Hi All,
I have been reading all of your fantastic posts and there is such a wealth of support and information its so encouraging. My husband was recently diagnosed (Nov 2016) at 37 years old with Stage IV CRC with Mets to Liver and Peritoneum. We have had 3 opinions as we werent crazy about the initial Oncologist, who basically just said he's gonna die and not to bother changing his diet/lifestyle etc. We didnt agree with his philosophy and sought a second opinion. DH is an extremely healthy, fit young man with no other existing conditions so you can imagine this blindsided us, just as we were about to start trying for a second child (We are parents to a sweet 3 yr old daughter.)The second Oncologist said there could be a possibility of remission and the third who was a Radiological Oncologist said he could go on to live a very long life without the cancer progressing. He started on Chemo (Irinotecan, Avastin and 5-Fluoracil) Dec 1st and immediatly had a terrible reaction to the Fluoracil. We tried 2 more times but he was hospitalized for chest pains/spasms which apparently is a known but rare side effect. So we had him switched to Raltirexid with Irinotecan and after a long fight with Insurance got Avastin added back in. So far he has done very well with only minor aches and constipation and muscle twitches. No nausea or diarrhea, good appetite, in fact since starting his first round of chemo his appetite came back, his stomach pains went away, as did the blood in his stool.We have drastically changed his diet, no red meat (Pork or Beef) No Cow Dairy, No White or Processed foods and tons of green vegetables, fruits, berries, and lots of Organic Lean Protein as well as i make him daily green smoothies. They said the primary tumor isnt much of an issue as its only 1 and quite small, the issue is the lesions on the liver. They said in time with chemo and radiation resection may be possible.
Sorry for the long explanation, Just some questions, do any of you know anyone using Raltitrexid as it seems quite uncommon as most people can tolerate the 5-Fluoracil, did they respond well to the Raltitrexid? Do you agree the diet/lifestyle changes help and have any suggestions? As everyone else here im looking for some sort of hope that he can survive and live a long life with me. We are in our early thirties and have been together almost 14 years, i cannot imagine a life without him and will do anything in my power to help. Any tips/advice/hope would certainly be welcome.
Thank you so much for listening <3 And Happy Valentines Day to you all!