Six years in April. An operation a year. Lots of chemo. Alive and working. Diagnosed Stage IV at 42 in 2006. Have never stopped working except during recovery from operaions. Just returned from Florence and Rome, a family trip with my husband and two (now teenage) children. Try to live life the full...

I have had two Hipecs, a third cytoreduction and an operation in February for a met to my adrenal gland. Have had an operation a year since being diagnosed Stage IV in April of 2006. That being said, am happy to call myself alive and would prefer an operation a year over chemo. The second HIPEC was ...

I just returned from MD Anderson and my second HIPEC treatment. It was a little more difficult than the first due to scar tissue and a bonus hernia repair. My mets came back thirteen months post HIPEC on the first operation. Am really hoping they stay away for awhile longer this time around (like at...

Veronica: I am going in for my second HIPEC surgery on June 11, 2010. While it is a very long and difficult surgery, it also offers the hope of cure. The quality of life after the surgery is also , in my opinion, much better than being on chemo. The first 3 months are difficult but after that you ca...

While on the last round of chemo (Folfiri) I had cramping and gas so bad I admitted myself to ER. After catscans, an upper GI series, colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy and 15 GASX pills a day we finally figured out that I had become lactose intolerant during chemo. This is a possible side effect of the 5FU...

Jewel: I know there are several Women on this board who have had cancer spread from colon to ovaries and peritoneum. I suggest you talk seriously with your oncologist about the possibility of undergoing HIPEC for mets to peritoneum. Chemo is not absorbed as well in the peritoneum as other abdominal ...

I had the HIPEC surgery in October of 2008. Stayed in Hospital 10 days and was released. Still took another week of recovery before I felt strong enough to get on a plane to fly home. Took additional 3 months before ready to get on treadmill and get back in shape (I did go back to wrok after 6 weeks...

John: Hope you find some encouraging answers today. I read news from several sites daily looking for the next big advance. I know the search for something to keep you well pending a cure is a daily battle. I did find one article on a drug that may help incrtease effectiveness of chemo regimens that ...

Just wanted to let you know that Dr. Fournier at MD Anderson does offer HIPEC. I am hopeful to go through the operation for the second time. He and Dr. Laura Lambert operated on me in October of 2008. Unfornately, I have had a recurrance in the peritoneum and need more surgery. I too was disgnosed i...

I am not sure whether any of us really believes that we are cured. However, NED goes a long way. I was Stage IV with mets to Ovary at age 42. Had chemo/resection/hysterectomey. Came back w/mets to peritoneum in 2008. Went through chemo again, then cytoreductive surgery w HIPEC in Oct of 2008. Am sti...

Since the surgery is fairly extensive and long (I was under for approximately 11 hrs), the recovery is a lot longer than a "normal" GI surgery. Your bowels basically shut down during the procedure and have to recover. You have two tubes inserted into your abdomen. One is a feeding tube and...

I am sorry to hear about the battle facing your sister. When I was going through chemo waiting for the surgery, I was told that they were looking for two things: response to chemo and no more mets to liver lungs. I believe the problem being that once you have this extensive surgery, your treatment o...

I had mets to the peritoneum and had HIPEC surgery in October of last year. Knock on Wood, am currently NED. I know of two additional surgeons who operate on mets to the peritoneum that have not been mentioned yet. Dr. Laura Lambert did my surgery and is now at UMASS heading up the HIPEC team there....

cindyz: I apologize for confusing you. I am not a HIPEC expert, I can only respond to you regarding my experience. HIPEC was available to me because I had mets only to the peritoneum. I went through six months of chemo prior to the surgeon considering the operation. This was for two reasons. They wa...

I had HIPEC surgery at MD Anderson in late October for mets to the peritoneum. The surgery lasted twelve hours and recovery took three months (I did go back to work after 8 weeks, just was not 100% yet). The surgery has so far proven successful (am currently NED). When first diagnosed with the mets,...