Postby CanadianGirl » Mon Mar 29, 2021 11:22 am
It has been awhile since I have been here but thought I would give an update on how things have been going 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 thirteen years ago and stage IV eleven 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 but it was thought that chemo or radiation would never be an option again. My CEA has always been a good indicator of growth and the cancer remained stable until 2019. At that point my scan showed growth so we threw me through another PET scan which showed that my tumour was growing substantially again. We discussed several options and surgery was not possible, radiation was out of the question and aggressive chemo probably was not a great idea because I didn't complete all rounds the first time. We decided on five consecutive days of 5FU injections then 23 days off for 3 months. I made it through 3 rounds before the neuropathy cut in again and we had to shut it down. During this time there was no growth and after it continued to grow slowly until it reached the point where we needed to look at options by then. Surgery and chemo were still not an option but a wonderful new radiologist felt that we could try radiation one more time. I did radiation in 2020 and once again it shrunk. It is still growing but minimally. In any case, I have already had 11 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