The Colon Club

My husband and I touched base in person yesterday about his appointment (I didn't see him all day on Tuesday when he went to Mass General in Boston). He said that his doctors told him how much they love him as a patient because he is always so upbeat and positive. Even when he got the bad news when the liver surgeon said he would need open surgery, he took it in stride. I remember how his oncologist had stressed in our very first meeting with him that a positive attitude has a big influence. They are extremely pleased with his NED status. Their encouraging, upbeat attitude sure does help. There is power in positive thinking!

Congratulations on your wonderful news!

Power of positive thinking sounds like a great motto. I hope you both have a wonderful summer and celebrate and cherish every day onward!

CONGRATS!!!

My husband has decided to leave his port in. While he's positive that he "beat this" he is realistic. He doesn't want to have to go under again and have another one put in if he has to do chemo again. I want him to meet with his local oncologist to talk about the pros and cons of leaving a port in for a while. He also needs a routine flush, so I will call to schedule those back-to-back. I don't think that this is a decision he should make without talking to a doctor.

mpbser:
I have had a port for close to 5 years (a double lumen power port) with no concerning repercussions. The original port was replaced due to a fibrin plug that did not resolve with clot-busting medication. I am not a cancer patient but rather a person with generally frail health due to broad endocrine failure. My port sits patiently in a use-as-needed mode. When my health takes a downturn, my port is accessed to provide needed IV medications. The port frees me from multiple needle sticks and infiltrated IV sites.

Any number of people with chronic conditions have long-standing ports. Treatments for auto-immune illnesses (Chron's and rheumatoid arthritis, as examples) often benefit from long-term ports.

I have my port flushed every 6 weeks, a simple process. I am petite/thin and do find that my port site can still be tender from time to time. But other than that, it causes me no distress. As the port is internally placed, there is no heightened risk of infection as would be the case with an external PICC line. I suspect that I will have a port for the remainder of my life.

I just want you to know keeping a port for a longer time frame after your husband’s active treatment does have a legitimate role.

Thanks for the input. I checked this forum shortly before scheduling his port flush this morning. He and I hadn't talked yet about my concerns and now I see that I may as well not be concerned. Always a nice thing, to take a concern away

Congrats and God Bless! I think it's encouraging for everyone to hear positive news.

I dug up this old thread that I had started to share recent good news. Husband had a colonoscopy Wednesday. His results: completely clear not even a tiny polyp in sight. He only has about 7 inches of colon - so not much territory for one to develop. This was his first since his subtotal colectomy a year ago. His doctor says he doesn't need another one for 3 to 5 years. Husband is opting for 3.

mpbser wrote:I dug up this old thread that I had started to share recent good news. Husband had a colonoscopy Wednesday. His results: completely clear not even a tiny polyp in sight. He only has about 7 inches of colon - so not much territory for one to develop. This was his first since his subtotal colectomy a year ago. His doctor says he doesn't need another one for 3 to 5 years. Husband is opting for 3.

Very glad for you and your husband through your great ordeal.

mpbser wrote:I dug up this old thread that I had started to share recent good news. Husband had a colonoscopy Wednesday. His results: completely clear not even a tiny polyp in sight. He only has about 7 inches of colon - so not much territory for one to develop. This was his first since his subtotal colectomy a year ago. His doctor says he doesn't need another one for 3 to 5 years. Husband is opting for 3.

Very glad for you and your husband through your great ordeal.

Am very happy to see how things are working out for you. Congrats again.
Leon

Thanks, guys. I'm nervous as hell about his November 27th MRI but trying to stay optimistic. As I have written about in other threads, I don't believe CTs are appropriate for met-to-liver surveillance. He had a clear CT a few months ago, but that really doesn't tell much at all, especially when his liver spots (one cancerous, one benign) were never detected by CT.

His diet and lifestyle are as bad as ever. The only difference now is that he doesn't gorge on sweets and takes supplements, all which are very beneficial and anti-met. Deep down, I am petrified, to be honest, but I keep that to myself (i.e. from him).

mpbser wrote:Thanks, guys. I'm nervous as hell about his November 27th MRI but trying to stay optimistic. As I have written about in other threads, I don't believe CTs are appropriate for met-to-liver surveillance. He had a clear CT a few months ago, but that really doesn't tell much at all, especially when his liver spots (one cancerous, one benign) were never detected by CT.

His diet and lifestyle are as bad as ever. The only difference now is that he doesn't gorge on sweets and takes supplements, all which are very beneficial and anti-met. Deep down, I am petrified, to be honest, but I keep that to myself (i.e. from him).

I've seen the same thing with some people that had METs develop but weren't caught on earlier CTs. Hopefully his scans are clean.

OMG. I just read my husband's CT reports from late May. I didn't go to this appointment with him and he returned very optimistic, saying that all was clear. But apparently NOT! Finding: There are scattered nodules
measuring up to 4 mm including in the RIGHT lung on image 59, and LEFT lung on image 44 and 46. I realize that they may be benign but these are NEW. Why didn't the doctor talk to my husband about these???? I'm shocked and crying. I don't know what to do. I don't know whether to say anything to him because he believes he has "beat this." He might not have.

And OH, I just saw this at the bottom of the report: Follow-up chest CT in 3 months or as per clinical protocol

Then WTF didn't his doctor order this? WTF did he say a CT in 6 months?!