Cancer Support and Caregivers Who Are Trail Blazers!

[homoe]

Originally Posted by Wrang1er

My mom was unable to get her chemotherapy today due to extremely low neutrophils and potassium.

Tomorrow, I will be taking her to get her head shaved because her hair is falling out.

She's feeling pretty low right now.

Sending good vibes your mom's way!

Maybe surprise mom tomorrow and get your own head shaved to show solidarity?

[clay]

Originally Posted by Wrang1er

My mom was unable to get her chemotherapy today due to extremely low neutrophils and potassium.

Tomorrow, I will be taking her to get her head shaved because her hair is falling out.

She's feeling pretty low right now.

Wrang & mom......lots & lots of hugs!

I am sending healing energies & white light for her...and strength for you, my friend! Tell mom I send her my love....as always. You both are in my heart!

[Tommi]

I was diagnosed in March of 2004 with endometrial cancer. Had the radical surgery, and went on with life. In 2013, I had a recurrence, adenocarcinoma of the vaginal cuff (not identifying with that) , had internal and external radiation. Met the love of my life 2 weeks before that diagnosis. We married May 2, 2015.

I realized that I no longer think much about cancer . Anniversaries, trigger me, like going in for my annual EXAM from hell.
My wedding anniversary is next month, and I'll schedule my annual exam for sometime after that.

So, Just For Today, I listen to the birds, enjoy the flowers in my yard, and am thankful for...today.

[Teddybear]

Hello caregivers and survivors

I wanted to give an update since I haven't been on much in the last couple of months. Here is a brief recap and update

In September I was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer. I didn't just have one type of cancer but two different types. We were devastated to say the least. More testing to be done to find out if I had broken DNA. I do not one broken gene but two.

I offered Norma a way out. We could call it quits if she couldn't handle this. We had been told I would be on whatever treatment the rest of my life. I am a fighter and told my doctor that I wasn't convinced he was. He proved me wrong I am so happy to say.

I started chemo in October. It was killing me. Daily I prayed for strength and that GOD would show me the way. Norma wasn't going anywhere so I asked her to marry me. She agreed. I am sure she may regret that some days.

Thanksgiving came and what do I get instead of turkey TWO!!!! blood clots in my lungs. Thank you LORD they were small and treated quickly.

Christmas came and what we thought was a pimple turned out to be an infection that required surgery and 10 days in the hospital. Another week out of work once I was released. Norma became my nurse. I am so thankful for her and her courage during this time.

New Year and a new treatment, but we had to fight for it and boy did we. I knew GOD was strong then cancer, stronger then anything the devil would throw our way.



In the last month I have had my cancer markers tested they are now 58 verses the 312 in September and 900+ in December and before the new treatment started in February they were at 1395. My A1C is down to 7.4 verses the 17+ (of the chart) in September.

I had my PET scan done the end of April which shows that my liver is now has less then 10% tumors verse 75-85% in September last year.

My doctor told me that this is very rare and shows that the Keyturda is doing its job. I will probably be on it the rest of my life and I am ok with that if it keeps the cancer away.

Wrangler and your Mom are in our prayers for treatment to be resumed and that she will get results yall are wanting.

I am praying for each of us as we are on this journey for peace and healing and understanding if we are the caregiver that this journey can be overwhelming at times for even those who are not the caregiver.

Thank you all for your support during this time. It has been a great source of peace for Norma and I

[rustedrims]

Had my 6 month scans the other day. Made sure I drank all that jacked up water they give me. The girls that do the pictures are good at what they do. Non threatening and safe. Feeling good and some light pain in my surgery area when I overdo a little. My thoughts are with everyone that is fighting the fight.

[rustedrims]

Things are going well for me finally. Its been a long hard road. Saw my Doctors a few weeks ago. The pictures looked good. Nothing came back. Because of that I get pictures once a year now. So gratefull and thankfull for that. Thank you all for being supportive. We gotta fight this fight together.My thoughts and prayers go out to all of us.


Thank you for reading and caring.


s

[Wrang1er]

On August 5th, my mother had a CT scan that showed her cancer is shrinking. Her oncologist said 3 more cycles of chemo (which equates to 3 months) and then she'll get another scan.

The downside is that due to the chemo Avastin she has a bladder infection and mouth ulcers. She is on two different meds for these two issues now.

Yesterday after chemo we went to lunch. I dropped her off at the door of the restaurant and parked a couple of spaces down. When I get out of the car I see that she is all the way down at the end of the parking lot. I yelled for her a few times. I asked her what she was doing and she said she didn't realize she walked past the door. Then inside she forgot where the bathroom was. This is worrisome but I am going to chalk this up to chemo fog at this time.

[rustedrims]

Hello.. Been working my yards and I get tired easily.. Sometimes I need to stop and think what I went through.. My cousin called the other day.. He started the conversation off with I gotta tell ya something. Yeah he has it now.. Its pretty serious but things look good for him after surgery. This sh#t doesnt stop.. Some day there has got to be an end..

Thank you for reading and again caring..

[Wrang1er]

Mom was unable to get her chemotherapy today due to most of her numbers being low. Her CA125 has gone back up a bit. I updated them on everything that happened last week.

Her temperature was normal. They told her if she ever has a fever again that we are to call them immediately.

Her oncologist believes the fever/confusion was a result of the bladder infection. Avastin also causes sinus infections and she has one of those as well. He said they will monitor her closely. They do a urinalysis every other week so they will check to see what that says. Finally, they gave her potassium because she's been having severe leg cramps and her's was very low.

Again, thanks to everyone who sent me messages and well wishes for my mother. The kind words and support you have offered mean the world to me!

[FireSignFemme]

Someone I've known since my teens, long enough and well enough that she's like family to me. She went in for a biopsy and now we're just waiting for the results, the suspicion is esophageal cancer.

[easygoingfemme]

Originally Posted by Wrang1er

Mom was unable to get her chemotherapy today due to most of her numbers being low. Her CA125 has gone back up a bit. I updated them on everything that happened last week.

Her temperature was normal. They told her if she ever has a fever again that we are to call them immediately.

Her oncologist believes the fever/confusion was a result of the bladder infection. Avastin also causes sinus infections and she has one of those as well. He said they will monitor her closely. They do a urinalysis every other week so they will check to see what that says. Finally, they gave her potassium because she's been having severe leg cramps and her's was very low.

Again, thanks to everyone who sent me messages and well wishes for my mother. The kind words and support you have offered mean the world to me!

Oh I'm glad they caught the bladder infection! That does make sense. When my grandmother would get bladder infections it would do the same thing, make her way off character and out of it/forgetful. We learned through treating her that that is often how bladder infections impact seniors. Also super glad you have an answer to the confusing behavior. One less thing to worry about if they are going to monitor her so closely.

[Teddybear]

First off Wrangler sorry to hear about your mom and the chemo fig. I get it even on immunotherapy. Rustyrims sorry about your cousin and their now battle. FiresignFemme prayers for your friend during this waiting period

So last month I had another colonoscopy just to find out a cpl of things. Why I was bleeding, and how the colon looked now almost a year of either chemo or immunotherapy. So it showed one tumor completely gone the other responding very well.

Second PET scan was done the following week and it showed...... drumroll please. All tumors in my liver are gone. The first PET scan showed my liver had 75-85% full of cancer tumors.

I have had 3 iron infusions due to my blood counts being so low I was bordering on needing blood instead of just iron.

I have been taken off blood thinners due to bleeding. I am sure come Monday they will ask me to come in to have more blood work and probably other testing.

I have to admit I am worried about this loss of blood. I ask those of you who have had me on your prayer list to pray we find the reason for this. I also want to thank everyone who has prayed, sent healing thoughts and good vibes. I couldn’t have done this journey without any of yall

[clay]

I am having a SECOND Capsule endoscopy next week. I JUST had one in May! Because the half prep wasn't enough, it was a cloudy pic of small intestine.

My iron saturation levels have been extremely low, despite 8 weeks of iron infusions IV every couple of months or so. Have had to have them since last October or so. I am now with 6 under my belt, have 2 more to go.

I saw my gastro, we have done every test imaginable. The fecal globulin immunoassay is positive for bleeding internally! Most probably small intestine. A scope can NOT go in that area to see...so a second capsule endoscopy!

I see my new surgeon next week, so will know more then, what we may be looking at!

Dec 2011 marks my eighth year cancer free from colon/uterine cancer!

To everyone here, I send healing energies & positive vibes for all of you, fighting, or your friends/loved ones who are fighting. KEEP FIGHTING!

Take care...tell your person how much you love them..every day!
Tell your friends how much you love them every day!

Love is an amazing healer of things in life that are so stressful! I love each of you!

[Teddybear]

Oh so much going on. Good news first. Had my markers checked last week we are now at a 2 compared to 1391 in Jan.

I found out this past couple of weeks I have developed Cushing syndrome. This due to the tumor and the treatment.

I am finally going to have surgery to remove my colon on the 15th. This is an improvement over last year when they said it was inoperable. The chances are 50-50 I won't have an ostomy bag. We are prepared for whichever way it goes.

I continue to pray for each of you who are in the battle either as care giver or as a front line soldier. Not that a care giver isn't a front line soldier, I honestly think they are deeper in the battle then those of us who have the dreaded disease.

[easygoingfemme]

I rode Tour de Pink this past weekend and was honored to ride with 70 other survivors of breast cancer. There were also about 150 co-survivors/family members/parents and children of people lost to cancer. The conversations we had while riding were powerful and meaningful. The moments fighting our way up a steep hill and being able to say... it's not as hard as chemo was... just so nice to be in a community of people who completely understand your journey but to be doing something empowering and powerful together instead of just meeting randomly at hospitals and oncology appointments. At the end of the 200 miles we were on a beach front and all ran into the water and hugged it out. My heart is full.

[clay]

Repeat Cap. End. didn't show any active bleeding...so next is a repeat colonoscopy on the 25th. OH JOY! NOT!

Have to get a repeat blood panel drawn as well, as liver enzymes are elevated....

I LOVED the new surgeon. She is amazing. BUT she wants to refer me to a surgeon more talented in fixing such a large ventral hernia..due to so many adhesions from when I had my hemicolectomy for colon cancer Dec 2011. So, the two best are in W. Palm Beach, FL AND Charlotte, NC! Neither are possible for me to travel to. So, I have contacted my bariatric surgeon who did my VGS, she is having her staff check into if my insurance will cover this. She is in St Pdete..2 hrs. away! I trust her with my life!!

Sends good juju to all of you facing surgeries, treatments, and just in need of a hug! Take care.

[Teddybear]

Good afternoon Peeps

So its been a little over a week since I had surgery. I had a total colestomy. Other then feeling like I am doing a million plus crunches a day I am doing well.

The doctor wants me to shoot for no more then 5 BMs a day. Some days its ore like 5 an hour.

The path report showed out of 25 lymph nodes only 3 showed signs of cancer. Only 1 tumor left in the colon and had shrunk to around 5 cm. Liver looked good.

I start back on treatment on Nov 4. Cant wait to find out how long I will now have to be on it.

Prayers and healing light to all.

[Bèsame*]

Originally Posted by Teddybear

Good afternoon Peeps

So its been a little over a week since I had surgery. I had a total colestomy. Other then feeling like I am doing a million plus crunches a day I am doing well.

The doctor wants me to shoot for no more then 5 BMs a day. Some days its ore like 5 an hour.

The path report showed out of 25 lymph nodes only 3 showed signs of cancer. Only 1 tumor left in the colon and had shrunk to around 5 cm. Liver looked good.

I start back on treatment on Nov 4. Cant wait to find out how long I will now have to be on it.

Prayers and healing light to all.

Best Update So Far!!
XOXO

[clay]

Originally Posted by Teddybear

Good afternoon Peeps

So its been a little over a week since I had surgery. I had a total colestomy. Other then feeling like I am doing a million plus crunches a day I am doing well.

The doctor wants me to shoot for no more then 5 BMs a day. Some days its ore like 5 an hour.

The path report showed out of 25 lymph nodes only 3 showed signs of cancer. Only 1 tumor left in the colon and had shrunk to around 5 cm. Liver looked good.

I start back on treatment on Nov 4. Cant wait to find out how long I will now have to be on it.

Prayers and healing light to all.

That is great news! So you had a colectomy (removal of large intestine) OR a colostomy (wear a bag on outside for BM's)....the colectomy is the better of the two. I had a hemicolectomy (partial removal of my colon) & they reattached the small intestine to that half large colon.

The BM's will decrease with time, and initially there will be "urgency" with them, but that, too, will lessen. Luckily for us, with these surgeries, we will not have the "dumping syndrome"....where one eats & immediately that food is rapidly passed thru stomach to gut, interfering with absorption of minerals & nutrients. They removed my ileo cecal valve (that holds foods in bowel long enough to let natural absorption of minerals & nutrients) so I am always going to have pernicious anemia, will take B12 shots rest of my life. A very good multivitamin is a good thing IF your MD says so.

Usually one has a lot of gas initially & that too will subside. Lying on left side with right leg flexed up on the left leg will stimulate natural peristalsis (movement of gas along bowel to be passed) and was a huge reliver for me post op. Even now I do that, too!

Anyway, sends healing energies to continue for you & will watch for future posts. Good luck, Ted.

[Teddybear]

So a month ago at this time I was being prepped for surgery. In the last month I have lost a little over 30lbs not that I didn't have it to lose.

Still trying to figure out what I can and cant eat. I also have figure out in what amounts I can eat. I maybe able to eat a whole 8 oz steak today and tomorrow barely able to eat a third of that.

Started back on Keytruda last week. Usual side effects but I would rather have them then what I had on chemo.

I am back on the every 3 week rotation with treatment and according to my dr that is going to be the schedule for some time.

Ms Norma and I will be heading to Ga for Thanksgiving in a cpl of weeks. This will be my longest road trip since surgery and since last March. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers during this time that my health will not be a factor like it was last time we went home.


Hope everyone has a great day and holiday season if I am unable to post before then