This post is for all of the members on this board who are newly diagnosed or struggling. I don't post here often anymore, but I do come back and lurk. I was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer in 2008. I went through the whole chemo and radiation thing. Lost my hair. In 2011, just as I felt like c...

I was treated at Georgetown Lombardi for breast cancer and had a pretty bad experience with my oncologist there. My oncologist was more interested in her students than her patients. I saw her residents for each appointment and she breezed in for all of 5 minutes - usually 1.5-2 hours late. I complai...

Totally unacceptable behavior. I would try to reach the office administrator. Somehow receptionists and medical assistants get power complexes. I had an issue last week when I called to see if I could have an MRI with IV contrast earlier in the day of my colonoscopy. A medical assistant kept telling...

In July of last year, my CEA went up, so my oncologist ordered a PET which lit up a 2cm growth on my left lung. I had it removed and it turned out to be a CC met. My next CT scan in September turned up a new nodule. It was really small, so my oncologist opted for the wait and see and had me re-scan ...

I also used Aquaphor Baby which is in the baby care aisle (no surprise). I found that it worked wonderfully. I used it after every BM and again at night before going to bed. It usually healed things up within a day or two.

Thank gtown guy. I was treated at Lombardi for breast cancer and my oncologist at Lombardi is probably the reason I am where I am now with stage IV colon cancer. I complained about colon cancer symptoms for 9 months and my breast oncologist dismissed the symptoms as working too hard, not getting suf...

I am scheduled for a PET/CT on Wednesday morning for what is likely a second lung met (if not worse). I am currently being treated at Washington Cancer Institute in DC. My oncologist tends to rather conservative when it comes to treatment options. With my last met, a lung resections was done, but th...

I'm so sorry for your family and your mom. This is truly horrible. I am an attorney and while I am not an advocate of medical malpractice claims in most cases, I really hope that your family will seek out the advice of an attorney on this. While it cannot change what happened to your mom, it may hol...

I also used PicoSalax (Prepopik) for my last colonoscopy and had basically the same experience. My husband also used it when he had his at age 50. My doctor usually writes a prescription for one of the "lytely" products and I promptly toss the prescription on my way out of the office. I kn...

Also try Aquaphor baby. It worked wonders on my raw butt during chemo. Use it every time you wipe, after getting out of the shower and several other times a day as well - especially before you go to bed at night. I found that the rawness would subside after a day or so of using the Aquaphor. Good lu...

Sophy- I had a recurrence from stage IIIB in one lung. I had VATS surgery in July and now have a suspicious looking lesion on my other lung which is being monitored. I was devastated at being a stage IV. My oncologist made me feel a lot better by telling me - "don't go choosing your headstone y...

I am in an almost identical situation. I was stage IIIB CC 2 years ago. In July, a 1cm spot was found on my lung and I had a resection at the end of July. When I went back for a scan two weeks ago, the radiologist told me everything looked good. I asked "is there anything you are watching?"...

I would suggest going on a high protein regimen for a couple of weeks before your surgery. Protein is essential in the healing process. When I had surgery, my protein levels were drastically low and no one picked up on it as it is not a problem they usually see in otherwise healthy adults. In the we...

I had a 1cm met removed at the beginning of October. My doctors had been watching this spot and it had not changed size, so they weren't sure it was cancerous. As soon as it began to grow, I saw a thoracic surgeon who recommended that we remove it without a biopsy. It was still small (1cm) and on th...

I swam with my port during treatment. I also went for a weekend of scuba diving in Puerto Rico near the end of my treatment. No issues whatsoever.