NewHere - Starting Chemo Soon

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NewHere
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Feb 28, 2015 7:56 am

NewHere - Starting Chemo Soon

Postby NewHere » Sat Feb 28, 2015 8:15 am

Figured I would say hello as a new member of the club.

Just diagnosed "officially" a month ago when pathology came back from colonoscopy, but warning signs on scan a couple of weeks prior to that, hence the colonoscopy.

Since then had a resection of colon and confirmed as a III C. Chemo starting shortly - looks like FOLFOX for 6 months. Meeting with onc next week to map this part all out, but surgeon was pretty sure/clear that it what will happen.

Amazing how fast this developed, but it seems to happen often like that.

plastikos
Posts: 351
Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2015 6:09 am

Re: NewHere - Starting Chemo Soon

Postby plastikos » Sat Feb 28, 2015 8:49 am

Hi. Welcome to the club but sorry to hear about your diagnosis. The good thing is you've had surgery. Just go through the chemo to mop up anything that's left. Hoping for the best outcome for you.
St. IV Colon CA @ 37, male, Kras wild, MSI-high (2014)
11/2014 Right Hemicolectomy + Liver Resection
12/2014 - 6/2015 FOLFOX + Cetuximab
10/2015 - Recurrence liver
Liver resection 10/2015
FOLFIRI 11/2015 - 5/2016
Recurrence liver, nodes 11/2016
Pembrolizumab started 12/2016 -> pseudoprogression(?) -> biliary obstruction -> biliary stenting
Chemo 4x: most mets inactive and smaller on PET-CT
March 2017 - Back on Pembrolizumab again
Sept 2017 - SIRT - > NED
2019 NED

NewHere
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Feb 28, 2015 7:56 am

Re: NewHere - Starting Chemo Soon

Postby NewHere » Sat Feb 28, 2015 9:03 am

Thanks. If the chemo is as easy (in the grand scheme of things) as the surgery was, I will be very happy.

Sometimes I still feel a bit like I am on the outside looking in on all this.

Figure by the time I am done with chemo, my brain will finally catch up and realize all this actually has happened.

DarknessEmbraced
Posts: 3816
Joined: Sat Nov 01, 2014 4:54 pm
Facebook Username: Riann Fletcher
Location: New Brunswick, Canada

Re: NewHere - Starting Chemo Soon

Postby DarknessEmbraced » Sat Feb 28, 2015 9:53 am

Welcome to the board, sorry for the reason that you found us. Yes, everything seems to happen very fast. I was diagnosed October 28th, 2014 and had my surgery November 20th, 2014. I was diagnosed as stage 2a. My oncologist and I decided that the benefits of chemo outweighed the risks(side effects) in my case. There are many on here who are going through chemo or have gone through chemo who can give you advise.
Diagnosed 10/28/14, age 36
Colon Resection 11/20/14, LAR (no illeo)
Stage 2a colon cancer, T3NOMO
Lymph-vascular invasion undetermined
0/22 lymph nodes
No chemo, no radiation
Clear Colonoscopy 04/29/15
NED 10/20/15
Ischemic Colitis 01/21/16
NED 11/10/16
CT Scan moved up due to high CEA 08/21/17
NED 09/25/17
NED 12/21/18
Clear colonoscopy 09/23/19
Clear 5 year scans 11/21/19- Considered cured! :)

Nik Colon

Re: NewHere - Starting Chemo Soon

Postby Nik Colon » Sat Feb 28, 2015 11:21 am

As others said, welcome and sorry. There are many threads on the side affects some of us have. Oxi seems to affect people the most. Best wishes to you.

User avatar
ANDRETEXAS
Posts: 662
Joined: Fri Feb 14, 2014 11:01 am
Location: Austin, Texas (University of Tennessee alumnus)

Re: NewHere - Starting Chemo Soon

Postby ANDRETEXAS » Sat Feb 28, 2015 11:36 am

You came to the right place for asking questions. If there is anything we can do, let us know. We've all had different experiences and are willing to share. Good luck going forward ! One day at a time ! Andre
2/10/14 - Colon resect
2/13 - DX- Stage IIIb
6 of 18 lymph nodes cancerous
3/7 - Port placed
3/11 - FOLFOX (12 rds w/full oxi)
8/14 - Chemo finish
8/25 - CT- Inc
9/5 - clean PET
12/10- clean CT

3/2/15 - Clean colonoscopy & port removed
3/4 - clean CT
9/21- clean CT

3/23/16 - clean CT

2/22/17- clean CT

3/21/18 - clean CT
4/1 - clean colonoscopy

3/11/19 - clean CT
9/23 - Five-year release - Annual visits now !

4/13/23 - clean colonoscopy

ONE DAY AT A TIME !

Val*pal
Posts: 860
Joined: Sun Feb 10, 2013 1:24 pm
Facebook Username: Valerie Barkus Kantner
Location: Metro Detroit, Michigan

Re: NewHere - Starting Chemo Soon

Postby Val*pal » Sat Feb 28, 2015 11:46 am

Welcome! I'm so glad your surgery went well.

I get what you're saying about your brain needing time to catch up with reality. I felt that way for some time after my husband was diagnosed. It just didn't seem real, even though things happened quickly after the diagnosis. But I tend to always react that way to new change.

Here's to getting through the chemo with minimal side effects!
DH dx'ed May '11, age 62
Jul '11: resection Stage IV
10/11: 6 mo Folfox
8/12:thyr canc, surg/tx
2/13: peri mets
2/13: Firi/Avas
6/13: Ok
8/13: break
10/13: Lung, peri, mets
10/13: Firi/Erb
1/14: Erb Fail; spread
5/14: Tx stopped
6/20/14: At rest

User avatar
purplekangaroo
Posts: 88
Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2015 6:08 am
Location: England

Re: NewHere - Starting Chemo Soon

Postby purplekangaroo » Sat Feb 28, 2015 2:08 pm

Hello and welcome. Sorry to hear of your diagnosis - you'll get lots of support and advice here :)

I know what you mean about it all not feeling real. It only hit me after chemo finished and I had nothing to focus on as such - I know thats common. I think the scariest thing about the whole 'C' is most people before treatment barely feel Ill so to know you have something so serious going on inside and not really feel unwell is scary!

All the best with starting chemo, let us know how you get on :)
LAR 29/10/13
Leak, temp ileo 5/11/13
Stage 3cc aged 31 4\20 nodes
6 months xelox 24/12/13
1 clear CT 5/7/14
Genetic test negative for lynch
Ileo reversed 18/11/14
Colonoscopy 6/2/15 normal
Second CT 6/2/15 ??
Trying to resume some sort of normality??

Delinda2
Posts: 483
Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2015 6:28 pm
Location: Washington state

Re: NewHere - Starting Chemo Soon

Postby Delinda2 » Sat Feb 28, 2015 4:04 pm

Welcome, but of course sorry we had to meet here. I'm also a IIIC & finished my FOLFOX on New Years Eve. I know what you mean about it not being real. For me it finally hit about half way through chemo. Hope you find this group as meaningful as I have. Best of luck & let us know how it goes for you. XXOXO, Delinda
63 yrs,wife & mom
4/14 dx colon cancer,3C,9/22 nodes
Lymphatic,venous,&perineural invasion
<1cm margin,poorly differentiated
6/14 colostomy take down
7/14 FOLFOX w/9 Nulasta shots
2/16 dx new primary of sigmoid colon
6/16 surgery-rescection on sigmoid, total hysterectomy, temp ileo, stage 4
"I AM the storm."

NewHere
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Feb 28, 2015 7:56 am

Re: NewHere - Starting Chemo Soon

Postby NewHere » Sat Feb 28, 2015 4:24 pm

Thank you all. One of the most amazing parts about all this is how much support came instantly from the others who have been in the club before me. I have friends and family, but the people in cyberspace have also been amazing in terms of helping get through this step by step. And in the hospital I took the lessons to heart and also tried to encourage the people who were a couple of days behind me in surgery - getting up to walk and the rest. Doing my bit to pay it forward as I continue to learn from, and lean on, those who proceeded me in this.

User avatar
ANDRETEXAS
Posts: 662
Joined: Fri Feb 14, 2014 11:01 am
Location: Austin, Texas (University of Tennessee alumnus)

Re: NewHere - Starting Chemo Soon

Postby ANDRETEXAS » Sat Feb 28, 2015 5:52 pm

I found that friends and relatives are important in getting through this.....but sometimes they can't do it all and have no understanding of what you are going through physically and mentally -- or at least that's what I found. This Club has and does help me tremendously as I go through my journey because there's always someone who understands.
2/10/14 - Colon resect
2/13 - DX- Stage IIIb
6 of 18 lymph nodes cancerous
3/7 - Port placed
3/11 - FOLFOX (12 rds w/full oxi)
8/14 - Chemo finish
8/25 - CT- Inc
9/5 - clean PET
12/10- clean CT

3/2/15 - Clean colonoscopy & port removed
3/4 - clean CT
9/21- clean CT

3/23/16 - clean CT

2/22/17- clean CT

3/21/18 - clean CT
4/1 - clean colonoscopy

3/11/19 - clean CT
9/23 - Five-year release - Annual visits now !

4/13/23 - clean colonoscopy

ONE DAY AT A TIME !

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

Re: Advice for someone starting Folfox

Postby O Stoma Mia » Sat Feb 28, 2015 7:10 pm


Nik Colon

Re: NewHere - Starting Chemo Soon

Postby Nik Colon » Sun Mar 01, 2015 10:45 pm

Hi again NewHere. Just wanted to say you may want to add a sig for future questions as it will help others to see what's going on for you and your tx.

Kelly M
Posts: 32
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2015 1:29 pm
Facebook Username: Kelly Morrow
Location: Michigan

Re: NewHere - Starting Chemo Soon

Postby Kelly M » Sun Mar 01, 2015 11:58 pm

Welcome.. :)
Mom to 5 boys 43
12/13 colon resection & temp colostomy
1/14 port put in
1/14 started folfox with Avastin 12 cycles
8/14 liver resection
10/14 6 weeks of radiation with Xeloda
11/14 liver ablation
1/15 beginning 12 week cycle of FOLFIRI & Erbitux

Nik Colon

Re: NewHere - Starting Chemo Soon

Postby Nik Colon » Mon Mar 02, 2015 12:48 am

Mia, why don't you have a sig?


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