Colon Cancer - whose life has been touched by cancer?

[BettyBoo]

My sister has just been diagnosed with colon cancer. My eldest sister died of a brain tumour. I am wondering is there anyone out there whose perhaps had a relative, friend or even personal experience to share regarding this disease?

 

Thanks you feeling low at the moment

[Matilda]

Hi,

 

My aunt died of colon cancer about a year ago, BUT she was in her early 80's, and was first diagnosed with colon cancer about 15 years before she died. So, I'm really not sure if her experience would apply to your sister's situation.

 

Do you know if your sister's cancer has spread to anywhere else besides the colon?

[Bronzepen]

I am very sorry to hear about your sister.

 

My Father was diagnose with colon cancer 2 years ago. He beat it.

 

There are diffrent classifications of colon cancer. My Dad had B1 plus they did not have to remove too much of the colon where he would have had to wear a bag for the rest of his life.

 

Here is a good site on colon cancer.

 

http://personalweb.sunset.net/~mansell/polyp.htm#Staging%20of%20Colon%20Cancer

 

 

The best thing I found that helped me my family and my father get through this whole ordeal was family support. Comfort each other, always think positively and reassure one another.

 

I will pray for you and your sister.

[Pocky]

I have lost six family members to cancer. For anyone wanting to understand what it's like to be a cancer patient, I suggest watching the movie Wit. It will give you an idea of the pain these people experience as they slowly wait to die.

[tiki]

My Grandmother (72) is a colon cancer survivor thanks to her surgeon. He removed the area of her colon with the cancer. The chemo almost killed her, the surgery saved her.

 

My mother has Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. She seems to be doing great.

[Naive]

Hi.

 

My mom died of cancer when I was 12. She was a STRONG woman. She fought it until the end. It was the worst experience I've ever had. Just hearing that word makes me want to throw up. It seems that now a days everything causes cancer

[jmargel]

Three years ago my brother was experiencing some pain in his right side, so he went to a doctor. He had a high tolerance of pain and used to lift weights. The doctor just looked him over and said he pulled a muscle and to take some tynelol. Two weeks later the pain was spreading to his heart. Concerned he went to the doctor again, this time to another physican, he did an x-ray right away. Upon getting the x-rays back, they did a MRI right away. Surgery followed. We found out he had cancer. He had hodgkin's disease, which is cancer in the lymphnodes.

 

The pain in his heart was because there was a sack of cancer that was surrounding it. If it wasn't for his working out, he would've had an heart attack. He was 25 at the time. They couldn't take the sack out using surgery, because it was too risky. They did 12 weeks of chemo, and 1 month of radiation. Since then he has been cancer free.

 

When they first diagnosed him, it was stage 2, then upon another scan they said it was stage 4. When we heard that, we were shocked. Thinking I was going to lose my brother, my best friend. That night I stayed with him in the cancer ward, watching TV until he fell asleep. They were going to do another scan that next morning. I remember walking out of the hospital looking up into the sky seeing all the stars. Asking God for some miracle they he get through this. That somehow he will shine his grace and love upon us.

 

They did a scan the next morning, found out he was getting a bad cold, which they first thought showed up as something cancerous in his abodmen. It was scaled back to Advanced Stage 2. With a sigh of relief we knew he had a chance to beat this.

 

This whole time, since his first diagnosis, his words were 'I am going to beat this, please don't worry about me'. Not once did he show any signs of fear of this taking his life. It hit him and me hard, when after his first chemo, taking a shower he dried his hair to see clumps of hair fall out. He said he wasn't going to go through that, and shaved his head bald right away. That's when it hit the most.

 

You see people in public with bald heads, or handerchiefs on them, knowing they have cancer. Thinking it's always someone else, never someone you love or you. During chemo it was hard. He would get it on a Friday, and sleep all weekend. He had pills to take to stop the nausia which helped. His white blood cell count which should be between 6,000-11,000 was down to only a 100. He was not allowed outside, and was basically stuck in the house for 6 months. The chemo took away the cancer and the sack around the heart. He had to go through radiation, which was once a day for a month. They were concerned that the radiation would leave scar tissue around the heart because of the sack, which would require heart surgery. Luckily that didn't happen.

 

Afterwards, he had to go in for checkups every 3 months. During the first 3 month checkup, his lymph nodes grew an inch, which was bad. They thought the cancer came back. Over 20 doctors thought this was the likely scenerio so surgery was done. Ended up being not cancerous, but he took the surgery hard. Was in the hospital for another week. This was also not his first extended stay in the hospital. While only a year old, he had an 18 inch growth around his intenines. Doctors gave him a very small chance to live, but he pulled through and made it in the medical journal.

 

Since his cancer, things are going great. Looking at him you would never know he had it. We have both learned to appreciate life in such a new way. If anything was learned from all of this, it would be that remember to enjoy the little things. Remember to tell the ones closest to you, that you love them. Never take anything for granted, and that miracles do exist. Never give up on hope or God. I'll keep your sister in my prayers. Be strong for her, and more importantly don't let her give up on herself.

[kiwi29f]

My aunt Carol dies of colon cancer march 2003, she had hers for years & it went dorment 3 times but always came back until it spread to the rest of her organs. My Aunt Jackie had breast cancer about a year ago & beat it and my grandmother is fighting breat cancer right now, but we're all optimistic she'll beat it. Good luck, Cancer sucks

[Missy1171]

When I was 19 I went with my Mom to her blood pressure check-up. During the examination the Dr looked over at me and noticed that the right side of my neck was swollen. It had become noticeable within a week or two's time. I had no other symptoms, nor did I ever feel sick.

 

So the Dr stopped my mom's exam and started looking at my neck. He then sent me to the Brown Cancer Center, they a did a biopsy and ran some tests. I was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma. They told me that it was in an advanced stage. I can't remember what stage it was in.

 

They then told me that I may be able to have radiation therapy, if it had not spread. I then had a exploratory surgery where they removed my spleen. They ran the test on that and found that the cancer had spread. So I ended up doing chemotherapy for six mths. The only good thing that happened with it was I never once got sick from neither the medicine, nor the cancer itself.

 

So for the past 14 yrs I have been cancer free. I had a lump removed from my left breast on the 19th, I am still waiting for the results from that. And right now I will admit I am terrified of the results, I will know for sure on the 30th.

[BettyBoo]

A BIG thanks to you all for your posts. They have been really helpful and supportive. I hate the word cancer as I saw my eldest sister die from it and I know what a sneaky disease it is. I think coming to terms with cancer is difficult for all the family. I know my remaining sisters and I are frightened and deeply saddened by the diagnosis.

 

I know many people lives who are touched by cancer. I am great believer in positive thinking and the power of love and prayer. I think what makes this more difficult is my families approach to cancer. Thye are all too frightened, or in denial to really deal with it. Asisde from my eldest sister dying from cancer my granparents and uncles died from it also.

 

FOr anyone out there waiting on results my thoguhts and prayers are with you.

[sinkerswim]

I am sooo sorry to hear about your sister and the one who passed away..

It is very tough, I know.

 

10 years ago this December, my mother was diagnosed with a malignant tumor in her kidney. Then a few months after that in 95, she was diagnosed with lung cancer.

She had 2 very major operations and 2 minor operations. She went through 6 months of hard chemo...from May-Oct.95...I went with her to every treatment.

 

I remember how sick I was that year worrying about her, I had just started my career and had so much on my plate....I am very close to my mom.

 

I think she caught everything "in time"...thank God. I prayed sooo much, she prayed and lots of other people prayed for her.. I believe that is what kept her alive.

My mom is STILL here today!!! Cancer free for 9 years!!!

*knock on wood*

 

You would never know that my mom was so sick at one point in her life. She feels good and looks great.

During that time she took a year off from work...but went back and got on with her life.

 

So..there is so much out there Doctors can do. Someone told me that 10 years ago and now i am telling you.

Have faith...

[HokeyReligions]

My sister-in-law (also my best friend!) died of cancer when she was only 42! I was with her the whole way.

 

My mother had cancer and she beat it.

 

My husband's father passed away a month ago from cancer -- it has spread throughout his body and he was in horrible pain for a very long time. My sister-in-law had some pain when she was first diagnosed, and some toward the end, but hers was manageable.

 

I know how hard it is on the families. Waiting, watching, trying to "do" something is exhausting mentally and physically.

 

I am fighting cancer now. Somewhere out here I have a post on it. My battle is not going very well. I have some other health problems along with the cancer. I'm not too optimistic about surviving it. I hope to have another year with my family -- we are trying to get prepared because I am their sole support. My invalid mother lives with us and my husband is disabled too. I sure hate for them to lose the house and I feel horrible about that! I have no life (or health) insurance so there will be no way for my husband to keep on living there after I'm gone. His disability check is about one-fifth of what it takes to pay the bills each month---and we don't have many luxury bills at all -- just the Internet/cable really. We don't even have a car payment (though the van is beginning to fall apart)

 

I am having more and more pain each day and week. It's manageable right now, but I have a feeling that I will be one of those people who really feel it and have to stay so drugged up that I can't function. I'm not looking forward to that!

 

I'm lucky enough to still be working though -- I can work with the pain I'm having right now, but it does slow me down a bit.

 

We went to the zoo on Saturday and I had to stop and rest every 10 - 15 minutes because I had chest pains so bad. Part of that is cancer and part of that is a heart defect I inherited from my mother's side of the family.

 

I am far more familiar with cancer than I ever wanted to be. Good luck to you and your family.

[BettyBoo]

I am sorry to hear of your experiences with cancer. I am delighted sinkor swim that your Mum is fine now.

HokeyReligions I am SO sorry that you are so ill and that your family are suffering also. My heart goes out to you. I do hope that you can find relief from the pain.

 

Keep me posted on how you are.