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Whatever the docs tell you about survival rates, remember that they are averages and based on groups of people, not individuals. We all hear of people who are still alive long after the "average" time interval has gone by.
Just listen to what they tell you, and if you are uncertain, get a second opinion.
Folks with advanced cancers may want to consider being treated in a larger center and think about participating in a clinical trial.
Hi, I'm known as WannaComeHome - because we've been planning on moving back to my home state (NH) on retirement at the end of next year. But...
DH just got diagnosed with stage 4 rectal cancer - metasthesized to his liver. and I'm really scared. we see an oncologist and the surgeon tomorrow, so at the moment it's all we known.
I'm sorry to hear of that news. Here's the link to the rectal info site at Dana Farber:
I think it's helpful to reach out to others who have been affected by the same cancer. Dana Farber has some group info on their site. Hopefully the hospital more local does too.
He got the mediport installed today, and goes for a PETscan tomorrow morning. Our doctors use a hospital that is maybe 20 min away and part of the Johns Hopkins conglomerate. I'm familiar with Dana Farber- my brother (incidentally named Dana!) was transferred there when he had cancer almost 4 years ago. I know it has a great reputation, but I was rather annoyed that they were constantly bothering him about doing biopsies all the time because each one they did was inconclusive. It was obvious to everyone in the family that he was in end stage lung cancer and they kept wanting to do more tests! so, I know it's a good place, but I'm still annoyed with them. I'll check out the link though - more info is a good thing!
He got the mediport installed today, and goes for a PETscan tomorrow morning. Our doctors use a hospital that is maybe 20 min away and part of the Johns Hopkins conglomerate. I'm familiar with Dana Farber- my brother (incidentally named Dana!) was transferred there when he had cancer almost 4 years ago. I know it has a great reputation, but I was rather annoyed that they were constantly bothering him about doing biopsies all the time because each one they did was inconclusive. It was obvious to everyone in the family that he was in end stage lung cancer and they kept wanting to do more tests! so, I know it's a good place, but I'm still annoyed with them. I'll check out the link though - more info is a good thing!
If you happen to come north again, Dana Farber would be an excellent choice. I provided the link just in case you found info our resources not found at your local hospital. (I know Johns Hopkins is considered to be one of the best facilities in the country, so, I'm sure your husband is in good hands.) With your husband being stage IV, perhaps there would be some clinical trials that might be of interest.
I wanted to ask you, if you don't mind, your husband's age and any symptoms he had prior to being diagnosed. I ask in particular b/c many of the digestive tract cancers do not get diagnosed in a timely fashion and can be difficult to treat. (My dad died of pancreatic cancer last year ... his cancer metasticized (sp?) to his lungs and then the brain. Spreading the word on symptoms and just education in general about the cancer is important). So, I am curious to learn about you and your husband's experience with his cancer.
If you happen to come north again, Dana Farber would be an excellent choice.
the plan is to move to NH at the end of next year. I just hope we get to stick to our plans!
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With your husband being stage IV, perhaps there would be some clinical trials that might be of interest.
technically, we don't know for certain that he's stage IV - the biopsy results haven't come back - or if they did, we haven't see whoever has them yet to find out. hopefully next week. My brother corrected me: while all stage IV have metasthesized, not all metastatics are stage IV - and while I mentioned it to the GI and he said 'yes', he's not qualified to determine that without the biopsy result (which he had only just taken). So... maybe we'll be 'lucky' and he'll only be stage III?
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I wanted to ask you, if you don't mind, your husband's age and any symptoms he had prior to being diagnosed.
He's 54. Twenty years ago his mother died of liver cancer, they didn't have very good meds then. And 2 of his brothers have had polyps removed - but he just avoided having a colonoscopy - couldn't very well fuss at him since I"m 52 and haven't either.
He'd been having trouble for a while with a queasy stomach after eating Italian foods. but it was sporadic. We could go to one restaurant and if he had chicken parm he felt bad afterwards, but we could go to another, order the same dish, and he was fine. I figured it was a case of him being sensitive to certain tomatoes/sauce brands as some are more acidic than others. Slowly he started getting sensitive to more and more foods, until even the omelette and fried potatos bothered him. So he mentioned it to his primary for his regular quarterly checkup (being on lipitor he gets blood tested every 3 months). Doc thought it might be an ulcer, gave him a script for nexium and told him to go to a GI for a consult. In the meantime his bloodwork came back with elevated liver values - doc said it seemed 'irritated' we figured it was because of the oddly high liiptor does they have him on.
GI sent him for more bloodwork, CTscan & upper/lower GI. He went the next day for the blood and scan, they said his liver looked odd so they also did some ultrasound. We couldn't get the GI series scheduled until later this month (and this was from last month!). We still thought it was an ulcer and put him on a bland diet and prilosec (OTC nexium) and he felt a little better. We hoped the bloodwork would show positive for h-Pylori (ulcer bacteria) and he could get on ant-bacterials quickly and get over it. Doc called last week and called him in to his office and said he wanted to do the GI series + colonoscopy immediately and did it the next day. It was after that when the GI was giving us the news that I found out he'd also had a little bloody stool on occasion! but, you know, occasional blood - if it's not tremendous amounts - is easily passed off as hemmorhoids or something and ignored (apparently he doesn't have any, or at least they are 'normal').
So all we knew was that he was getting a sour stomach more and more frequently, light queasiness, mostly food just didn't sit right. Nothing you'd particularly think to be cancer. Especially since the tumor is non-obstructive and there is no pain from it!
the plan is to move to NH at the end of next year. I just hope we get to stick to our plans!
technically, we don't know for certain that he's stage IV - the biopsy results haven't come back - or if they did, we haven't see whoever has them yet to find out. hopefully next week. My brother corrected me: while all stage IV have metasthesized, not all metastatics are stage IV - and while I mentioned it to the GI and he said 'yes', he's not qualified to determine that without the biopsy result (which he had only just taken). So... maybe we'll be 'lucky' and he'll only be stage III?
He's 54. Twenty years ago his mother died of liver cancer, they didn't have very good meds then. And 2 of his brothers have had polyps removed - but he just avoided having a colonoscopy - couldn't very well fuss at him since I"m 52 and haven't either.
He'd been having trouble for a while with a queasy stomach after eating Italian foods. but it was sporadic. We could go to one restaurant and if he had chicken parm he felt bad afterwards, but we could go to another, order the same dish, and he was fine. I figured it was a case of him being sensitive to certain tomatoes/sauce brands as some are more acidic than others. Slowly he started getting sensitive to more and more foods, until even the omelette and fried potatos bothered him. So he mentioned it to his primary for his regular quarterly checkup (being on lipitor he gets blood tested every 3 months). Doc thought it might be an ulcer, gave him a script for nexium and told him to go to a GI for a consult. In the meantime his bloodwork came back with elevated liver values - doc said it seemed 'irritated' we figured it was because of the oddly high liiptor does they have him on.
GI sent him for more bloodwork, CTscan & upper/lower GI. He went the next day for the blood and scan, they said his liver looked odd so they also did some ultrasound. We couldn't get the GI series scheduled until later this month (and this was from last month!). We still thought it was an ulcer and put him on a bland diet and prilosec (OTC nexium) and he felt a little better. We hoped the bloodwork would show positive for h-Pylori (ulcer bacteria) and he could get on ant-bacterials quickly and get over it. Doc called last week and called him in to his office and said he wanted to do the GI series + colonoscopy immediately and did it the next day. It was after that when the GI was giving us the news that I found out he'd also had a little bloody stool on occasion! but, you know, occasional blood - if it's not tremendous amounts - is easily passed off as hemmorhoids or something and ignored (apparently he doesn't have any, or at least they are 'normal').
So all we knew was that he was getting a sour stomach more and more frequently, light queasiness, mostly food just didn't sit right. Nothing you'd particularly think to be cancer. Especially since the tumor is non-obstructive and there is no pain from it!
I see there are similarities to the (Non) "symptoms" of pancreatic cancer.
Keeping fingers crossed that all works out well and you both get to come back to NH as you wished.
thanks, I will! "Maybe" if he had done the colonoscopies like they recommend they might have caught it earlier. maybe not. as I tell his brothers (cause I don't want them ragging on him) coulda-shoulda-would.. it doesn't matter now.
Wanna, sorry to hear about your hubs. As far as coulda-shoulda-woulda, may I share my story? It may help to forgive him for not getting scoped in a more timely manner.
I was having some digestive problems and daily diarrhea. Didn't matter what I ate. On a routine exam in June of '07, I mentioned to my doc that I just didn't feel right. He prescribed some medication but it didn't really help. My blood work came back with low hemoglobin, so I was sent for a colonoscopy. (This was my third in four years - the first with polyp removal and the second was negative). Scope came back negative. I struggled on for the rest of '07 and most of '08. I returned to the doc for another routine visit and he ordered a gall bladder ultrasound. Lots of gravel so in Sept, I was scheduled for surgery. They yanked the offending organ and told me I should soon start feeling better. Three months later, still with diarrhea, I couldn't deal any longer and told the doc I needed to be fixed. He sent me once again for blood work - at 2 PM that same day, I was called and told to proceed without delay to the hospital for admission and blood transfusion. Cut to the end: I was diagnosed with Stage II colon cancer. Had surgery for a 7.3cm. tumor and a resection of my ascending colon. Six months of chemo followed.
So you see, even if he had the colonoscopy it may not have resulted in a diagnosis. Mine didn't. An agressive type of cancer can really take off. BTW, I'm doing well and no sign of a recurrence. Keep your chin up and hang on. There will be some good days and some not-so-good. But try to keep a positive outlook and encourage hubs to do the same. Bless you both.
thanks! it's odd, because he gets bloodwork done every 3 months (being on lipitor they keep tabs on him). It was only this last set that showed his liver values being elevated at all! I mean, it metastasized that much within 3 months??? sheesh. maybe that means that it will shrink down and clear fast too? (trying to think optimistically).
Wanna, they weren't checking my liver when they did the bloodwork...It was my hemoglobinn that was dangerously low, indicative of internal bleeding. And yes, apparently three months is long enough for cancer to develop and advance.
There is no one-size-fits-all in the treatment of this scourge, and I'm hoping you can find doctors in whom you trust to handle his care.
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