can also become a chronic disease like you said but to say that it is not curable is just plain incorrect.
    -phil

    Ok
    I'm sorry maybe my oncologist is not aware of this cure you speak of, what is it?
  • PhillieG
    PhillieG Member Posts: 4,866 Member
    #21
    Left Coaster said:

    Ok
    I'm sorry maybe my oncologist is not aware of this cure you speak of, what is it?

    Not a problem
    It's called surgery and chemo.
    It's also called surgery and juicing.
    It's also called surgery and TCM.

    Not everyone who has stage IV colon cancer dies from it.
    I'm surprised your oncologist is not aware of that.
    True, there is no pill that magically "cures" cancer but to suggest that if you have stage IV CC that no one gets through it is plain reckless at best and of no use to anyone on the site. What stage are you? I see no info about any diagnosis you have. Do you even have cancer?

    Or maybe we just have a bunch of people on the site who are dead and don't know it yet?

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