still in the dark

[Guest guest]

>but test are not showing where the tumor is..I just

> ...no surgery for same reason...waiting is hard but I am

> getting stronger every day from the liver resection so we will

wait..and try

> not to worry...

Hi Kay:

Love your attitude, hope it is contagious. Can I question you a bit

to help clear the air some for me? (and BTW, Best to you)

You must have had a tumor in your colon (tried looking at back posts,

couldn't find it) in order to be here, correct? Then it spread to the

liver, and surgery - now your test are high, but the primary (from

the mets??) needs to be found prior to treatment??

I guess I kinda thought once one had the first tumor removed, then

only what " grows " from then on is mets. (I am not trying to correct

you, I desperately am trying to understand this enemy)

It " appears " you have a growing mets, that is correctly called

another tumor, but it will still always be classified as " colon

cancer? " Once they find it, they look to treat it - is it that you

are recouping from liver operation that they have not put you on

chemo?

My husband Bob is getting chemo prior to removing mass in upper

colon, and doc said only 6-8% do as well with chemo as he has (in

getting CEA down from 32.2 to 16.8 in just 2 treatments). However he

is classified as stage IV colon cancer, it has mets to the abdomen

area, outside his stomach. After 2 or 3 " cycles " of the chemo he is

getting that removed,. and also what is called a " belly wash " to

direct chemo the mets there. Not sure how this all works, believe I

heard doc say this will give him chance of cure ( " will know more in 6

months " )but it is all very frighting for sure. Thought I also heard

him say, this kind of cancer (Bob's is going to be a long haul we

hope,(weird, to say, if you have to have cancer, at least you hope it

is for years!!) to when they have really got this cancer understood

how to cure it- so that is the goal, to be long carrying, til it is

cured)normally doesn't spread to the lungs, liver or spleen. But

wondering then, if it does spread, to where?? (it went to the How

many people with stage IV are ever " cured " if they have had mets??

Wondering out loud, haven't seen much of this (Bob's) --

" intra-abdominal malignancy with metastatic disease to peritoneum. "

Regards and prayers for you too Kay,

Betty

ps. found this site --

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/53/61207.htm - but they are

still guessing, Bob ate far more greens and fruits than me, we eat

red meat some, chicken more. Note this article says don't eat red

meat five times a week, did anyone ever here??