hello eveyrone..my name is tricia ...my mother.....cathy is 50 and was diagnosed 3 weeks ago with stage IV colon cancer with liver mets... this has been so hard guys...i feel like i am in a nightmare..to top it all off i am a full time nursing student..and close to graduation..with all this happening..i cant think of nothing but my mama...... we are on the ful fox......every 2 weeks for 48 hours.... she has 1 mass the size of an orange in her colon...... and 2 or 3 lesions on her liver ...but they are small... the doctor is very OPTIMISTIC about her care..he said that he thinks that she can be cured..not just in remission...my moms overall cea count was like 348!! YIKES....i know..but she is on her 2nd round of chemo going on 3rd.....and i am worried because she wont hardly eat or drink anything...she said she is just sick...he has her on compazine now.......was phenegran.she takes them every 6 hours.. and lomotil...i feel like it has done great because no diarrhea in the past 6 hours....but guys she was 208 before cancer and as of today she is 195, that is 13 lbs in a month..and i am so worried... that she is going to get sick....or something and miss chemo and then it may spread......? i know i am thinking too far ahead..but my mind is boggled..i live @ home with her now..and my hubby....she always has someone here...but this has been so life changing...does anyone else in here have stage IV....if so please share..because i know that this is a bad stage to be in....

I wish you all a miracle and to be cancer free at your next appointments....

confused in indiana,

Tricia:confused:

Hi,

I am so sorry to hear about your mum.

My mum also had colon cancer which went on to spread to her intestines and liver. She found out last September that she had cancer and had 26 weeks of chemo but was told this August that it was too aggressive and nothing could be done as it had spread.

My mum spent the 2 months in hospital and went home almost 2 weeks ago but then she had to go back in to her the fluid in her abdomen drained but unfortunately they couldn't as the tumours were everywhere!!!

My dear mum died three days later (last Thursday 12 Oct). She was 55.

So i know exactly how you are feeling as i was the same as you!! Panicking, worrying,crying, all the time she was ill but i never let her see me!!!

I don't really know what i can say to you but just take it a day at a time as that is all you can do!! The only thing that i have comfort from now is knowing that my mum is no longer suffering but i am finding it very difficult to cope at the moment.

Please post again and let me know how your mum is??? What symptoms does she have?? I am always here to talk to you and help you through it.

Maybe we can help each other,
God Bless, Emma,xx

Hi Tricia

my husband was diagnosed Easter 2005 with stage 4 colorectal cancer, since that time he's had part of his colon removed and is on a permanent colosty bag, he had mets to the liver as well as the lymph nodes......June this year he had 60% of his liver removed and doing well, he's not in remission as he still has cancer in one kidney, which is slow growing, and they are keeping an eye on it..in the meantime because of nerve damage to his fingers and feet from the chemo, it's CT scans every 12 weeks as well as blood tests to keep on top of the colorectal cancer...I know how hard it is, we have all been down that road..and believe me, we all survive somehow and are better and stronger for having/going this this dreadful experience with our partners/parents...my husband had 7 lesions on the liver, and the last Ct Scan while on chemo, showed a new lesion....but right now, I'm fattening him up for what still lies ahead...stay in there...and be positive...I had to be positive for both of us...as my husband didn't think he'd survive...

Hi Tricia. I hope you mom feels better soon. I have stage 4 colon cancer w/mets to liver and lungs. I was diagnosed thru a colonoscopy and I was admitted to the hospital the same day. They did a colostomy, but didn't remove any of the tumor saying it was too large. I started chemo about two weeks after I got out of the hospital. My cea marker went down to almost normal after six months of chemo and I feel great. Does your mom have a colostomy? If not, that could explain her lack of appetite. It took a few weeks for me to start eating after surgery, and I lost a lost of weight in the meantime. Of course, once I started eating it just flew back on. lol If you can, get your mom to start drinking Ensure or Slim Fast or something like that. The chemo people should give a pre-med of anti-nausea medicine before the FOLFOX. I've never been nauseated from the chemo at all. They should add Avastin to her regime soon. I don't know about the doctors telling her she could be "cured." I don't think that's possible with stage 4, but what do I know. Keeping it under control is what they shoot for. Hope this answers some of your questions.