Never too young for colon cancer.. Where I've been

*looks around to see if his GF is looking *

Me too!

 

Just a quick update.

I have a new oncologist. Something went down and my old oncologist is now gone. I thought he was pretty good.

My new oncologist is very nice and takes the time to really explain things. He took awhile to review my case which is rather long and complicated. He is recommending that I go back on a 6mo cycle of chemo. He brought my case before his team and he said that 70 or 70% of the doctors thought there would be no benefit and 30 or 30% felt that I should complete one more cycle just in case. The point is that if there are any small cancer cells, that are currently undetectable, left in my body then the chemo may kill them. The problem is there are no studies showing that adjuvant chemo is effective. On the bright side is there are studies showing it is effective against metastatic cancer. I'm kind of in between since I am considered metastatic but also adjuvant. He feels that because I am so young that it is worth a shot despite the studies and that there simply is no page in "the book" for this situation and if he has to make it up then this is the most responsible thing to do.

What he says makes sense and I agree we should do it. However, it took me a week to think things through and make a decision. This cycle will be similar to one I did last winter/spring with the addition of one new chemical. I know you always say I am upbeat and handle this sort of thing well but honestly it scares me to death. I had a VERY rough time on that cycle. From horrible bathroom issues, fissures, extreme nausea, nosebleeds, extreme salivating, uncontrollable muscle spasms etc.. This stuff is the debil Bobby Boucher!!! It will basically wreck my life for the 6mo I am on it. 6mo really is not that long you're saying. True but after 3.5yrs of this cancer business it wears you down and it becomes harder and harder to accept pain or suffering. My friend Skip just passed away this weekend after battling Leukemia since his diagnosis in October 2011. You can read more about my friend here: Remembering Skip Outman

Skip's passing was a stunning reminder of how quickly cancer can take us and solidified my decision to go back on chemo. Skip was also a board member at my work and after board meetings he would often tell me how my trials and attitude helped him through his tendon injury and healing process. Skip was a runner and a leg injury to a runner is pretty devastating. I always joked about how I'm not that strong and that if he were in my position he would be even stronger than I attempt to be. I was right. Skip always shrugged off our concerns with a quiet "I'm doing fine, don't worry about me" Let's get some work done attitude. The cancer and associated treatments finally wore even Skip down. When I learned of his passing the first thought that came to my mind were some of the last words I would ever hear him say... "I'm tired"

I know how he felt. I'm tired too. In spite of this feeling I am going to man up and do what needs to be done to increase the likelihood that I will be here year from now receiving warnings from the moderators and annoying all of you with my posts about losing mpg with 17" wheels. I may be crying right now but in 10 years I'll be laughing as I cruise silently down some dark stretch of highway in my affordable electric car with 300miles of range.

Thank all of you for being there for me in this fight.....

 

Did you talk to your doctor about your reluctance to continue with the therapy?

I'm happy to hear she is still doing well. Having cancer back then was pretty terrible. It's not piece of cake now but even 10yrs of technology makes a huge difference.

I'm going to do my best to make that happen, my friend!

How is that person doing now? I hope all is well.

I'm hanging in here just if only to see how your fog light retrofit debacle ends up. Pics or it didn't happen! LOL

Is that going to be a Canadian park bench or American?

Thanks for clearing that up.

I had radiation (28 sessions) prior to my very first surgery to remove the foot or so of colon. After that radiation was not deemed an effective treatment method for the other rumors that appeared so chemotherapy was the only option between surgeries. I lost track of how many chemo sessions I have had but the count is well over 50. Each session is worth about 4-8hrs of chair time. Chair time means sitting in a comfy chair while hooked up to an infusion machine while they pump these horrid chemicals inside your body. I spent a lot of time reading Prius Chat and listening to episodes of What Drives Us. :rockon:

 

Even surgeries can't keep me away from my friends on PriusChat.com!

 

Ok seriously,

I talked to my new oncologist again last week. I had decided to go through with the chemo and thought I would start that Friday. He surprised me by saying he reviewed my case more thoroughly and came to realize that I had already been through so much chemo that he was surprised I was still alive to talk about it (joking). He reversed his original assertion that the additional chemo may be beneficial due to the fact that the chemo I had recently finished should have done the job already and that any additional chemo just wasn't worth the suffering. He urged me to get a second opinion, however, and when a doctor does that it is a good idea to follow his advice. There may be a reason behind their urging. Sometimes a doctor cannot tell you about a trial or new treatment because the medical facility does not offer it. After our meeting I walked downstairs and ordered my medical record to be put on disc so that I have everything I need to get a proper second opinion outside of my medical provider's sphere of influence. I will likely head to San Francisco to see a doctor there.

I had a CT scan yesterday and I received a call from my oncologist today with the results. That is FAST! My very first oncologist would take a week or more to call me back. Anyway, the scan came back clean. There are still 2 very small spots on my liver but they appear to be very stable and have been present in all of my scans since back in 2009 when I was first diagnosed. They could be super stable tiny tutors or they could be cysts. My oncologist says he is not worried about them because they have not changed but we will continue to do regular CT scans to keep an eye on them.

So for now I am in the clear. I will get a second opinion and report back but for now I am just relieved I won't have to go back on chemo. On the other hand, I am sad that I will have to actually pay off this damn new car! Ugggg