5 years post LAR

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teachpdx
Posts: 634
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2013 12:29 am
Location: Portland, OR

5 years post LAR

Postby teachpdx » Mon Aug 28, 2017 4:49 pm

Today marks the 5 year anniversary of my surgery for rectal cancer that forever changed my anatomy. With presurgery chemo and radiation my body had a lot to adjust to. The process has taken 5 years. After 3 years I could walk without pain. Rehabbing myself - working specific muscle groups when running - changing my dominant foot - throwing a ball against the concrete basement floor and wall - using both hands to balance my body - you never know!

"Learn to be ambidextrous - your body will thank you later."

My later was June 3, 2017.

June 2, 2017 - Best day ever in almost five years. Worked from 6:30 to 10:30 am at church helping host a prayer breakfast that Jesse Jackson attended. I hadn't been able to work that much, without pain, since my diagnosis in April 2012. I was riding high. Volunteering is what I love to do and not being able to do it had weighed heavily on me and I just got a piece of me back.

Still riding my high the next day I prepared to go running but fall down the basement stairs to that concrete floor before I can get out the door.

Broken wrist, broken spirit but I can function because I'm ambidextrous - but bone pain sucks - it really hurts.

Grunt through the summer - pain and more pain. My mental health taking a hit. I ALMOST made it. I didn't even have 24 hours of gloating. "Pride goeth before the fall." I felt like Job/Sisyphus - ongoing theme.

Can't do much of anything. It's a slow process. Something I'm good at by now whether I like it or not. Still having pelvic pain and I'm not doing anything so why am I in pain? I've had plenty of experience of preventing myself from having pain and I can't seem to check off any box that would explain the pain. I'm cranky.

And then the pain is gone. Apparently my body needed to be balanced. I had an adhesion on my left side that did not go away til last October and I had been bracing with my left arm, when getting up, to protect my left side. When I broke my left wrist I could no longer brace with my left hand and had to switch to my right hand. I unwittingly strengthened the muscles on my left side thereby creating a balance but also new pain before homeostasis was achieved.

God is good!

You never know where your silver lining will be...

Peace
4/24/12 RC T3N1M0 age 53
5/23-7/2 - 26 chemorad - Xeloda
7/16 Lynch- MSH2
8/28 LAR w/ temp ileo, CR, 0/11,M0, hysterectomy
10/13 6 cycles Xeloda - completed only 1 1/2 due to HFS
3/12/13 - reversal
8/13 NED
6/15 - HFS gone!

benben
Posts: 324
Joined: Fri Apr 28, 2017 3:18 pm
Location: Washington State

Re: 5 years post LAR

Postby benben » Mon Aug 28, 2017 4:56 pm

Congratulations on 5 years NED!
Big step!

sorry to hear about the broken wrist, I hope it's healing up nicely.
Sounds like you are making good progress on a return to near pre event normalcy and
onto the new normal. Keep it up :)

best wishes
----------------------
3/29/17 diagnosed CRC - 44 y/o Male
4/17/17 ULAR - Straight anastomosis - no ostomy.
Path: low grade T3n1m0 - moderate diff.
KRAS - NO, MLH1/PMS2/MSH6/MSH2 - Normal.
5/3 med port install
5/22 folfox - first treatment.
3rd treat, delayed - low ANC - reduced to 90% OXI
zarxio all treats
Treat 7 - 75% OXI
Treats 8-12 - NO OXI, Luke & 5FU
10/20/17 CT- NED
3/18 Scope - Clean
11/8 PORT OUT!
7/22 CT - NED (5 years!)

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

Re: 5 years post LAR

Postby Lee » Mon Aug 28, 2017 6:24 pm

Agree , congratulations on 5 years. I know you have endured a lot as a result of cancer, chemo, etc. Sorry for your recent accident, butt it also sounds like overall, your body is recovering. Keep it up. And may you always reside in NEDville,

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!

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

Re: 5 years post LAR

Postby DarknessEmbraced » Wed Sep 06, 2017 3:45 pm

Congratulations on 5 years NED!*hugs* I'm sorry about your broken wrist and hope it heals quickly!*hugs*
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! :)

teacher2017
Posts: 275
Joined: Sat Sep 09, 2017 1:18 pm
Facebook Username: Lydia Clark

Re: 5 years post LAR

Postby teacher2017 » Sun Sep 10, 2017 6:10 am

I really need to read posts like this. I was just diagnosed and I don't know much. I see it as a death sentence and I can not stop thinking that I will not see my children grow up. At colonoscopy dr found a mass. Said it's cancer. Had ctscan and it has not spread anywhere. It's just in the left upper side. I could use some positivity. I am meeting with a surgeon and have no idea what to ask. This is a nightmare. I don't know how all of you do it.
50 yo mom of 2 (15, 18)
DX stage 3c - 12/17 LN. T3
8" colon resection 9/22/17
6.1cm tumor
folfox 11/17-4/18
CEA -1.4 11/8/17
Colonoscopy- 5/18-CLEAR!
Cea -1.8 6/18
Cea -2.1. 8/18
8/10/18 Stage 4
1cm met in seg.8 liver
Liver resection-9/18
Cea -1.5/1.2
Port removal-9/19
Cea -1.2 10/19
Cea -1.1 02/2020
Cea - 1.2 5/20
Cea-1.1 9/20
Cea- 1.3 2/21
Cea.1.3 5/21

User avatar
susie0915
Posts: 945
Joined: Wed Aug 02, 2017 8:17 am
Facebook Username: Susan DeGrazia Hostetter
Location: Michigan

Re: 5 years post LAR

Postby susie0915 » Sun Sep 10, 2017 12:11 pm

5 years, that's awesome. Everyone says the worry becomes less and less the further away you are from treatment and continue to be NED. My oncologist told me the most but not all recurrences occur within two years after diagnosis. Hopefully, that means I will continue to be ned. Congrats again, that is something to brag about.
58 yrs old Dx @ 55
5/15 DX T3N0MO
6/15 5 wks chemo/rad
7/15 sigmoidoscopy/only scar tissue left
8/15 PET scan NED
9/15 LAR
0/24 nodes
10/15 blockage. surgery,early ileo rev, c-diff inf :(
12/15 6 rds of xelox
5/16 CT lung scarring/inflammation
9/16 clear colonoscopy
4/17 C 4mm lung nod
10/17 pel/abd CT NED
11/17 CEA<.5
1/18 CT/Lung no change in 4mm nodule
5/18 CEA<.5, CT pel/abd/lung NED
11/18 CEA .6
5/19 CT NED, CEA <.5
10/19 Clear colonscopy
11/19 CEA <.5

User avatar
Robino1
Posts: 463
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2017 12:09 pm
Facebook Username: Robin.lawthers
Location: Florida

Re: 5 years post LAR

Postby Robino1 » Sun Sep 10, 2017 4:27 pm

teacher2017 wrote:I really need to read posts like this. I was just diagnosed and I don't know much. I see it as a death sentence and I can not stop thinking that I will not see my children grow up. At colonoscopy dr found a mass. Said it's cancer. Had ctscan and it has not spread anywhere. It's just in the left upper side. I could use some positivity. I am meeting with a surgeon and have no idea what to ask. This is a nightmare. I don't know how all of you do it.


We take it one step at a time. Reading stories of survival really helps. Also, knowing that others have gone through this and sometimes worse yet still have excellent outcomes really gives me hope.

It helps to get your mindset into battling this cancer and focus on beating it.

I'm sorry you are here but this is a great place to get information and helpful suggestions.
At 54 2014 1st colonoscopy colon cancer detect
Colon resect margins clear. No chemo Stage II
2017
Distend abd, pain in intestines.
CT scan seeding & Ascites
Lap diag - cancer on the omentum
CEA 217; 219
FOLFOX started 6/17
CEA 202
8/29/17 CT melting of tumor.
Latest CT scan shows 2 new tumors and return of ascites.
CEA: (2017)9/30 -109; 10/12 -99.1; 11/4 -90.7; 11/30 -70.7; 12/14 -83.4; (2018)1/4 -73.3; 2/1-84.2; 89.2; 89.8; 88.5; 81.8: 93.5; 107; 119
BRAF V600e


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