3C Diagnosis...any realistic hope?

[WorriedWife]

My wife (age 50) was diagnosed with colon cancer 11/12. Her surgery on 12/12 went well, no bag. However, 4 of 26 lymph nodes showed involvement. Pet scan and CT's showed nothing anywhere else. She is being treated at the Cleveland Clinic. Tomorrow she get's her port and begins FOLFOX. From reading posts, it just seems that it's a progressive disease with a bad ending, especially when nodes are involved. Has anyone had some long-term success at this stage? I rarely if ever see a 3c dx posting that is more than a couple years old. Wondering if chemo is even worth the misery.

Dear Scotty65,

I understand exactly what you are saying and how you feel. Looking at some signatures, you see chemo, recurrence, more chemo, more recurrence. On the other hand, a lot of times after a couple of recurrences, you will read NED Also, keep in mind that some people who are NED and have been for quite some time, do not even log on anymore into the colon club as they are living their lives, very healthy and just super busy. I actually know of 2 or 3 who do not even come in here anymore, but we stay in contact with email. Prayers for your wife and I hope she does very well. Please keep us updated and ask questions, vent, gripe, stop in anytime!!!! I for one, will be watching for new updates. Good luck Scotty!!! Hugs for you and your wife.

[John72]

Sotty65 - I hope you just wrote poorly. You will not even have a clue about the chemo - your wife will live it. It is not complete misery. I worked every day except for the infusion days. I competed and was competitive at the Grand American trap shoot as well as Delaware, New Jersey, and Pa state shoots. The cancer is bad news but is not the end. I might have a recurrence and might not. Same with your wife. You need to adjust your attitude, appreciate her and appreciate and enjoy living. Do not misunderstand - I do not like what you wrote and thank God I am married to someone who is not like you.

Wow! Was this really necessary...seriously?

I think Chemo Sabe has something of the same issue I have. And that is that the misinformation campaign by modern day quacks in regards to how devastating putting "poison" in your body is. In reality a percentage of people have truly devastating effects from chemo, and the vast majority tolerate it with minor to major immediate side effects and minor or no long term side effects. Yet somehow in internet searches, which all of us probably engaged in immediately upon symptoms or diagnosis, that is the first thing that pops up...articles made to appear as though they are based on scientific research and supported by doctors and medical associations condemning the terrible effects of putting "poison" in your body.

While the response could have been worded better by Chemo Sabe, I can certainly understand the frustration as Scotty does seem to be under some misconceptions.

Anywho, Scotty, anything can happen. Its not like we are totally in control of this thing. But yeah, more stage 3c survive and get cured than don't. While I know some of the stuff looks grim, the medical treatments that are currently available...the surgical methods, the chemo targeting, etc....are much better than existed 10-20 years ago. I'm continually astonished how well some members here have done AFTER having a recurrence.

Bottom line is theres no guarantees, but theres a chance and reasonable hope. And what kind of life would you be living if you dwell on the negative? Help your wife out while she goes through treatment. And when she gets better, enjoy as much of things as you can.

And BTW, check out my sig.

[Jimswife]

Hi my husband had 2 pos nodes from 21 so stage 3 b , doing very well , no sign of cancer whatsoever now , completed all surgerys and chemo treatments , we were told by our doctors the outlook was "very good" ... Realistically a 75 percent chance of beating it ... Those are very good odds I think , stage 1s and 2s can also reccur ... There's a few on here that have If anything the theory goes that stage 3s in general tend to do better as they are automatically given chemo and are treated aggressively ... Stage 1s don't receive chemo and neither do some stage 2s hence why they say stage 3s sometimes tend to do better in the long run ... And 4 nodes to 20 odd isn't a bad ratio at all , look at John and disco , the pos nodes they had ran into double figures .... Both have remained totally ned !!!

[JennyB]

Hi Scotty...my husband (also named Scott ) was diagnosed 3C in 2009. He's doing great now. His last scan was clean, so that is 3.5 years out! Chemo can definitely be tough, but he powered through it. Only missed one day of work. Now, maybe this is a guy thing, but he recently had a bad cold and complained about that a LOT more than he did during chemo.

I think the biggest help when he was in chemo is that he tried to exercise as much as possible. He didn't necessarily go to the gym everyday, but he made a point of doing something -- like walking the dogs. He did develop neuropathy, but that has since gone away. Thoughts are with you and please don't hesitate to PM if you have any more specific questions!

[chrissyrice]

Well when I was first dx'd I thought the same way you did. But, chemo was so worth it and I was very against having chemo and did it because my onc. told me that he was in charge and that my outcome would be 70-75% survival rate. Each year I am free of cancer is another % better that I will still be here.

I just don't post much but come here almost everyday and read the hope I see in others posts. I am over being a active patient but I am now an active survivor.

Do the chemo. Your wife is so lucky to have the great medical care and you to help her through cancer treatments.

[tammylayne]

This certainly can be a very scary journey, and we don't always know which decisions we make are the right ones. Having said that, I do believe that if you go at this as aggressively as is comfortable to you, then you can always know that you did everything possible to fight and survive. That on its own can be HUGE in winning the battle.

Your wife is still at the curable stage, I like to think that we are all at a curable stage, to some degree. Not only do many Stage 3s do very well, but there are also many stage 4s that go on to have many, many years of good quality life as well.

The truth is,,,none of us knows how long we have. What many of us try to do is live a healthy life to try and increase our odds, and I am not just talking cancer patients. We don't walk down the middle of the road, we don't jump in the lake if we can't swim, we don't drive with our eyes closed...we don't take unnessesary chances, and we do the things that give us the best chances of living a long life. I just viewed doing chemo as another one of those decisions. Doing something that I felt gave me more of a chance at a long life.

Chemo sucks...cancer sucks. But she can get through this, and so can you. And at the end of the day, you both will know that together you did everything you could to make sure she has the best chance of beating this. No looking back and no regrets.

Best of luck to both you and your wife...

[Ron50]

G'day scotty,
I was dxed stage 3c six nodes involved. Been ca free 15 years,just started 16. Not all wine and roses but still alive and still working for a living ,best wishes ron.

[NewHudson]

Thank you for the encouraging comments about living with cancer. My husband was diagnosed with colorectal cancer 3A, 6 of 24 lymph nodes involved. He underwent radiation, surgery w/a temp ileostomy, chemo (Folfox and something else I can't remember offhand, I believe). Ileostomy reversed in July 2012 and he was diagnosed with a new lesion last week, lower then the original surgery site. His surgeon (who we really like) advised surgery with a permanent colostomy to try and eliminate any more problems, with follow-up chemo. We've opted for this because it appears to be the best hope to have him with us for years. I appreciate those who advise never to give up, and hope to post positive results after chemo. This is a great forum with so many kind people. Thanks to all.

[Deirdre]

Hi there
My dad is coming up to 3years since dx. He is 3c. He couldn't have chemotherapy but is still NED which we are so thankful for. Best of luck. It's hard to face into this but your family is a team and everyone plats their part and yours is to find your positivity hat and put it on.
Wishing your wife and you all the best