Hey there, that's tough news to hear. But take a deep breath and get your mom a second or third opinion. Don't know where you're located but get an appointment at a large NCI hospital. Cancer, advanced cancer particularly is a complex disease that requires experienced care. If you're near NYC I woul...

Initially I tried to get an appointment with Dr. Saltz as well, he was highly recommended. He is the chief colorectal oncologist there, so he's kind of dr. Kemeney's boss. I did not see him because the appointment would have been to far off and I was in kinda of a hurry to see an onc. I was referred...

This clinical trial on the effect of vitamin d on stage IV colorectal cancer patients looks pretty exciting. It seems to me to be the first one to try and find out whether there is an effect on PFS in a randomized controlled trial. I've been a vitamin d fan since my diagnosis, I take 5000 IU/day, wi...

Thanks Amy. Your journey has always given me great hope.
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Great news Amy! Hopefully I'll be in your shoes next year. I'm curious about you keeping the HAI pump, was it your decision or Dr. K's? Personally, I'll be very happy when I'm able to have it removed, it bugs me every time I feel it, not physically, psychologically, my onc wants me to keep it for 5 ...

CONGRATS! Listen to the good doctor and run with it! They know what they're doing at 53rd st. Remember that adjuvant chemo has not been proven conclusively to be effective after liver resection.The HAI FUDR treatment is what's really important in this protocol.
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I've seen this theme discussed here before, a few times, it's always confusing. My two cents, there are so many variables to get a clear answer: stage, time to recurrence, tumor biology, CEA at dx and on and on. My own take, from my research and my Onc's own experience, the clock starts ticking at t...

Hey there, welcome to the 53rd street gang club. Yes, sometimes I've had to wait a lot longer than I would like, but MSK is a very busy hospital in the middle of NYC and chances are that they have more volume than most any other cancer center in the country, so I was not surprised. Also, if you're s...

My girlfriend unhooked me, it took about 5 mins. Nurse showed us how to do it, pretty simple. Now, I had the non-battery operated thing, just a bottle and some tubing. Can't comment on the other system.

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Dr. Kemeny is not the only one who does the HAI protocol, as far as I know the ALL do. Dr. Kemeny and MSK are the pioneers of this type of treatment, she is the expert on the pump, she supervises the whole group. She's a very busy oncologist as one can expect, so don't be discouraged if you don't ge...

Jason, tough words to hear. But now is not the time to fold, it's time to work. I for one believe that diet, exercise and state of mind play a critical part in how we survive this disease. This is my opinion, based on my experience, I'm not implying every one feels the same. I would not just eat wha...

MSK, great surgeons, plus, with their HAI therapy expertise a great opportunity to take care of your liver.

I'm so sorry for your Mom. I'm a bit confused as to the pump used, when I had pump it was bottle that held the drug and it worked with body temperature to draw the drug in. It did not have a battery, it seems like a simple, safe procedure. Is the battery powered pump very common?

It would be interesting to find out if the reason so many doctors and hospitals don't pursue the HAI protocol is financial. It has been proven to be not only medically effective but also much less costly than than what we the standard treatment is. HAI treatment is usually done by infusing FUDR, a d...

Go to Sloan to get another opinion. The HAI treatment has worked for lots of people, there are hundreds, probably thousands of folks out there who have been cured or are in long term remission because of this treatment. Cancer is a complicated disease, you need to find the best trained most, experie...