Re: Recurrent disease

[Guest guest]

Hil,

I'm going to start again on 5-FU/leucovorin/Camptosar, only this time it'll be

pills, Xeloda and whatever the generic names are, plus oxaliplatin through a

port which will have to be placed. They want another biopsy first, the port

placement, and then they'll start the chemo. Ingrid or somebody asked about

more surgery and that didn't even occur to me to ask about, but I will. I guess

it's a blessing, if there is one, that it's not in any organs. The doctor doing

the last biopsy told me it's in the muscle, not the abdomen.

I'll continue praying for everyone here still and change my prayers for myself,

back to the courage and peace part. I've been in such a knot the last three

months, it's driving me crazy. Good thing the dogs don't notice....lol. I keep

wondering how we can walk on the moon, repair the Space Shuttle, kill tens of

thousands of people with a single bomb but everybody with cancer feels so

hopeless sometimes. It just doesn't make sense to me at all. Oh, well, I guess

it's another one of those imponderables, isn't it.

I'll keep y'all posted as soon as I know more.

Re: Recurrent disease

,

I was diagnosed with cancer in the descending colon in July/August 2003, had a

resection with no colostomy, no mets to lungs, liver or bones, started adjuvant

chemo at the end of October and finished up June 2004. For a year I've been

NED, oncologist appointments every three months with scans and colonoscopy, etc.

Four months ago I noticed kind of a sore spot on my side near where the original

tumor was, talked to the doc three months ago and started trying to get a biopsy

scheduled.

I have no insurance so I'm being treated through the county hospital here,

which is really a good hospital, just very, very busy. It took about five weeks

for them to get things figured out, trying to do a renal biopsy (nothing wrong

with my " renal " ), then rescheduling twice and finally I had the computer guided

biopsy the 25th of July. My regularly scheduled appointment was today so it's

been three weeks I've been waiting to hear what the results were.

I've naturally been a basket case for three weeks and now I'm just exhausted.

I'm not looking forward to this, but life goes on and I intend for my life to go

on quite a while longer.

Thanks for the prayers and kind thoughts.

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/19/2005 5:16:33 AM Pacific Standard Time,

karima1@... writes:

Wow the neuropathy is my feet is awful. As soon as I stop moving around

like now, I feel it and at the end of the day both my feet are like blocks of

salt.

Karima

Re: Re: Recurrent disease

One thing to consider is that the neuropathy may not be too bad. Mine

was minimal and even now is just in fingertips and toes. Worst feeling

is in my left thumb for some dumb reason. Too me it feels hot to the

touch but when I ask Kris or someone they say no, not really. So who

knows it might not be so bad.

Take care Jolene

Dawson wrote:

> Thanks, Ingrid. You know, the hardest part of all this is having to

> tell my mom. My dad died April 20 and my grandmother died May 27.

> Mom's living alone now and she's a worrier. I know she's tough, she's

> a Navy wife, but there's just so much one person can take over and

> over. I guess I'm a lot like her, more worried about her than I am

> myself. I'm the only sibling in town right now so I'm the one who can

> help her out when she's blue and help with their estates and things

> like that.

>

> I'm absolutely not a quitter and I'll keep up the good fight, but this

> has really deflated me. We always know it's a possibility, even a

> probability, I just wasn't ready to hear this yet no matter how much I

> was kind of expecting the bad news.

>

> I've really been so lucky with chemo and minimal side effects, and I'm

> really not looking forward to the oxaliplatin and the neuropathy.

> I'll let you all know what I find out next time I talk to somebody

> down there.

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

> > Well, group, I just got back from the clinic and got the news about

> > my biopsy, which took forever to get scheduled and then rescheduled

> > twice, then waited three weeks for the results.

> >

> > It seems what I was hoping would be scar tissue is actually

> recurrent

> > disease. They send in a very nice nurse who wants to know if I

> want

> > to be on a phase I trial. I had six rounds of Saltz before, this

> > time it will be Xeloda and the other two, plus oxaliplatin. It's

> > really the same drugs, just different way of administering them.

> >

> > Needless to say I'm devastated. It's been over a year since I

> > finished adjuvant chemo and now I'm facing it again, this time with

> > the neuropathy. They're going to schedule me for another biopsy

> and

> > port placement and then I guess I'll start it all over again. This

> > is the first time I really wish I'd had somebody else there to hear

> > the things I didn't hear or ask what I didn't know to ask. I think

> > I'm more numb than I was when I had my first oncology appointment

> > after surgery.

> >

> > I cried all the way home and since I was there alone, I nearly

> missed

> > my turn to get home, which is miles from where I thought I was when

> I

> > happened to notice the street sign.

> >

> > I haven't posted much here, but I read the posts every day and

> you've

> > all been such an inspiration for me. I feel like I know so many of

> > you personally.

> >

> > Kaye, I'm counting on you to keep proving we can beat this thing.

> > You're my hero, after all. And Cliff, just keep reminding us

> > that miracles happen. I'm really feeling low right now.

> >

> > Has anybody heard how Joe's progressing? I haven't heard anything

> > from him in a while, don't know if I missed something or he just

> > hasn't posted.

> >

> > When I know more or remember more, I'll post again.

> >

> > in Dallas

>

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