Postby CanadianGirl » Tue Mar 12, 2019 11:09 am
It has been awhile since I have been here but thought I would give an update on how the "do nothing" approach has been working for me. I try to jump in periodically at least around the anniversary of my HIPEC operation to update those who remember me and give hope to those who have unfortunately found it necessary to become a member of this site. I was diagnosed stage III eleven years ago and stage IV nine years ago. I had chemo and then HIPEC in 2011 but the cancer returned six months later. I chose not to do chemo pills or radiation at that time and opted to take the wait and see approach. This worked well for two years as the tumours were growing slowly. By 2013 the inoperable tumour reached a size that my doctors and I felt we should try to do something about. I did about 26 rounds of radiation and we successfully shrunk the tumour down. Last month marked the 8th anniversary since HIPEC and the 6th since radiation. My CEA has always been a good indicator of growth and has remained stable. However my latest scan has shown growth so we threw me through another PET scan which showed that my tumour was growing substantially again. We have discussed several options and surgery is not possible, radiation again is out of the question and aggressive chemo probably is not a great idea because I didn't complete all rounds the first time. We are thinking about Xeloda or alternatively, five consecutive days of 5FU injections then 23 days off for 3 months. Has anyone else done this? In any case, I have already had ten more years than expected, my QOL has been wonderful and this is not over yet. There are lots of long term survivors out there and there is always hope. Keep on Living Life!
06/08 gall bldr rmvd
06/08 rgt hemi, app rmvd
07/08 hemi, dx stg 3c
09/08-03/09 5FU 11 rds, neuropathy
06/10 hysterectomy,debullking,dx carcinomatosis, terminal
09/10 2 rds Xeloda
01/11 CR HIPEC colon rmvd
03/11 ileo rvrsl
07/11 cancer returns
12/12 radiation 26 rnds