DH has Stage 3 with 3 cm tumor. Needs encouragment!

Please feel free to read, share your thoughts, your stories and connect with others!
rosegirl
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Sep 22, 2018 5:05 pm

DH has Stage 3 with 3 cm tumor. Needs encouragment!

Postby rosegirl » Tue Sep 25, 2018 4:14 pm

Hi - still learning all the new terminology I never thought I would have to know but here goes...My DH was diagnosed with Stage 3 and a 3cm tumor in his sphincter muscle. We have a treatment plan, he got his port and had his PET today. Seeing Oncologist tomorrow for results. CT showed no sign of it having spread but we are still very nervous. He will have start chemo/radiation (5-FU) for 6 weeks next week. Then there will be a rest period and then surgery and more chemo. We have no insurance. He has more pain now that he's had his colonoscopy and tests than before he was diagnosed 3 weeks ago. Constant bleeding, running to the bathroom with little to no results, and ongoing pain. The pain meds seem to cause constipation which just makes the whole situation worse! He was told by family dr. for 9 months he just had hemorrhoids. We can't find a support group near us so any encouragement, success stories, diet tips, advice would be great! Thanks so much in advance. This seems like a great community!
Wife to DH 45
DX RC
Lower rectum
3 cm
Stage 3A or B
1 positive Lymph Node
CEA 3.35
Starting 5-FU 10/8/18

Gravelyguy
Posts: 382
Joined: Thu Jul 05, 2018 6:03 pm

Re: DH has Stage 3 with 3 cm tumor. Needs encouragment!

Postby Gravelyguy » Tue Sep 25, 2018 6:10 pm

Welcome butt sorry you have to be here. This a great group with lots of knowledge.

I am not sure I can help much but let your husband know that colorectal cancer treatment has come a long way in the past few years. There are even those of us who were stage IV still here and doing fine!

I did not have standard radiation but others have and will have advice. My advice, being on the other side of treatment, is the bad stuff memories fade away the farther you get from treatment. I think of it as chemo induced amnesia. There are times you need to stay in the moment and others where you have to look ahead to when the whole ordeal is over.

Praying for you guys,

Dave
6/17 dx mRC t3n1m1 very low rectal tumor 2 liver Mets 1.3 cm and .9 cm

6/17 begin 4 rounds Folfox w/Vectibix
9/17 short course radiation
10/17 rectal and liver resection LAR with coloanal anastomosis (no rectum left)
11/17-3/18 8 rounds Folfox
6/18 still NED!! Takedown
8/28/18 still NED! CEA .8 new low for me
10/18/18 colonoscopy clear
12/12/18 CEA .9 still NED!
6/11/19 CEA 1.0
12/19/19 CEA 1.0 still NED!
6/17/20 CEA 1.1 still NED!
12/15/20 CEA 1.1still NED!
12/16/21 CEA 1.2 still NED!

hiker
Posts: 139
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 10:15 am

Re: DH has Stage 3 with 3 cm tumor. Needs encouragment!

Postby hiker » Tue Sep 25, 2018 7:31 pm

Welcome to the board!

Sounds like you have a good plan in place. My only suggestion would be that if you're having any concerns to get a second opinion from a major cancer center.

I never had radiation, but I can tell you chemo sucks - there's no way to pretty it up. But just know that there is an end to treatment and life returns to normal quickly.

hiker
Colonoscopy 2/17, 5cm tumor descending
Diagnosed stage iv, liver mets 3/17
Colon resection 3/17
Told surgery not an option, get my affairs in order
Meet w/MSK team 5/01/17
Folfox(3rds) 5/17-6/17
Liver resection/implant HAI pump 7/17
HAI pump chemo(5rds) 8/17-2/18
Folfiri+Vectibix(11rds) 8/17-2/18
Spot on chest CT 10/17
Lung biopsy (that was fun) 11/17
Nocardia bacterial infection w/spread to brain (this is serious) 11/17
IV antibiotics 12/17-2/18
Oral antibiotics 3/18-12/18
Clear of cancer since surgery

Eleda
Posts: 328
Joined: Thu Dec 28, 2017 2:28 am
Facebook Username: adele Morgan
Location: Ireland

Re: DH has Stage 3 with 3 cm tumor. Needs encouragment!

Postby Eleda » Wed Sep 26, 2018 5:32 am

I'm n the middle of adjuvant chemotherapy,,,
Yes it's tough but I'd take all they can give me,,,, waiting for results is the WORST part ( for me anyway) everyone is different,,,

Lucky I escaped radiation pretty easy but had all the information so I always expect the WORST,, and anything less is a bonus,,,

So far chemo is bareble,,,2- 3 rough days after pump off
The rest,,,, party with life and enjoy the good days,, the cold drinks, the glass of vino, the spicy food

UL get through it and so will Ur husband,,,,
U,ve come to the right place for all sorts of help and info

Good luck with Ur results

ADELE X
SWF, 47
Mom to 3 sons 6/8/12
Dec4th 2017 colonoscopy for minor intermittent rectal bleeding during Summer
CEA 4.4
DX T3 L3C M0 2.5/3 cm above AV.
JAN 3RD started 1650mg Zelda 2xday, with 28 radiation
Did tagamet 800mg daily and 75mg IV VIT C WEEKLY UNTIL SURGERY and
Tumor reduce by 80% 1 LN still remaining
TATME May10th, temp illeostomy
10/07/2018 CEA 3
MMR INTACT
Began FOLFOX July 10th
24/08/2018 Allergic reaction so next infusion lucovorin and 5fu
CEA 4
Second attempt with oxi aug 12th

Lee
Posts: 6207
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2006 4:09 pm

Re: DH has Stage 3 with 3 cm tumor. Needs encouragment!

Postby Lee » Wed Sep 26, 2018 9:13 am

rosegirl wrote: . . . We can't find a support group near us so any encouragement, success stories, diet tips, advice would be great! Thanks so much in advance. This seems like a great community!


Welcome, so sorry for the reason you are here. You might find this thread helpful.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=10574&hilit=stage+iii+ned+how+long

I'm a 14 yr survivor of stage III rectal cancer. Know in your heart it is possible to beat this cancer.

You will find a lot of information and support here.

All the best,

Lee
rectal cancer - April 2004
46 yrs old at diagnoses
stage III C - 6/13 lymph positive
radiation - 6 weeks
surgery - August 2004/hernia repair 2014
permanent colostomy
chemo - FOLFOX
NED - 16 years and counting!

User avatar
O Stoma Mia
Posts: 1709
Joined: Sat Jun 22, 2013 6:29 am
Location: On vacation. Off-line for now.

Re: DH has Stage 3 with 3 cm tumor. Needs encouragment!

Postby O Stoma Mia » Wed Sep 26, 2018 9:24 am

rosegirl wrote:... We can't find a support group near us so any encouragement, success stories, diet tips, advice would be great! Thanks so much in advance. ...

Welcome to the Forum, and I hope that you decide to stay around and become an active contributor here.

If you are looking for support that would be specific to your DH's situation, then I think it would help if you could create a Signature to show the basics of your DH's diagnosis, staging, and treatment regimen, as well as a sort of brief history of all of the tests, procedures, etc. that have been done so far and those that are yet to come. This is so that persons who read your current post (and any of your future posts) can determine whether or not they have anything relevant to say -- and they do this by comparing their own situation with what you have listed in your signature.

It is important to note that the details that you put in the body of your first message need to be summarized and copied over into your signature, because within a week or two your first post will be so far down in the message board archive that people won't be able to find it easily and they may not even know or remember that you ever posted this kind of detailed information in your first message. If you want to receive relevant replies to your current and future posts, you need a signature so that each time you post something new the readers will be constantly reminded of your situation.

Remember, the best kind of feedback usually comes from people who are in the same situation as you, but readers won't know if they are in the same situation as you unless you put your details in your signature.

A link for creating your signature is given below. It doesn't take long to set up a signature, then you will have a short summary of your situation that can be displayed at the bottom of all your future posts. (You can always go back later to update it in case the need arises.)

Here's the direct link for creating your signature:
http://coloncancersupport.colonclub.com/ucp.php?i=ucp_profile&mode=signature

And here are some tips
Signature tips

Hope to hear from you again soon. You should try to post more messages, because you need to have a certain number approved before you can be be promoted from the status of 'Newly Registered User' to a higher rank with more privileges.

Kweenie
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Jul 14, 2018 8:40 am
Facebook Username: QueenBee Nonya

Re: DH has Stage 3 with 3 cm tumor. Needs encouragment!

Postby Kweenie » Wed Sep 26, 2018 12:18 pm

Hi rosegirl,

This is my first post. :shock: I hope everyone will bear with me...Getting diagnosis for one's self or loved ones is frightening and all we hear is a death sentence. I found that keeping an upbeat and positive attitude is so helpful and benefits our body and emotions, as well as in keeping our hope active. We go through all the emotions we know we can experience and then go through emotions we didn't know we were capable of having.

Chemo for me, was not too bad. You do get very cold sensitive, even to cool items, like drinks, foods, and touching cold surfaces. I always wore cotton knit gloves. Also knit caps help stay warm. If your DH does receive chem, Claritin D helps joint aches, and meds can be taken to help nausea. My skin broke out in hives, all the time but cortisone cream really helped as well as, Benadryl. However, your DH may not need the above items!

You are both in my prayers. God bless
64 F, Dx 7/21/15
Stage 3 Sig/colon 3" tumor, 6 nodes
Resection 7/22/15 w/colos
9/2016 CEA 5.9
9/10/15 VRE 10 days
11/23/15 began chemo 5FU, FOLFOXl 2 rounds
1/2016 chemo stopped, VRE
2/2016 chem 6 tx infusions & chemo pump
4/2016 CAT Scan NED
9/2016 Chemo/Rad 8 sounds
1/2017 Stoma moved to right
8/2017 VRE gallbladder, hospital 30 days
5/3/2018 8.5 hr surgery, takedown, hyster, hernia. Temp ileostomy, colon staples
5/20/18 CEA 1.9
Thank you Jesus! :D

User avatar
O Stoma Mia
Posts: 1709
Joined: Sat Jun 22, 2013 6:29 am
Location: On vacation. Off-line for now.

Re: DH has Stage 3 with 3 cm tumor. Needs encouragment!

Postby O Stoma Mia » Thu Sep 27, 2018 3:40 am

Kweenie wrote:...This is my first post. :shock: I hope everyone will bear with me...

Kweenie - Thanks for posting your first message with all the tips, suggestions and encouragement -- and thanks also for preparing an elaborate signature in advance.

If you ever want to post a New Message of your own (rather than replying to someone else's message), you can use the New Topic link to submit your post.

The link for posting a New Topic is here:

https://coloncancersupport.colonclub.com/posting.php?mode=post&f=1

Image

Caat55
Posts: 694
Joined: Sat Dec 23, 2017 6:01 pm

Re: DH has Stage 3 with 3 cm tumor. Needs encouragment!

Postby Caat55 » Sat Sep 29, 2018 12:18 pm

I went through the chemo and radiation last fall for Stage 3 cancer, rectal so a little different from your husband. The initial chemo was not awful, didn't have any obvious side effects. The radiation was hard on my body, pretty significant damage to tissues. There are creams you can use up to a few hours prior to radiation that can protect the skin, some over the counter, others by prescription. Encourage your husband to use them diligently.
This is the right place for answers.
S
Do at 55 y.o. Female
Dx 9/26/17 RC Stage 3
Completed 33 rad. tx, xeolda 12/8/17
MRI and PET 1/18 sign. regression
Surgery 1/31/18 Ileostomy, clean margins, no lymph node involved
Port 3/1/2018
Oxaliplatin and Xeloda start 3/22/18
Last Oxaliplatin 7/5/18, 5 rounds
CT NED 9/2018
PET NED 12/18
Clear Colonoscopy 2/19, 5/20


Return to “Colon Talk - Colon cancer (colorectal cancer) support forum”



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 115 guests