That happened to me. It’s a way to address low rectal tumor. In my case the connect directly to colon so it’s called a coloanal anastomosis. It sounds like that is your case. It’s a way to “preserve” the natural bowel movements as opposed to a colostomy bag. It’s also generally associated with high ...
Congrats Jolene!! You really did just win the lottery!! That said, you should absolutely do the chemo part to address any potential micrometastases. The xeloda dose is slightly higher than the one you took during radiation, so if you tolerated that okay, then that should not be such an issue. It's t...
Jolene Have you considered consolidation chemotherapy which is done CRT first then chemotherapy and finally surgery if there is no CCR? Below are two links worth reading https://www.mskcc.org/clinical-updates/sidestepping-rectal-cancer-surgery-total-neoadjuvant-therapy https://www.spandidos-publicat...
I think the PROSPECT trail shows that chemo itself can shrink a tumor, so it’s possible for chemo to be used to treat any potential micromestastases in addition to addressing the primary tumor. See the below link from MSK from 2015 https://www.mskcc.org/clinical-updates/toward-curing-rectal-without-...
Hi Jolene You should check this out. He is head of MSK Colorectal surgery and running the watch and wait study. I'm surprised you have not been advised to do full chemotherapy. It's called "consolidation" chemo and increases the chance of a full response. My opinion is that I would do ever...
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03565029 That sounds about right and what the doctors said to me. https://www.mskcc.org/clinical-updates/toward-curing-rectal-without-surgery The above link is one of the doctors leading the study. Really do what you can to get there, because the surgery is awf...
Neither of the surgeons I consulted with mentioned anything about it. As one surgeon put it, when I asked what life would be life after surgery - he said, "You just may not want to eat before you go to a cocktail party." This is borderline insulting and quite infuriating. I also had a sim...
I’m confused. Are they saying to do a LAR? I thought MSK would try to treat it and see if they can get you to a watch and wait status so you don’t have to have the surgery. My experience is that the surgery is brutal and should be avoided at all costs. https://www.mskcc.org/clinical-updates/toward-c...
The only thing I take anymore are a couple lomotil just to make sure I'm okay all day. I use for peace of mind, don't really think I need.
Did your doc ever mention any long term effects of immodium? My surgeon said it can mess with the natural process of peristalsis and warned against using it.
Thank you so much for the reply Susan. After 10 months out, I think I'm at my wit's end so I'm ready to try things LARS sufferers' employ as opposed to my surgeon who said "oh, you'll just make a couple extra trips to the bathroom...no biggie" Another surgeon also did not recommend enemas,...
Hi All I’ve been doing some research on how to deal with my LARS. I had my reversal Dec 2017 and it’s been brutal. I’ve also read some good advice on daily enema usage and wanted to know if users consulted with their doctors first. Also, how long post-reversal did you start using enemas? Thanks for ...
Very interesting about the Watch & Wait approach. I told my mom we for sure should seek a second opinion at Mayo if we are lucky enough to have a complete response. I cannot emphasize how much you want this to happen. When surgeons are trying to find ways to not cut you up, you know the surgery...
1. If it is rectal cancer, it seems surgery is 4 months out—is that pretty standard? I’m so nervous about it spreading during that time, but the doctor said the chemo/radiation would be fighting to do the opposite. That’s pretty standard. I would also note that some people have a complete response t...