Postby AnonSurvivor » Fri Oct 16, 2015 11:51 pm
I post the following with the intent to provide both a survivor's summary narrative and encouragement to my fellow colon cancer patients. I was dealt a rough hand but managed to make the best of it. If I could do it, others can too.
On October 4, 2012, I was diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer. I was 41 at the time, a husband and a father of three (I remain a husband and a father of three). My symptoms were (i) unexplained fatigue and weight gain during the months leading up to the diagnosis and (ii) for the 30 days prior to the consult a steady, localized pain in my abdomen about two inches above my right hip bone. The pain, as you might have surmised, turned out to be a tumor. The CT scan indicated a lesion on my liver. I had a friend at Mass General and decided to pursue the initial fight there. I had another CT scan and a PET scan. Several days later, Dr. David Berger resected the about 12 inches of my colon at the cecum, some of my small intestine, my entire gall bladder (it was "in the way") and half of my liver. In retrospect, he almost certainly saved my life that day. The pathology report was discouraging: pT4aN2bM1a and BRAF mutation. Pre-surgery CEA was 33.2 Cancer was present in 27 out of 32 lymph nodes examined.
Yale-New Haven hospital was closer to home, and that's where I had chemo. Dr. Howard Hochster oversaw my treatment, and continues to monitor me. I recovered very quickly from surgery. I was in good health before surgery, but I attribute the speed of my recovery to an aggressive regimen of walking -- 10+ miles per day after the first couple of weeks. YNH installed a dual port-a-cath on the right side of my chest, and my first chemo infusion was four weeks after surgery. I had a total of 12 cycles of Folfox + avastin. I wore a flurouracil pack for 46 hours each cycle. My CEA was 11 and 12 after surgery and immediately dropped into the 6s. By the end of the 12 cycles, though, CEA had climbed back to 13.8. By then, too, the oxaliplatin was causing neuropathy. In spite of the CEA moves, CT scans were all negative apart from suspicious scar tissue on my liver at the point of incision. For these reasons among others, Dr. Hochster recommended continuing chemo, but without oxaliplatin. I have a policy of following Dr. Hochster's recommendations, so I had 10 more cycles of flurouracil + avastin. The CT scans continued to be negative. My CEA dropped back into the single digits over time, back down to around 6. Late in August 2013 at my scheduled infusion -- as usual I had awoken early to shave my chest around the port -- Dr. Hochster told me I looked good and sent me home without the poison. I was prepared to eat the chemo indefinitely, and this news was a delightful surprise.
In December 2013, just a few months after the end of chemo, my CEA spiked into the 17s. The CT scans still continued to be negative. After another couple of months, my CEA began to drop and drop steadly. It's now in the 2s, and my port finally came out in a couple of months ago, in August (2015). I'm still on a three month schedule of CT scans, but I am convinced that the cancer will not return.
Since surgery, I have taken 325mg of aspirin daily. I also consumed a significant amount of green tea -- using high quality loose tea leaves and steeping for 10 minutes minimum -- and turmeric. I avoided sugar and gluten. I ate organic foods, including large amounts of blueberries and non-wheat grains. Starting after about six cycles of chemo, I fasted for 48 hours before each infusion.
I maintained a positive attitude throughout and had the constant support of my wife, my parents, my brother, my in-laws, my friends and my co-workers. I never doubted that I would survive.
I never stopped working full time.
Please pm me with any questions.