Recurring colon cancer in ovary

Hey Rita!
Hehe... ok, I'm jumping in here but have to say that I did NOT have the cancer spread to my ovaries, most likely because I had an "oops" hysterectomy (totally different story, nothing to do with colon cancer) back in 2001... 5 years before we ever found the colon cancer. So who knows if it would have spread to my ovaries or not. BUT, something you said was soooo true.... cancer finds all kinds of hiding places and it's impossible to eliminate all the hiding places because that would mean taking out every organ and tissue in the body (although, once again I must wonder if that wouldn't be the ultimate diet plan that would work for me .

But... hiding places. I guess the one thing those of us who are stage 4 (only that number because the cancer has spread from the primary location) have to remember is that once we are stage 4 that means there ARE cancer cells throughout our body, all looking for those hiding places so they can take up home and start to grow. Our modern technology, as wonderful as it is, can only detect cancer cells once they have gotten big enough to detect... and for them to do that, it means they have taken root somewhere and started to grow. So, we can't treat, surgically or with treatments, something we can't detect. When one is in a stage of not being able to detect the cells, that is the infamous acronym "NED" (No Evidence of Disease). The key word here being "evidence"... our technology can not detect any cancer cell that is big enough to detect, but alas, id does not mean the cancer has left the building. People sometimes confuse being NED with being "cured", or thinking they are cancer-free... and then are devastated when the cancer comes back. The cancer never left, it was just too small to detect.

So, does that sound depressing? Not at all. We all have been diagnosed with cancer... and we all are at different stages. Stage 4, of course, is not the best diagnosis to be given but it does NOT mean guaranteed death, although highly unlikely we will ever get rid of the stigma that it does. If anyone is going to die from their cancer, they are most likely a Stage 4 patient, but Stage 4 does not mean an automatic death sentence. What it does mean... is we have the advantage over all our friends and family and community that we are now on the medical system's radar. We are being watched like hawks and the minute cancer does rear it's ugly little head, no matter where in the body, our medical team jumps on it and treats it. Depending on where and what... it may require surgery to remove it, followed up by chemo/radiation to make sure the ground is now sterile... or it may mean non-surgical methods. Some may end up doing chemo for long periods of time to make sure those pesky cells are killed and any others that are floating around in our system

Treatments are our friends. NED does not mean cancer-free, but it does mean a break from treatments (they aren't going to treat something they can't see and waste the ammunition that we might need later). Stats can be scary, but we are all individuals so do not fall into a nice, tidy stat. Youth, health and a positive attitude go a long way to supplementing any medical procedure/treatment.

If I listened to the stats, which I did at first because I was terrified, and they only scared me all the more... I would not have left the hospital. I was given the talk to get my affairs in order WHILE I was in the hospital because there was a good chance I wouldn't be leaving the hospital alive. Talk about terrified. But I came through with flying colours... no sooner started my chemo/radiation treatments and was told as a Stage 4, the prognosis is not good -- 2 month - 24 months max. That was back in Mar 2007.

I am on the oral pill, Xeloda, because two tumours have decided to start growing in my lungs and they found a growth in my kidney. Ok, the lung tumours we knew about... the kidney growth is new. Am I terrified? Naaaa... it means the darn cells have taken root so we have to treat them. I go for a CT scan on Fri and will find out next week if the Xeloda is doing it's job in shrinking the lung tumours. The kidney one... we shall see if the chemo affects it, if not, then it's not colon cancer... if it responds, then we know it's a colon cancer met. Either way, it is being treated, as are the ones in the lungs. Do I like knowing I have these? No! But I'm confident that we can keep them under control... and that's the goal. If we can keep it under control until I'm oh, in my late 80s, then I'll be a happy camper

Hang in there... and try not to panic every time you hear something new and/or scary. Modern Medicine is fabulous, but can be scary if you are the recipient.

Oh... and welcome to the BOARD!! Lots of fabulous people here

Cheryl