Postby folbright » Sun May 01, 2016 9:53 pm
In November I was diagnosed with colon cancer. I had passed out after a month or so of stomach problems. Earlier, after an ultrasound, my doctor thought it was gallstones and I was awaiting an appointment with a surgeon but when I passed out and went to emergency they determined, after an X-ray and CT scan (subsequently confirmed by a colonoscopy) that it was colon cancer. I remained in hospital and had surgery about two weeks later. The surgeons were confident that they removed all the cancer and thought it was Stage I or II. However, when the biopsy tests came back it turned out that one lymph node they removed was cancerous and so it was Stage III and it was recommended i go on Folfox as a preventative measure. I began chemo in January and had a new CT scan to establish a baseline. In that scan though they found a few tiny spots in my lungs that either had not been there in the previous scan or were larger - but they were too small to determine whether or not they're cancerous and also too small/inconveniently located for a biopsy. I did not have contrast fluid in November because my kidneys were too weak from dehydration but I did have contrast fluid in January. I asked my oncologist if that might explain the difference in the two scans and he said no. I'm now halfway through the Folfox and am having a CT scan of my lungs only tomorrow. My wife asked my doctor what my prognosis is if the spots are cancerous (which would mean I'm Stage IV) and he said 3 to 5 years(!) (I'm 47) and the Johns Hopkins site says that Stage IV means an 11% five-year survivability rate. Needless to say I'm rather worried about the CT scan and what it might mean. If the spots are the same it apparently means they probably aren't cancer. If they're smaller it means they are probably cancerous but are responding to chemo (but it would still mean Stage IV). If they're larger that's even worse. I've had no actual symptoms of lung cancer but I'm a bit concerned that a cold I'm recovering from, and the related mucus in my lung, might interfere with the CT scan.
Admitted to ER November 2, 2015 after collapsing following several weeks of digestive issues and days of vomiting bile
Diagnosed November 3, 2015 with colon cancer
Surgery November 16, 5 cm resection. Stage III diagnosed following biopsy (tumour + 1 lymph node cancerous). Folfox semimonthly (12 cycles) January to June 2016
CT scans clear for colon. Suspicious spots in lungs detected in January 2018. Wedge resection July 31 to remove 1 nodule that had grown. Biopsy found it malignant. Scans clear since then