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Severe left side pain: Colon then liver??
Hello
I recently had laprascopic colon surgery July 11.. I am slow healing and waiting on my next step.with my oncologist.. I have been getting better every day. Suddenly Friday evening I started getting sharp pain in lower left side around back to front.. I took Tylenol and helped a little.. last night's it felt so.bad I almost went to er.. but I passed out from exhaustion.. still stabbing pain this morning but tolerable.. is this.normal? Does it mean I have been doing to much activity? I'm suppose to go back to work Aug 22 and I feel no way as of now.
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Now what?
You're not gonna believe this....
Soo may 31st..found colon cancer
July 11th sigmoid colon resection surgeries..remove 2.5 feet of colon but pretty sure he got it all.. all 13 lymph nodes 0 signs..
2 weeks later..healing good waiting on cancer Dr appointment Aug 10th. I get horror pain left side..after 2 days can't take it..called surgeon met at er.. yup.. rare but leave it to me I have an internal hernia! Going into major surgery 20 days from 1st one..hospital 4 days again!!soo.. after going in to fix hernia they see 2 spots on liver that were never noticed before..yup..u guessed it..cancer!!
Has anyone been through another remotely close to this? Have appointment with oncologist Thursday but don't know if now I need 3rd surgery..liver resection? Or am I dying?? Sorry just been through so much after losing my husband recently..my sons are gonna flip!
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1 ReactionThis is a lot to try and absorb while you are trying to recover. Thank goodness the pain led you to seek immediate treatment. Cancer is a beast and it sounds like yours was meant to be caught. Try and just focus on one step at a time, and trust that your care team will come up with answers and a treatment plan. Your body needs time to rest and heal You are meeting with oncologist this week and now he has the full picture of what you’re dealing with.
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4 Reactions@bravesfan
Oh man that is a lot to deal with, on top of what you’ve already got on your plate. I know how I would feel, so overwhelmed and devastated would be at the top of the list.
2 spots sounds manageable, so please don’t let your mind run away to all the bad places! Before you meet with your oncologist write down all your concerns and fears, and ask every question you have. Praying for you and sending lots of love💗
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4 ReactionsDr just called and called it mestatic colon cancer
Obvious spreading to liver..yes without international hernia incident I wouldn't have known till symptoms. Said cancer Dr will probably send me for pet scan then to get a port?
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3 ReactionsFirst, I'm sorry for your diagnosis. I'll try to post some things from my experience that might be helpful or at least give you an idea of what you're facing.
I had(?) colon cancer and they were going to take half of the colon, but decided to take the whole thing due to damage elsewhere, Connected the small intestine to the rectum. While they thought they got it all, I did adjunct chemotherapy for 8 months. Yes, I got the chemo port installed.
Getting the port installed was done outpatient at Mayo-Rochester, but your procedure may be different. While yours may be different, my chemo regimen was to go to the hospital as an outpatient - do blood work, if OK, get an IV of 5% dextrose started, get 10 ML of steroid injected, as it works through you get the anal "ring of fire", then you get the first of the chemo drugs infused over a 2 hour period - mine was oxaliplatin, when that's done, I got a take home infusion device with fluorouracil (5-FU) for a 22 hour infusion and when done return to the hospital where they take it off. The FOLFOX6 protocol to be specific.
Ideally, you repeat this every 2 weeks - if you can handle it - for 6 months. Nurses told me nobody completes this in 6 months - I needed 8 due to complications. Of each 2 week cycle, the first week I got less useful (tired and weak), with the peak at 4-5 days, then I gradually got better over the next week. Each cycle, I never fully recovered so as the time went on I got weaker and weaker, and thus had to postpone a cycle. While being treated with chemo, you will experience tingling and numbness - in particular you mouth/lips, but may also have it in extremities. I had it in my feet and to a less degree in the fingers. This can take considerable time after end of chemo for that to subside. It's been nearly 2 years post-chemo and while better, a couple of my toes still tingle.
Also they did CAT scans which found a lot of irregularities - nodules in the thyroid, numerous kidney cysts, several liver cysts and spots on the lungs. After repeated scans over time, these were all thought to be non-cancerous because they are stable - size growth is an indicator, but we still do regular scans. Typically, post-cancer scans are done quarterly for the 1st year.
If the cancer returns, you may have to do another 12-week round of chemo. Ick.
I have one remaining spot that is of concern - it had been decreasing in size, but last scan 3 months ago showed it growing again. It's too small to biopsy, too small to treat... so far. We will see when I get more scans in a month and determine a course of action.
Hope this helps. I hope they can excise that liver tumor via arthroscope.
All the best to you!
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7 ReactionsWow you have been thru the ringer! Bless your heart.. the 13 lymph nodes were cancer free.. good I think? Thinks he got all from colon . dont know when it got to liver.. no symptoms. Which is good right? Just nervous within my soil beside me.. he would have soooo strong for me.
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2 ReactionsFor perspective, they took out 108 lymph nodes when they took my colon out. I had forgotten about that.
Though all of this, God has given me peace - the situation has strengthened my faith and my relationship with Him.
I hope the best for you. It's not easy, but take one day at a time, one step after another.
I had liver resection. Most of my liver was removed. Chemo and monitoring now.
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1 ReactionAgree. Had same issue after a epidural in the back. Lidocaine patch on waste, heating pad, then it let loose. Pain so bad I was thinking about ER. Then thought oh no!! Not the best hospital around.
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1 ReactionPray you find competent providers!🙏