(no subject)

[Guest guest]

Hi Dix...Sorry to hear about your husband but it sounds like things are going

well. This is such a horrible way to live, isn't it. On top of that, we have

our pain.

My husband has a long story starting with an emergency appendectomy in June

of 2000. He called me on his way home from work saying he had such horrible

pain on his right side, he didn't know if he could make it home. We went to the

doctor and he had 102 degree fever and unbearable pain. The doctor called a

surgeon to meet us at Palos Community Hospital. We live in Crestwood.

The surgeon told me it would be real quick. After an hour, a nurse came out

and said the doctor wanted me to know it would be another hour at least. I was

so scared but I was thinking it must have ruptured, certainly cancer never

came to my mind. Around midnight, he finally came out and gave me the bad news

that he found a tumor. He had stage II colon cancer and cancer of the appendix

from it. He was in the hospital 8 days but they got it all.

We went to an oncologist in Palos Heights, a few minutes away and he had 6

months of chemo. Almost 2 years later, April of 2002, his CEA went up, which is

the tumor marker for colon cancer. I just about passed out when the onc told

us. After weeks of tests and scans, he sent us to University of Illinois at

Chicago. The onc surgeon there told us he has a 25% chance of surviving 5 years.

I am a mess.

When this new doctor at UIC did his liver resection, he put in something

called a hepatic artery infusion pump which was inside his body and sent chemo

directly into his liver for a year. He also received 6 months of regular chemo

at

the same time. Lots of vomiting and diarrhea and I was always bringing him in

for rehydration.

A year ago, he started developing what they call ascites, which is fluid

accumulation. I was terrified. He had to be drained regularly and tests showed

he

had liver damage. We were sent to liver specialists at UIC who said he now has

cirrhosis. The hepatic pump was removed this past February as he can no

longer use it. He has never been a drinker so it is assumed the pump was too

toxic

for him.

I have thought many times of going to the cancer center but held back. I

cannot tell you how much I need it. I live and breathe this horrible cancer. My

husband is the bravest man I know and laughs at their predictions.

I mentioned on the list that we are having a new house built in Lockport and

it is fun to act like a normal person but then it creeps up on me.

I was on Celexa for the fibro and asked my rheumy to increase it enough for

depression. It has really helped me.

Sorry this is so long. Take care. Judy