New Member-Stage Four

Please feel free to read, share your thoughts, your stories and connect with others!
NedPlease
Posts: 550
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2012 3:56 pm

New Member-Stage Four

Postby NedPlease » Fri Mar 23, 2012 5:55 pm

Stage Four posting here for first time. Have been reading for a few months. I feel compelled to tell my story since I am alive and feeling well. I crave survival stories, but have been afraid to see myself in that way. Jinxing myself? I'm still scared and always will be.
So impressed with the thoughtfulness and intellect of members. Very inspirational and educational, and a real godsend for me in my darkest moments. From the sidelines, I've donated to the Club and gifted Colondars to my medical team for Christmas, but exposing myself on the forum as a "healthy" Stage Four cancer patient seems right now.
Here goes:
Female- Age 54 at DX after MD discouraged my requested colonoscopy at age 50 physical because no fam hx of cancer or symptoms. Working on forgiving myself for listening to him and delaying. Always lean, fit, active, and health conscious.
May 2010- fatigue sent me for a physical- Dx: cancer- ascending colon and right liver lobe (two lesions).
June 2010-Three oncology consults -including Dr.Personality
June 2010- Folfox
Sept 2010- Right liver lobe/colon resections, gallbladder/appendix removal- return to hospital for infection of incision
Nov 2010- March 2011- Folfox
NED
Halloween 2011- Right lung recurrence- one 8mm lesion
Nov 2011- VATS
Feb 2012- Xeloda -2000mg (Marshall plan-5days on/2days off) after no real consensus from two tumor boards- doing for 4-6 months just because I'm scared not to
NED as far as I know
There. That's my cancer self, in a nutshell. Thanks
Last edited by NedPlease on Sat Mar 24, 2012 3:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
F-54- St 4- Ascend Colon, 2 Liver mets, Poorly dif, Mutant
6/10- Folfox
9/10- R Liver Resect/Colon/Gall/Appendix
11/10-3/11- Folfox
11/11- R Lung, 1 met, VATS
3/12- 9/12- Xeloda
2/12- 6/18 Clear Scans
6/19- first time no scan
Today- NED

User avatar
Icesk8tr
Posts: 1068
Joined: Sat Apr 30, 2011 11:37 am

Re: New Member-Stage Four

Postby Icesk8tr » Sat Mar 24, 2012 1:39 pm

Thanks for sharing your story. I hope you remain in NEDsville forever :D :D :D
Christine
Stage IV CC 2010

NWgirl
Posts: 6659
Joined: Sat Feb 02, 2008 3:24 am
Facebook Username: Belle Piazza
Location: Battle Ground, Washington

Re: New Member-Stage Four

Postby NWgirl » Sun Mar 25, 2012 10:57 am

Please don't beat yourself up too badly over not getting scoped at 50. I think when you're healthy, fit, live a good life style and have a doctor whom you trust tell you that you don't need a procedure - especially something like a scope - you're more than happy to say 'great! no scope for me!'. Hind sight, of course, is always 20/20.

It sounds like you've been through a lot. I hope you stay NED for many, many years to come. You do have a great story and can offer a lot of encouragement to others approaching 50 as to why it IS important to get scoped.
Belle - "Don't Retreat - Reload"DX 10/07 Stage III Rectal
Surgery 11/07; 27 of 38 nodes
Perm Colostomy 8/11
12/10 recurrence lungs & LN's
VATS Jan 2011
Radiation Oct 2013
Chemo for Life
2012 Colondar Model

User avatar
eitter
Posts: 1018
Joined: Sun May 21, 2006 3:53 pm
Location: Tempe, AZ
Contact:

Re: New Member-Stage Four

Postby eitter » Mon Mar 26, 2012 10:28 am

NedPlease wrote:myself on the forum as a "healthy" Stage Four cancer patient seems right now.
Here goes:
Female- Age 54 at DX after MD discouraged my requested colonoscopy at age 50 physical because no fam hx of cancer or symptoms.


I am sorry but this is OUTRAGEOUS!!!!!!

We try SO HARD to get people to listen up under 50 and to be aware of symptoms and the possibility....BUT this doctor chose to IGNORE governmental recommendations to have one at 50. How much you wanna bet with your same family history that he would have discouraged a mammogram, I bet not, or did he/she?! I hope you have a new doctor or at the very least gave him a STERN talking to! I am just sick to my stomach and feel like calling this doctor myself!
Blessings,
Liz DENNIS
Tempe,AZ
DX 05/06 Rectal
6 Weeks radiation with 5FU
LAR 10/06 Stage III
Temp Ileo, reversal failed in 05/07 after 1m in hospital came out with a permanent colostomy
http://www.runlizrun.com

NedPlease
Posts: 550
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2012 3:56 pm

Re: New Member-Stage Four

Postby NedPlease » Mon Mar 26, 2012 9:09 pm

Yes, Liz- I have a different GP within the same practice. I know ex-doc is aware of my cancer. We attend the same church and I've been on the prayer list for two years now, and he hasn't reached out to me even as a church member. It's an extremely tough situation on many levels- disappointment in him as a physician and as a person. Having a talk with him is something I often imagine doing. I dunno.
I'm not without blame. I knew it was standard of care at age 50. My husband and I both work in health care and understand the system. After all, I made the appt specifically for the colonsocopy referral and left without it. I've never done anything that I've understood less. I had some fibroid issues to deal with at the time, so all I can come up with is that I willingly delayed because my priority was on that problem. I feel like an irresponsible drunk driver who critically injured myself and my family. Unfortunately, counseling hasn't done much to help me forgive myself. One day maybe....
I agree with you completely that breast screening would never have been so dismissed. What's it going to take for Pete's sake?
Thanks for your caring responses.
F-54- St 4- Ascend Colon, 2 Liver mets, Poorly dif, Mutant
6/10- Folfox
9/10- R Liver Resect/Colon/Gall/Appendix
11/10-3/11- Folfox
11/11- R Lung, 1 met, VATS
3/12- 9/12- Xeloda
2/12- 6/18 Clear Scans
6/19- first time no scan
Today- NED

User avatar
Bill5107
Posts: 1376
Joined: Sun Jul 11, 2010 5:50 pm

Re: New Member-Stage Four

Postby Bill5107 » Tue Mar 27, 2012 1:27 am

NedPlease wrote:Stage Four posting here for first time.
<snip>
NED as far as I know
There. That's my cancer self, in a nutshell. Thanks


Glad to have you aboard. Thanks for your story, your update and I think very healthy perspective. I hope to hear more from you :-)
2010-07-02 Dx rectal cancer (Stage 3)
'-07-21 Chemoradiation
'-10-13 APR surgery, 10/18 nodes still active
'-11-22 12x2wk rnds FOLFOX
2011-12-07 Mets X-P
Don't retreat, reload!


Return to “Colon Talk - Colon cancer (colorectal cancer) support forum”



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Maggie Nell and 122 guests