colon cancer

[chris100]

Anybody out there that hasnt checked for colon cancer i would suggest that you do. A buddy of mine just found out he had it and he waited to long to get tested. He has 2 weeks to live. Something everyone should get done.

[Jeremy Fisher]

Anybody out there that hasnt checked for colon cancer i would suggest that you do. A buddy of mine just found out he had it and he waited to long to get tested. He has 2 weeks to live. Something everyone should get done.

Damn Chris, that's really harsh. I COMPLETELY agree w/you. It's one of the few cancers that can be 100% cured by early detection/preventative tests.

Here's a whole thread about it in case you are interested in reading a bit more,
Colonoscopy

Does your friend have family to be with him?

I am so sorry for your friend.

Water

[GoingBananas]

My mother died of late stage undetected colon cancer and I know firsthand the pain and heartache it brings. Just on a not of optismism, Mayo clinic helped her to live about 2 nd 1/2 years longer than other hospital told her. I was there in the room i saw and heard so I know it is possible. Good luck!

[barkingmad]

Yep, I lost my mother in law to colon cancer several years ago and although no one wants a camera up their butt, all I can say is "sack up" and git r done. The procedure is a cakewalk compared to the prep, but even that is a doddle, if inconvenient.

If you're over fifty do it NOW! If you have a family history, do it next week! I'm glad I did, I'd hate to have to explain to my kids why daddy's gonna die because he was too embarassed to get it done.

[fortgatlin]

My wife is currently getting chemo for colon cancer. Stage 3B when they found it. She is only 46 years old. She gets fairly regular colonoscopies and other "oscopies" due to a number of health issues. This one grew pretty darn quick. 10 CENTIMETER tumor and a lymph node the size of an egg. Great surgeon and pretty interesting surgery. She is now 5/12 of the way through chemo as of today (3 1/2 months left). She actually had the infusion Wednesday but wears a pump until Friday. She doesn't get sick until they remove the pump. When I get home tonight she will be sleeping and will barely know who I am. Same with tomorrow and Sunday, she'll just lie in bed. Even though she's extremely tough and I have all the hope in the world for her, I certainly never thought of being 46 years old and a widower, which is possible. She has not seen me cry, and I am waiting on her hand and foot when she's conscious, it's just so sad. We have been married 18 years but she's been my best friend for 25. I don't want to lose my best friend in the world.

Colon cancer is no joke. It's the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. (I'm citing that as a fact when I really don't know where that info came from).

Please think kind thoughts for my wonderful wife.

Kind regards,

J

[msaok]

<snip>

Please think kind thoughts for my wonderful wife.

J

I'm thinking kind thoughts about her.... AND YOU.
Take care.

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Damn Chris, that's really harsh. I COMPLETELY agree w/you. It's one of the few cancers that can be 100% cured by early detection/preventative tests.
Water

This is true and partly explains why I struggle over the loss of my Mom. In 2010 she had a colonoscopy and polyp removal. The biopsies of the single polyp and all surrounding tissue were benign. She was given a healthy report and advised to return in 2 years. 14 months later, she was in the ER with a total obstruction and the cancer had spread to her liver.
Docs encouraged her by reminding her about Herman Cain beating stage 4.
She wanted to fight and tried for 6 months, but at 79, she had other health problems that interfered with healing and tolerating chemo. People actually do survive stage 4 now though, if the lesions are small enough to be removed and if the patient can tolerate the treatments.
Anyway for my mom, preventive medicine was a total fail, which to this day remains unexplained. But this is very much the exception.

[Binky]

My mom died from colon cancer 3yrs. ago & it was a terrible illness to have.She had a lot of other health problems though & they found it too late to be of any help.She was only 72 when she died & I truly wish that she had seen the doctor sooner rather than later.

[brienzi]

we will @forgatlin truly sorry to hear about your wife..I can't imagine what your going through..This is a good place to share your pain and hope...Stay strong friend, and PR is here for you..

[UGAgal]

Chris I am sorry to hear about your friend. I had a ex coworker diagnosed with colon cancer 3 days before Christmas last year at age 37. He had surgery and still battling and trying to beat it but I have no idea how he is doing as I haven't seen or heard from his family in a while. But yes ...definetely something folks should never put off.

[tirednurse]

@chris100, my thoughts and prayers to your friend. Please urge him to get a second opinion. If you go to a hospital that specializes in cancer care he may have more time than a couple of weeks. I do not know your location but as @GoingBananas stated the Mayo clinic is excellent choice for cancer care Another good choice is Sloan and Kettering(not sure of the spelling) and the cancer centers of America.

@fortgatlin,
My heart goes out to you. It is a living hell not knowing the outcome of this terrible disease. I have lost a spouse and a sister to lung and tounge cancers I was widowed when I was 37. He was my best friend and so very much more for 10 years. I think your wife has an excellent chance of pulling through for she is young and does not have a stage 4. I will be sending loving thoughts and prayers in her direction.

[chell55]

I'm so sorry for everyone who is going through this with someone they love. My mom died at 47 of colon cancer. I was very young. Back then they did not have the pain control that they do now and watching her suffer was the worst thing I've had to do. They actually sent her home with pain pills that she couldn't swallow. My dad and I took care of her and the memory will be with me forever.
Please urge your loved ones to get a colonoscopy.
My thoughts and prayers are with each of you.

[Jeremy Fisher]

When I get home tonight she will be sleeping and will barely know who I am. Same with tomorrow and Sunday, she'll just lie in bed. Even though she's extremely tough and I have all the hope in the world for her, I certainly never thought of being 46 years old and a widower, which is possible. She has not seen me cry, and I am waiting on her hand and foot when she's conscious, it's just so sad. We have been married 18 years but she's been my best friend for 25. I don't want to lose my best friend in the world.

You won't. You won't. OK, now I am gonna give totally unsolicited advice. I don't want to give you sympathy yet. I want to give you strength which you will pass onto your dear wife. She needs it to fight the cancer. You and her can beat this bastard together. Stay strong, fight hard, refuse to break down. Get mad and determined instead. You and her can fight this battle together and win.

GDI, I hate this disease. Truly insidious. Has taken so many lives.

My dh had cancer about 15 yrs and so I know a tiny bit of how you feel. He only had radiation but the c word is the c word. Whole thing just stinks. When he was ill, I used my anger at the situation to fuel me to power through. I used to tell him not to worry; I had enough strength to beat this bastard for both of us.

Now my husband was not on chemo and was not as ill as your wife. However, he believed and (so do I) in positive imagery. I gave him a stuffed tiger and he would close his eyes and visualize his tiger stalking in the jungle and selectively killing the cancer cells.

15 years later he is cancer free. Again, his battle was not as difficult as your wife's. But positive imagery could definitely be worth a try. Even reading beautiful poetry to her could help her stay positive. Or song lyrics. Or music that she loves. Even if she can not recognize you for short periods of time, she is in there somewhere.

Dear fortgatlin, we all want you to post whatever helps you. If showing your sadness here is what helps you to be strong for your wife, then go for it. It sounds to me like you are doing a great job. Caring for a seriously ill spouse is probably only surpassed by caring for a seriously ill child.

But I want you to believe that she will beat this. Sounds like she must be something super special to have found such a devoted husband.

I hope that you post often, and share this journey with us. It is going to be a journey of success and victory over that dreaded disease. Let us help you w/the ups and the downs, as there will be many.

I am going to start visualizing your wife, killing all those nasty cancer cells. Anybody with me?

Hope I did not overstep. I do that sometimes. Just feel strongly that positive thinking can help form the outcome.

Take care of yourself too, Forgatlin. Caregivers often need more support than they get. Let us help you, if you want. Hope I didn't scare you away ...

Most Sincerely,

Water