It drives me somewhat crazy when doctors describe cancer as "inoperable" in this way. A lot of the time that means that the primary tumor is operable, but they won't remove it because they can't remove all of the mets at the same time, so the surgery on the primary would not be "curat...

I think getting the blood test yourself is a good idea. I discovered when tested that although I didn't have Lynch I did have ATM, which increases the chances of breast cancer. I have tried to persuade my sister to get tested, since she has **4** daughters, but she hasn't done it. One of her daughte...

I don't think it is fair to call mpbser a troll. Her husband has cancer. He has had some bad complications. She can be abrasive, to say the least, and IIRC she developed a strong dislike of the people at MSK, Dr. Kemeny in particular, and was vocal about it. This did not sit well with many of those ...

It's my personal theory that a lot of people are walking around thinking they are NED when in fact they have things that just don't show up on CT scans. MRIs can reveal a lot--if you can get one. Given your extremely negative reaction to chemo in the past, watch (carefully!) and wait seems pretty re...

Supportivechild, why doesn't she want to do the blood test? Does she understand that if she is negative that it means that you and any siblings you might have can't have it? It would be excellent for your peace of mind. On the other hand, if she does have it, you would be in a position to get tested...

Any possibility of home hospice with a visiting nurse to check the IV daily? He couldn't get something like fentanyl patches?

nightwolf, have you looked into what free or low cost services are available in your area for cancer patients? There are some regional support centers that offer various kinds of comfort-oriented therapy and support. There are also visiting nurses.

What are the alternative treatments he was trying?

What do you mean by "alternative treatments"? There are treatments, such as acupuncture or medical marijuana/CBD oil, that might make him more comfortable. There is immunotherapy, which has brought some people back from the brink, but he would have to have the right tumor genetics and his ...

You seem to be quite confused about your own case: what you have and where, what has been done and what hasn't, what the plan forward is, and so forth. That can't help but ramp up your anxiety. I think that you need to take someone with you to your next visit, to listen and take notes, and prepare a...

None of the hepatic arteries have valves, nor does the portal vein. There are bile ducts. Is that what you are talking about?

Trying, I don't understand your description of the perforation as being caused by "a tumor they took out." It sounds like you are saying that when you were diagnosed they did NOT perform any type of colectomy to remove the primary tumor and sample lymph nodes, instead doing chemo first, bu...

If the tumor is still there it can still grow. Or shrink. Hopefully the chemo will shrink it as well as his liver mets. Great that the chemo is working on his liver.

What was the rationale for not removing the tumor if they were going to do stoma surgery anyway?

We had no one in our family with CRC before us. On the other hand, our family is very small on both sides, so as the counselor pointed out there weren't many possibilities. Can we assume that your tumor was tested, and showed dMMR? Is the same true for your brother? You are likely not a "unicor...

I was tested for Lynch, but my dMMR is in the tumor only, so I don't have it. I am MSI-H, and thus an excellent candidate for immunotherapy. Clearly, if you are now NED you don't need it now, but it's good to know it's available. When I was discussing this with the genetic counselor, she mentioned t...