New to Fourm saying Hello

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Slowrider1
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Apr 05, 2023 12:08 pm

New to Fourm saying Hello

Postby Slowrider1 » Wed Apr 05, 2023 12:19 pm

New to forum wanted to say Hello.
Stage 4 colon cancer met to liver.
Had colon resection surgery. Now doing chemo
Then surgery on liver.
Stage 4 colon met to liver
Age 63M

User avatar
Peregrine
Posts: 255
Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2022 1:18 am

Re: New to Forum saying Hello

Postby Peregrine » Thu Apr 06, 2023 6:40 am

Welcome to the Forum. I'm sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but there are resources here that may help you along the journey.

Peregrine wrote:"Cancer: 12 nouveaux commandements pour avoir encore de meilleures chances de guérison "

Here is a 12-point checklist based on an article published recently in Europe. The following draft is a paraphrased English translation of the original document, with annotations added to fit the U.S. medical context.

"Cancer - The 12 New Commandments for Having a Better Chance for a Cure"

Our advice - Better screening methods and more efficient treatments have improved the survival of patients. Here are some recommendations for those who fight against cancer.

Reference: https://www.lefigaro.fr/sciences/cancer-les-12-nouveaux-commandements-pour-avoir-encore-plus-de-chances-de-guerir-20200221

    1. Do not consent to undergo a specific treatment regimen on the basis of the recommendation of just a single specialist or a single surgeon. Any cancer treatment regimen (i.e., chemo, radiation, surgery, etc.) must be decided on during a multidisciplinary team meeting in which all of the specialists concerned are represented.

    2. Make sure your attending physician (PCP) is the recipient of your whole hospital file and all of your special test results. Also, verify your level of access to the medical documents in your chart via your hospital portal account, since you may need to have access to your original medical documents throughout the course of your treatment and follow-up.

    3a. Check the website of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), to determine if there is an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center near you -- one where you could get a professional second opinion, and one where you could even transfer all of your care if your insurance policy will cover it.


    3b. Check the cancer ranking of your current hospital or clinic by accessing the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings for cancer hospitals:
    You can shorten the list of displayed hospitals by specifying your location (i.e., state/province) on the search form.

    4. If you have even the slightest doubt about the course of treatment proposed for you, do not hesitate to ask for a second opinion at a reputable hospital outside your current hospital network, especially if your confidence in the assigned doctor is low. (Note: It is not a good idea to get your second opinion locally from another doctor in the same hospital network, because doctors won't usually criticize or contradict their close colleagues.)

    5. For surgery, ensure the cancer experience of the surgeon by verifying three points:

    1. Verify that the surgeon has an up-to-date Board Certification in colorectal cancer. This can be done by accessing the http://www.certificationmatters.org website:

    2. Verify that the surgeon's interest in colorectal surgery is focused on cancer, and not just on benign colorectal conditions like ulcerative colitis.This can sometimes be verified by reviewing the surgeon's webpage on the hospital website. (Note: There are indeed some colorectal surgeons who prefer not to deal with cancer patients. They just prefer to do the simple surgeries that don't require much attention to getting good surgical margins. etc.)
    3. Verify that the surgeon received his/her medical training at a reputable medical school and has had relevant advanced training in one or more specialties at a reputable institution. This can sometimes be determined by reviewing the surgeon's webpage.

    6. For radiotherapy or chemotherapy, check that the Radiation Oncology Unit, and the Infusion Center have been properly certified by the relevant authorities and that the equipment they use is up-to-date and up to current standards.

    7. If possible, be accompanied by a loved one during the first consultation with the cancerologist. It is important to have someone else present who can help record what was said and to help make sure all important questions were asked and answered.

    8. Before choosing the establishment that will be responsible for your treatment and follow-up, do not hesitate to ask the following question of the attending physician: "And you, doctor, if you were in my situation, who would you go to see, and where would you want to be treated?"

    9. In communications with medical staff, dare to say: "I didn't understand. Could you please repeat in simpler terms that I can understand"

    10. Seek help from a qualified psycho-oncologist soon after the cancer diagnosis is announced.

    11. Do not stop your currently prescribed treatments if you decide to take advantage of some alternative or complementary medicine.

    12. Never take medication or food supplements on your own without the advice of the team that follows you.

https://coloncancersupport.colonclub.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=66310&p=513365#p513365
Last edited by Peregrine on Thu Apr 06, 2023 7:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Slowrider1
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Apr 05, 2023 12:08 pm

Re: New to Fourm saying Hello

Postby Slowrider1 » Thu Apr 06, 2023 10:26 am

Thanks Peregrine
This has all been a whirlwind since my diagnosis, 12/02/2022 seems it happened so fast. Went for a checkup with my cardiologist. Next thing I knew was having a Colon resection surgery then Prostate surgery, liver biopsy now chemotherapy.
Thanks for the information.
Stage 4 colon met to liver
Age 63M

User avatar
beach sunrise
Posts: 1034
Joined: Thu Mar 05, 2020 7:14 pm

Re: New to Fourm saying Hello

Postby beach sunrise » Thu Apr 06, 2023 12:09 pm

It sure is a whirlwind! Great you found this forum.
Add a signature when you get time so members can get a better feel of what all is going on.
8/19 RC CEA 82.6 T3N0M0
5FU/rad 6 wk
IVC 75g 1 1/2 wks before surgery. Continue 2x a week
Surg 1/20 -margins T4bN1a IIIC G2 MSI- 1/20 LN+ LVI+ PNI-
pre cea 24 post 5.9
FOLFOX
7 rds 6-10 CEA 11.4 No more
CEA
7/20 11.1 8.8
8/20 7.8
9/20 8.8, 9, 8.6
10/20 8.1
11/20 8s
12/20 8s-9s
ADAPT++++ chrono
CEA
10/23/22 26.x
12/23/22 22.x
2023
1/5 17.1
1/20 15.9
3/30 14.9
6/12 13.3
8/1 2.1
Nodule RML SUV 1.3 5mm
Rolles 3 of 4 lung nodules cancer
KRAS
Chem-sens test failed Not enough ca cells to test

MadMed
Posts: 216
Joined: Sun May 02, 2021 5:52 pm
Location: Massachusetts

Re: New to Fourm saying Hello

Postby MadMed » Thu Apr 06, 2023 2:07 pm

Welcome to the best forum no one wanted to join Slowrider1. You're in the whirlwind now, things will slow down.
Chemo is rough, be kind to yourself and hang in there.
52M DX: RC lower rectum, guessing now 2cm from AV 4/27/2021
T3N0M0 adenocarcinoma with signet ring cell features
Tumor size 30mm
Tumor grade: G3
Baseline CEA 1.0
MSI status: MSS pMMR
Started Folfox 5/12/2021
Switched to FOLFIRINOX from session 2. 8 rounds total.
CT+MRI tumor contained shrunk 80%, no spread to other organs.
CRT started xeloda + 28 days Radiation 9/27-11/04
NED as of 4/06 CT/MRI/sigmoidoscopy
On W&W 04/06/2022

nmorgen
Posts: 82
Joined: Sat Nov 05, 2022 10:31 am

Re: New to Fourm saying Hello

Postby nmorgen » Sat Apr 08, 2023 8:14 am

Welcome to the forum. I really wish you good luck on your treatment.
DH age 47
DX 10/22 stage 4
2 tumors in sigmoid colon 2 Mets liver
adenocarcinoma
MSI-H, TMB-H 38, KRAS G13V, ERBB2 neg, BRCA2, Lynch Syndrome
Grade 1 well differentiated
12/1/22 Yervoy and Opdivo CEA 5.4
12/19/22 Yervoy & Opdivo CEA 4.6
01/12/22 Yervoy & Opdivo CEA 3.9
2/13/23 Yervoy& Opdivo CEA 3.4
3/7/23 ct scans no change
3/9/23 Opdivo CEA 3.4
4/4/23 Opdivo CEA 2.3
6/1/23 Opdivo CEA 2.6

skimom
Posts: 76
Joined: Fri Mar 17, 2023 12:24 pm
Location: Oregon USA

Re: New to Fourm saying Hello

Postby skimom » Tue Apr 11, 2023 8:19 am

Welcome.. Sad any of us have to be here but welcome :)
I am pretty new myself, and was diagnosed around the same time as you (12/11/22). I have found the people here so kind, caring and knowledgeable. I have learned a lot in the past month from kind people sharing information with me and searching through old posts.

I pray for peace and healing for you. Keep your chin up and advocate for yourself!
47yo F at DX
DX 12/11/22 Stage IV (liver & lung mets) KRAS PIK3CA
12/15/22 Primary tumor removed from Transverse Colon (4.3x4.0x0.6cm G2 3/15 lymph nodes. Clear margins)
01/06/23 started Folfox (10 cycles)
Initial CEA 5608
CEA after 4 rounds 1319
CEA after 6 rounds 427
CEA after 9 rounds 95
HAI pump installed 06/20/23
Start FOLFIRI and FUDR 07/05/23
CEA down to 37
31
21
18
9/2023 Switch back to FOLFOX due to new lung nodules
11/23 FOLFOX fail CEA up to 62

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

Re: New to Fourm saying Hello

Postby ANDRETEXAS » Wed Apr 12, 2023 2:23 pm

Welcome to the forum. What chemo treatment plan was recommended for you?
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 !


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