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Report post · September 17, 2005

Stage 2 is very manageable and he will be done before you know it.

You are right all these things CAN happen but that DOES NOT mean they WILL.

My husband who is Stage 4 has been on the more common chemos and never had a

lot of the side effects. For every side effect there are things to relieve

it.

Since your husband had the surgery you may want to talk about his having

Imodium on hand for any diarrhea. It should ease up as he heals.

The fatigue is a given. He will need to get more rest. If it is more severe

there is Procrit to boost his red counts and give him more energy, although

not as dramatically as the TV ads!!

( I slept all day and now I run marathons. YEAH RIGHT FAT CHANCE!!)

Try not to get too concerned yet. You will find the chemo nurses are your

best support they are generally very patient and will make sure you have lots

of information. Don't be afraid to ask them to explain things.

As for the ulcer thing yes it CAN happen. My husband has it but he had Acid

reflux for YEARS before he got cancer and has been on chemo with few breaks

for 26 months!!!

Phil is Stage 4 and was in very bad shape at diagnosis. In fact it looked

doubtful he would be

here much longer than a few months!! But he is still here works full time

and for the most part

he has been feeling pretty good.

So please remember while I know it looks so dark and scary right now there

is lots of light at the end of the tunnel! Hang in there we are here for both

of you

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< >>>>>>>>>>>

Narice

Report post · September 17, 2005

Stage 2 is very manageable and he will be done before you know it.

You are right all these things CAN happen but that DOES NOT mean they WILL.

My husband who is Stage 4 has been on the more common chemos and never had a

lot of the side effects. For every side effect there are things to relieve

it.

Since your husband had the surgery you may want to talk about his having

Imodium on hand for any diarrhea. It should ease up as he heals.

The fatigue is a given. He will need to get more rest. If it is more severe

there is Procrit to boost his red counts and give him more energy, although

not as dramatically as the TV ads!!

( I slept all day and now I run marathons. YEAH RIGHT FAT CHANCE!!)

Try not to get too concerned yet. You will find the chemo nurses are your

best support they are generally very patient and will make sure you have lots

of information. Don't be afraid to ask them to explain things.

As for the ulcer thing yes it CAN happen. My husband has it but he had Acid

reflux for YEARS before he got cancer and has been on chemo with few breaks

for 26 months!!!

Phil is Stage 4 and was in very bad shape at diagnosis. In fact it looked

doubtful he would be

here much longer than a few months!! But he is still here works full time

and for the most part

he has been feeling pretty good.

So please remember while I know it looks so dark and scary right now there

is lots of light at the end of the tunnel! Hang in there we are here for both

of you

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< >>>>>>>>>>>

Narice

Report post · September 17, 2005

Hi, Ingrid. The pathology report after surgery said " 14 lymph nodes

with reactive changes without evidence of metastatic tumor. " The

pathology diagnosis mentioned " AJCC Stage: II A "

Thank you for your prayers. Greatly appreciated.

~Deb from Kansas

> > Hi, everyone. On August 19 we found out that my husband has

colon

> > cancer. His CEA was 3.9, and his surgery was August 26, 2005.

The

> > surgery lasted for 3 hours and 15 minutes. Not sure if that was a

> > good time or not. From the position of his body during the

operation,

> > fluids drained into his chest and he was almost in heart

failure, but

> > thank God they pulled him out of it. He had a " failed epidural "

which

> > is still sore. He is having a very difficult recovery because

when he

> > had the colonoscopy he also had a gastric exam. After a couple

weeks

> > the GI doc put him on medication for h-pylori in the stomach. My

son

> > had

> > been told that the CT scan showed the tumor was confined to the

> > colon,

> > but when the surgeon opened him up, cancer cells were found in

the

> > fat surrounding the colon. So he needs chemotherapy and

radiation

> > concurrently for 5 weeks, then additional radiation for 6

months.

> >

> > Thanks for letting me join your group. Prayers needed here.

> > ~Deb from Kansas

Report post · September 17, 2005

Hi, Ingrid. The pathology report after surgery said " 14 lymph nodes

with reactive changes without evidence of metastatic tumor. " The

pathology diagnosis mentioned " AJCC Stage: II A "

Thank you for your prayers. Greatly appreciated.

~Deb from Kansas

> > Hi, everyone. On August 19 we found out that my husband has

colon

> > cancer. His CEA was 3.9, and his surgery was August 26, 2005.

The

> > surgery lasted for 3 hours and 15 minutes. Not sure if that was a

> > good time or not. From the position of his body during the

operation,

> > fluids drained into his chest and he was almost in heart

failure, but

> > thank God they pulled him out of it. He had a " failed epidural "

which

> > is still sore. He is having a very difficult recovery because

when he

> > had the colonoscopy he also had a gastric exam. After a couple

weeks

> > the GI doc put him on medication for h-pylori in the stomach. My

son

> > had

> > been told that the CT scan showed the tumor was confined to the

> > colon,

> > but when the surgeon opened him up, cancer cells were found in

the

> > fat surrounding the colon. So he needs chemotherapy and

radiation

> > concurrently for 5 weeks, then additional radiation for 6

months.

> >

> > Thanks for letting me join your group. Prayers needed here.

> > ~Deb from Kansas

Report post · September 18, 2005

Hi Deb:

If your husband is only stage 2 there is great room for hope that he will be

well soon.

You are very lucky. I thought, however, that chemo generally wasn't used

for stage 2 -- I must be wrong but I would like to know from others what the

general rule is.

I am Stage 4 with liver metastasis and I am on chemo. My chemo is what most

begin with: Folfox or Oxaliplatin/Leucovorin and 5FU. I also receive

Avastin every time I go in for chemo which is the drug that cuts off the blood

supply to the tumor (there is a great deal of info on Avastin on the Avastin

website).

Each person reacts differently to the treatment. I am having a HORRIBLE

time with it. I go in for my 4th treatment on Tuesday (it lasts 3 days).

After

the second treatment, I was in the Emergency Room with horrible pain in my

lower abdomen and fever. I had to skip an additional week before having my

third treatment and they reduced the dosage somewhat (I think by 20%).

I am very sick during my chemo days and it lasts until the 7th day. Nausea,

extreme fatigue, elevated heart rate (about 130 resting). I also have

damage to my joints. It is now hard to walk without pain and all my joints

(knees, ankles, fingers, back) are stiff and painful. My hair on top of my

head is

beginning to thin.

On the other hand, there are many in our group who seem to tolerate the

chemo very well and even some who can work. (I am a lawyer and I cannot

imagine

being able to work during this.) Hopefully, your husband will do well.

Please keep us posted and I wish you the very best.

in California

---------------------------------

Yahoo! for Good

Click here to donate to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Report post · September 18, 2005

In a message dated 9/18/2005 1:07:01 PM Eastern Standard Time,

flytodeb@... writes:

Thank you for the message, Narice. You are a very strong lady. I hope that I

can become less of a crybaby here. It seems that the more knowledge you

have, the less scared you are. I don't mean you, I mean me. haha

Glad to hear your husband is doing well. I'm praying for all of the people

on here, too.

~Deb from Kansas

Hey Deb,

First of all YOU ARE NOT A CRY BABY All of us here remember the day our

world came crashing in around us when the doctor said it was cancer.

Take the time (what's that) to check out the files section of the websites

there are some of our stories there and lots and lots of information.

Let us know when you get more information this week and hey what is hubby's

name?

Narice

Report post · September 18, 2005

In a message dated 9/18/2005 1:13:01 PM Eastern Standard Time,

flytodeb@... writes:

Thank you, Ingrid. Your message on chemo is very reassuring. If some people

do really well and can even go to work, are they able to drive their car? I

hadn't thought about him being able to drive or not. When I find out what kind

of chemo he will get, I will write back. TY

~Deb from Kansas

Actually you'd be surprised sometimes the nurses and volunteers have to ask

which one of you is the patient??!! Yes, he can drive on chemo.

Narice

Report post · September 18, 2005

In a message dated 9/18/2005 1:13:01 PM Eastern Standard Time,

flytodeb@... writes:

Thank you, Ingrid. Your message on chemo is very reassuring. If some people

do really well and can even go to work, are they able to drive their car? I

hadn't thought about him being able to drive or not. When I find out what kind

of chemo he will get, I will write back. TY

~Deb from Kansas

Actually you'd be surprised sometimes the nurses and volunteers have to ask

which one of you is the patient??!! Yes, he can drive on chemo.

Narice

Report post · September 18, 2005

In a message dated 9/18/2005 1:13:01 PM Eastern Standard Time,

flytodeb@... writes:

Thank you, Ingrid. Your message on chemo is very reassuring. If some people

do really well and can even go to work, are they able to drive their car? I

hadn't thought about him being able to drive or not. When I find out what kind

of chemo he will get, I will write back. TY

~Deb from Kansas

Actually you'd be surprised sometimes the nurses and volunteers have to ask

which one of you is the patient??!! Yes, he can drive on chemo.

Narice

Report post · September 18, 2005

Hi, . I haven't read in the archives yet, still reading through the

messages in my inbox. Hope you and your loved ones are well. Thank you for the

welcome.

~Deb from Kansas

sftfemme@... wrote:

Hello Deb,

Welcome to the group. I'm in Kansas also, Wichita. I hope your husband does

well with his treatments.

---------------------------------

Yahoo! for Good

Click here to donate to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.

Report post · September 18, 2005

Thank you for the message, Narice. You are a very strong lady. I hope that I can

become less of a crybaby here. It seems that the more knowledge you have, the

less scared you are. I don't mean you, I mean me. haha

Glad to hear your husband is doing well. I'm praying for all of the people on

here, too.

~Deb from Kansas

flipper759@... wrote:

Stage 2 is very manageable and he will be done before you know it.

You are right all these things CAN happen but that DOES NOT mean they WILL.

My husband who is Stage 4 has been on the more common chemos and never had a

lot of the side effects. For every side effect there are things to relieve

it.

Since your husband had the surgery you may want to talk about his having

Imodium on hand for any diarrhea. It should ease up as he heals.

The fatigue is a given. He will need to get more rest. If it is more severe

there is Procrit to boost his red counts and give him more energy, although

not as dramatically as the TV ads!!

( I slept all day and now I run marathons. YEAH RIGHT FAT CHANCE!!)

Try not to get too concerned yet. You will find the chemo nurses are your

best support they are generally very patient and will make sure you have lots

of information. Don't be afraid to ask them to explain things.

As for the ulcer thing yes it CAN happen. My husband has it but he had Acid

reflux for YEARS before he got cancer and has been on chemo with few breaks

for 26 months!!!

Phil is Stage 4 and was in very bad shape at diagnosis. In fact it looked

doubtful he would be

here much longer than a few months!! But he is still here works full time

and for the most part

he has been feeling pretty good.

So please remember while I know it looks so dark and scary right now there

is lots of light at the end of the tunnel! Hang in there we are here for both

of you

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< >>>>>>>>>>>

Narice

__________________________________________________

Report post · September 18, 2005

Thank you for the message, Narice. You are a very strong lady. I hope that I can

become less of a crybaby here. It seems that the more knowledge you have, the

less scared you are. I don't mean you, I mean me. haha

Glad to hear your husband is doing well. I'm praying for all of the people on

here, too.

~Deb from Kansas

flipper759@... wrote:

Stage 2 is very manageable and he will be done before you know it.

You are right all these things CAN happen but that DOES NOT mean they WILL.

My husband who is Stage 4 has been on the more common chemos and never had a

lot of the side effects. For every side effect there are things to relieve

it.

Since your husband had the surgery you may want to talk about his having

Imodium on hand for any diarrhea. It should ease up as he heals.

The fatigue is a given. He will need to get more rest. If it is more severe

there is Procrit to boost his red counts and give him more energy, although

not as dramatically as the TV ads!!

( I slept all day and now I run marathons. YEAH RIGHT FAT CHANCE!!)

Try not to get too concerned yet. You will find the chemo nurses are your

best support they are generally very patient and will make sure you have lots

of information. Don't be afraid to ask them to explain things.

As for the ulcer thing yes it CAN happen. My husband has it but he had Acid

reflux for YEARS before he got cancer and has been on chemo with few breaks

for 26 months!!!

Phil is Stage 4 and was in very bad shape at diagnosis. In fact it looked

doubtful he would be

here much longer than a few months!! But he is still here works full time

and for the most part

he has been feeling pretty good.

So please remember while I know it looks so dark and scary right now there

is lots of light at the end of the tunnel! Hang in there we are here for both

of you

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< >>>>>>>>>>>

Narice

__________________________________________________

Report post · September 18, 2005

Thank you for the message, Narice. You are a very strong lady. I hope that I can

become less of a crybaby here. It seems that the more knowledge you have, the

less scared you are. I don't mean you, I mean me. haha

Glad to hear your husband is doing well. I'm praying for all of the people on

here, too.

~Deb from Kansas

flipper759@... wrote:

Stage 2 is very manageable and he will be done before you know it.

You are right all these things CAN happen but that DOES NOT mean they WILL.

My husband who is Stage 4 has been on the more common chemos and never had a

lot of the side effects. For every side effect there are things to relieve

it.

Since your husband had the surgery you may want to talk about his having

Imodium on hand for any diarrhea. It should ease up as he heals.

The fatigue is a given. He will need to get more rest. If it is more severe

there is Procrit to boost his red counts and give him more energy, although

not as dramatically as the TV ads!!

( I slept all day and now I run marathons. YEAH RIGHT FAT CHANCE!!)

Try not to get too concerned yet. You will find the chemo nurses are your

best support they are generally very patient and will make sure you have lots

of information. Don't be afraid to ask them to explain things.

As for the ulcer thing yes it CAN happen. My husband has it but he had Acid

reflux for YEARS before he got cancer and has been on chemo with few breaks

for 26 months!!!

Phil is Stage 4 and was in very bad shape at diagnosis. In fact it looked

doubtful he would be

here much longer than a few months!! But he is still here works full time

and for the most part

he has been feeling pretty good.

So please remember while I know it looks so dark and scary right now there

is lots of light at the end of the tunnel! Hang in there we are here for both

of you

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< >>>>>>>>>>>

Narice

__________________________________________________

Report post · September 18, 2005

Thank you, Ingrid. Your message on chemo is very reassuring. If some people do

really well and can even go to work, are they able to drive their car? I hadn't

thought about him being able to drive or not. When I find out what kind of chemo

he will get, I will write back. TY

~Deb from Kansas

Ingrid Lowe lowenco@...> wrote:

Hi Deb from Kansas, The fact that your husband is a stage 11 and no

lymph node involvement is a very good factor.

As for the chemo your being overly concerned. Yes, chemo can be

rough but for most the side effects are bearable. I was on Folfox

(Oxyplatinym(sp?) 5-FU and Leacovarin) which I suspect will be

recomended to your husband. Of course you will not know for sure till

you talk to your Oncoligist.

They control the nausea and vomitting with anti-nausea medication

which works very well. If your husband has any diareaha that can be

controlled very easily also. They take his blood counts before each

chemo treatment. If they are low then he will not have the chemo.

They are very careful of this. There are medications that help bring

the blood counts back up if they drop too low. If he has the OXY then

he may or may not have the hand foot syndrome. Most do have it. Those

side effects ussually disappear once chemo is finsihed. On some that

has lingered for several months but it does eventially go away.

He will be able to eat normally on chemo. Some even work while on

chemo. So do not get yourself too worried yet. Many here have

tolerated the chemo regiments quite well. Some expeirence fatigue and

that is common. It may last for a day or too but will get better on

your off chemo days. If fatigue persits it ussually indicates low

blood counts.

Chemo is not like it used to be. They have come a long ways with it

and have done a lot to control the side effects. Your ONC will

explain all that to you. Until your husband starts chemo you will not

know for sure how he will tolerate it and what side effects he will

have. All people are different and many react differently.

When will your husband be seeing the ONC?

Just take it one day at a time and let him go through the healing

process for now. They do want him healed before they start any chemo.

Best to you and your husband, Ingrid

---------------------------------

Yahoo! for Good

Click here to donate to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.

Report post · September 18, 2005

Deb from Kansas, My chemo treatments were an hour and ten minute

drive from my house. My husband took the day off of work for my first

three day treatment. My chemo was on three days and off twelve. That

is standard for the FolFox. After that I did the next 11 treatments

driving myself. Yes, you can drive on chemo. The side effects of

fatigue ussually do not hit till the third day. And yes, you can

still functioin while being tired. Of cource since the infusions take

four to five hours he can nap there too. Praying for you and your

husband. Ingrid

> Hi Deb from Kansas, The fact that your husband is a stage 11 and no

> lymph node involvement is a very good factor.

> As for the chemo your being overly concerned. Yes, chemo can be

> rough but for most the side effects are bearable. I was on Folfox

> (Oxyplatinym(sp?) 5-FU and Leacovarin) which I suspect will be

> recomended to your husband. Of course you will not know for sure

till

> you talk to your Oncoligist.

> They control the nausea and vomitting with anti-nausea medication

> which works very well. If your husband has any diareaha that can be

> controlled very easily also. They take his blood counts before each

> chemo treatment. If they are low then he will not have the chemo.

> They are very careful of this. There are medications that help

bring

> the blood counts back up if they drop too low. If he has the OXY

then

> he may or may not have the hand foot syndrome. Most do have it.

Those

> side effects ussually disappear once chemo is finsihed. On some

that

> has lingered for several months but it does eventially go away.

> He will be able to eat normally on chemo. Some even work while on

> chemo. So do not get yourself too worried yet. Many here have

> tolerated the chemo regiments quite well. Some expeirence fatigue

and

> that is common. It may last for a day or too but will get better on

> your off chemo days. If fatigue persits it ussually indicates low

> blood counts.

> Chemo is not like it used to be. They have come a long ways with

it

> and have done a lot to control the side effects. Your ONC will

> explain all that to you. Until your husband starts chemo you will

not

> know for sure how he will tolerate it and what side effects he will

> have. All people are different and many react differently.

> When will your husband be seeing the ONC?

> Just take it one day at a time and let him go through the healing

> process for now. They do want him healed before they start any

chemo.

> Best to you and your husband, Ingrid

>

> ---------------------------------

> Yahoo! for Good

> Click here to donate to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.

>

Report post · September 18, 2005