Colorectal cancer stage 3c: Need positive feedback

Posted by dianemarcia @dianemarcia, Jan 3, 2019

OK so I need chemo..stage 3c. Scared to death. Need positive please. Had surgery to remove mass. Found 8 lymph nodes out of 27 that were positive. Any advise?? Please! Dr. Said had to wait for body to recover from surgery b 4 chemo

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Having an ultrasound done in 3 weeks to check on status of thyroid. Previous surgery was cancelled due to a bleed (brain) from blood thinner. Had to wait for that to heal before they could possibly schedule another surgery to remove thyroid.

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@1943 It is rare to have two cancers. That is what they told me. Did your Dr's recommend genetic testing?
Mine did. I was tested to see if I had Lynch syndrome? I do not. So they believe it was something I was possibly exposed too.
Praying your upcoming tests all go well.

Jackie

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in 2008 a "well-defined adenocarcinoma" was found just above the rectal junction. It was removed by laparascopic resection. Pathology found cancer in 7 of 11 lymph nodes, so chemotherapy (FOLFOX6) was started after a second opinion was received at Mayo Jacksonville. It continued over six months. I've been colon cancer free since then. Prostate cancer and squamous cell cancer have also been defeated.

I'm leaving you this link, which leads to the blog I wrote over the five-year period to full remission, so you can see the whole picture of one person's treatment history. The blog begins at the bottom of the first page, so read upward from there.

A good positive attitude really helps, which my wife and friends provided.

Link to blog: https://coloncancerisapain.blogspot.com/2008/04/

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@ocarlson

in 2008 a "well-defined adenocarcinoma" was found just above the rectal junction. It was removed by laparascopic resection. Pathology found cancer in 7 of 11 lymph nodes, so chemotherapy (FOLFOX6) was started after a second opinion was received at Mayo Jacksonville. It continued over six months. I've been colon cancer free since then. Prostate cancer and squamous cell cancer have also been defeated.

I'm leaving you this link, which leads to the blog I wrote over the five-year period to full remission, so you can see the whole picture of one person's treatment history. The blog begins at the bottom of the first page, so read upward from there.

A good positive attitude really helps, which my wife and friends provided.

Link to blog: https://coloncancerisapain.blogspot.com/2008/04/

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Congrats. I hope in the near future more of us could follow your lead

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@annejacobsen

I am a 12 year stage 3 rectal cancer survivor. I was 39 yrs old at diagnosis with no family history. Talk about “who woulda thought”!! Nothing short of a miracle I even found it. I went through surgery, chemo, radiation, then chemo again. I had a temporary ileostomy for 6 months. Chemo was crazy rough on me. At my 5 year cancer free mark, a PET scan showed stage 1 triple negative breast cancer. There aren’t words to describe what hearing that diagnosis was like. So, after a few weeks of being devastated, I put on my big girl panties and began my second battle. Lumpectomy, chemo, radiation. Lost my hair and eyebrows and eyelashes with this chemo. I will be a 7 year survivor this July. So my message to you is...it’s rough. Definitely not for sissies. 😉 But the battle is worth the survival. Take things one day at a time. If you can’t do that, take them an hr at a time. If you can’t do that, take them a minute at a time. I wish you the best!

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Hi Anne , I feel encouraged to read this . Did your doctor commence gnrh for ovarian protection before chemo . My cousin is 35 with stage 3 bowel cancer .

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Same as you 6 years ago! Stage 3! Tumor removed! Lots of chemo, radiation and surgery! Reconnection failed! Blood clots in lungs twice! Drove myself to ER twice! Nurses chewed me out! Should not have been alive! With ileostomy had couple of blockages! Went to ER! Had one time 2 stomas due to gas pushing small intestine closed! Stoma prolapsed to 5 inches! Got new surgeon and gave me colostomy and pretty stoma! Spouse passed during this! Don’t see how I recovered by myself with eating, cleaning etc! Now having spinal stenosis in back! Surgery made it worse! Anyway, still above ground!

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Hello my name is Billy I am 54 years old was diagnosed with stage 3c colon cancer back in july 2019 went through 12 rounds of chemo and then a lump came up under my surgery scar several Doctors keep telling me it was just a cyst and they let it keep growing untill the pain got so bad I demanded they take it out and low and behold it was cancerous anyway my new doctor told me yesterday that during my surgery they either left some cancer cells our they dropped them during the removal of my primary tumor,,,,,,,any way anyone in my similar condition.

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@billythekid66

Hello my name is Billy I am 54 years old was diagnosed with stage 3c colon cancer back in july 2019 went through 12 rounds of chemo and then a lump came up under my surgery scar several Doctors keep telling me it was just a cyst and they let it keep growing untill the pain got so bad I demanded they take it out and low and behold it was cancerous anyway my new doctor told me yesterday that during my surgery they either left some cancer cells our they dropped them during the removal of my primary tumor,,,,,,,any way anyone in my similar condition.

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No. I haven’t experienced your exact situation. I know the Surgeon stated he found more cancerous tissue during my surgery and it was removed. I think sometimes the colonoscopy does not show everything. I had cancerous polyps, not a tumor., I am sure, that’s why a follow up colonoscopy(s) is so important. There are others on this site that i’m sure will weigh in that have had similar experiences. Good for you for being persistent. Sorry it happened

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@billythekid66

Hello my name is Billy I am 54 years old was diagnosed with stage 3c colon cancer back in july 2019 went through 12 rounds of chemo and then a lump came up under my surgery scar several Doctors keep telling me it was just a cyst and they let it keep growing untill the pain got so bad I demanded they take it out and low and behold it was cancerous anyway my new doctor told me yesterday that during my surgery they either left some cancer cells our they dropped them during the removal of my primary tumor,,,,,,,any way anyone in my similar condition.

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@billythekid66, wow that is rough. When did you have your second surgery? Will you have chemo or radiation now?

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@blueskyflyer

Hello there! Thank you for sharing your story. I have been wondering how many chemo treatments other Dr. Have been recommending. So far i have done 5 and my Dr. had recommended 8. Not sure I can handle that many, so it helps to know that your Dr. said 4 chemo. Sessions.
My Ayurvedic Dr. recommended that i follow the traditional medicine route but gave me the advice to "be strong". I took that to mean to be determined and brave. But for me it also means that i sometimes get to say that it is hard, when it's hard, that it is scarey when i'm scared. It's got to be ok to be honest with yourself and your people and your pets and keep on taking care of your needs and asking for help where it is needed.
Because of the location of the constriction in my colon- just proximal to the rectum, i had 31 radiation sessions. Be strong and cry when its helpful! Karen

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Never heard of 31 radiation sessions. My doctor said radiation does a lot of damage to healthy tissue. I had 2, and that is his limit. Are you working with a oncology surgeon or regular doc?

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