Postby mpbser » Wed Jul 05, 2017 8:09 am
These are all great comments and I don't have much to add except my experience with my husband and his recovery from anemia.
His Hg levels were 6.4 at the lowest level detected when he was in acute congestive heart failure Feb 28-Mar 1. This was the symptom that the ER doctors suspected a slow, unnoticed GI bleed and the initial symptoms that lead us to later discover his CC.
With this diagnosis of anemia, we made sure to have heme-based iron-rich food at least 1 to 2 times every week. Since husband can't stand all iron-rich food except red meat, shrimp, and chocolate, he usually chooses steak-ums. (He didn't learn about the chocolate as a high-iron food until mid-April.)
He was also diagnosed mid-March with diabetes, so his sugar consumption became very restricted because he choose diet control over metaformin or other pharmaceutical diabetes management methods.
His Hg improved a little within the first two weeks post-colonoscopy. On April 12th, the date of his 1st colonoscopy it was 7.3. That day, a mass in his colon was found. On April 14th, we learned that the mass in his colon was malignant.
As the person in our household who does all the grocery shopping and food preparation, I started to make sure that the meals I prepared were the healthiest possible that he would be happy with.
Around this time, he also began a regime of eating a piece of 85% high quality cacao dark chocolate daily.
On May 2nd, his Hg was an improved 9.3. We credit the improvement in his Hg to his lifestyle (very low sugar, iron-rich food, near total elimination of carcinogenic processed meats, etc) having an impact on the blood supply to the tumor and the consequent invasion/expansion/bleeding.
On May 18, the day before his left hemi-colectomy, his Hg was 9.5.
His levels during his post-op time in the hospital decreased due to blood loss due to surgery and very frequent blood draws. On day four after surgery, May 23, his Hg was 7.6.
By June 2, his Hg was back up to 9.6.
He hasn't had a CBC since then but his pallor is wonderful, his weight is great, and he's feeling better than he has in his entire adult life.
Personally, I am so glad that he did not rush into chemotherapy. He has complications, like another tumor (thank goodness non-cancerous!) in his colon that needs to get removed and a spot in his liver that *might* need ablation, that have put the adjuvant chemo on hold for the time being.
I hope this helps!
Wife 4/17 Dx age 45
5/17 LAR
Adenocarcinoma
low grade
1st primary T3 N2b M1a
Stage IVA
8/17 Sub-total colectomy
2nd primary 5.5 cm T1 N0
9 of 96 nodes
CEA: < 2.9
MSS
Lynch no; KRAS wild
Immunohistochemsistry Normal
Fall 2017 FOLFOX shrank the 1 met in liver
1/18 Liver left hepatectomy seg 4
5/18 CT clear
12/18 MRI 1 liver met
3/7/19 Resection & HAI
4/1/19 Folfiri & FUDR
5/13/19 HAI pump catheter dislodge, nearly bled to death
6-7 '19 5FU 4 cycles
NED