Colorectal Cancer Community

My husband is going to treatment for colon cancer metastase to the liver,and it also was a shoke for the family.He had to go on chemo right away due to the progress of the illness.He had 24 treatments of chemo for 24hs and after a year and 4 months he still fighting.Now he is on radioembolization, he is very tired all the time and lost lots of weight, also had a emergency surgery colostomy but he is doing very good with the process, it save his life and we still fighting.Chemo save his life up to now and there is many different kind of treatment out there we just need to look and keep looking with the hope to get a better tomorrow.Yes, chemo is not fun at all, but sometimes is necessary.Good luck and we can do it!!

We are in the same boat; only found out a week and 1/2 ago. If t he CT scan is clean we are going to try to avoid chemo. I am doing lots of reading. Surgery is scheduled for Friday.

My only hope is that you assess your progress quantitatively, not qualitatively.


One of my best friends had colon cancer (stage 4). She was never a numbers person, more a feel and intuition type of gal.

After her chemo waned, she passed on clinical trials and ended up chosing an alternative cancer treatment (ozone, vitamin C, massage, etc) therapy. She asked me what I thought of the program. I told her, "It doesn't matter what I think. All that matters is do you believe (this will work). If you do, then, go for it."

But, I also added...


"Just do me one favor...get a CEA (Carcinoembryonic Antigen) measurement from your hemotologist every 2 weeks and and a CT scan as often as your insurance will permit. Attach numbers to how you feel. Don't just rely on your gut. Track your progress with this new program, please."


She went with her gut and skipped the blood tests. Drained every penny out of her 401K in less than 7 weeks, and...


She passed away a couple weeks ago...we did her hospice in my home.




This is not to suggest that if she did things any differently, she might have survived. No, not at all. Plus, her therapy made her feel good. When you're approaching end of life, what's more important than that? So, I bit my lip, shut my mouth and helped her every way I could. It was OK. At least she had her mother and her three kids, bedside, when it happened.


Still, I wish she had followed my request. It was the only favor I asked. CEA when she started the final therapy was 1500; at the end 50,000. 12 weeks, total, from the time of her last chemo.

Oxygenation of blood, sunshine, plenty of rest, no sugary foods or beverages...Get on a bike and do a "Lance Armstrong". Hone your body into top physical condition. Get ready for war...

That's what I asked my friend to do. She tried but eventually gave up. It was too hard and took too much energy. Besides, that's not what she believed. She believed that doctors and hospitals can only beat cancer. She believed in convention.


I hope I never have to make the decisions she had to make. But, if I ever do, I pick my body as my choice of weapon.

Because, ultimately, that is the only thing proven to beat cancer...A healthy human body.

I have never been ill in 62 years. I had a pain similar to appendicitus but the other side in Sept. After dealing with primary care doc and weeks of tests, he finally sent me to a surgeon for a colonoscopy. By this time (month later), I was in so much pain, I didn't care what they did! After the colonoscopy, the surgeon said my pain was from a blockage but he also found 2 spots of cancer below the blockage. I was scheduled for surgery 3 days later. What was to be 3-4 hrs lasted 9 hrs and he removed 13 inches of colon,rerouted a uriter,gave me a hystorectomy and removed my spleen...oh yeh- a "temporary" colostomy. This all left me with a 32 inch incision. After a week's hospital stay, a "quick" lesson on colostomy care, I was released with a Rx for a wound vac machine and home health 3X a week. Our insurance plan "could not find" a wound vac company in network so I had to fight for my care. After 2 months of rest and powerful prayer warriors, my surgeon was overwhelmed with how quickly I healed and recommended me to cancer care for chemo. This doctor prescribed 12 treatments (every other week) of a cocktail of 3 drugs given IV (4 hours each time and wear an IV pump for 48 hrs). I have been truely lucky that my only side effect is being very tired the day of treatment and a tingling at the tip of my tongue. Next week will be my last treatment then I get PET scan to determine if anything additional is needed. I am confident that we have beat this. Now I am just looking forward to getting my intestines rejoined in October. The colostomy bag has been my biggest challenge- always worry about a smell. Prayers for all of you dealing with the disease and treatment. Stay strong!