stageIV colon cancer - Cancer: Colon Message Board

mountainessence · 04-27-2005, 05:55 PM

Hi I'm new to this my daughter in law was just diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer she is only 21 i need help please have there been any survivors of stage 4?

jaydees · 04-27-2005, 06:07 PM

I believe that there are some here as a matter of fact.

I also believe that the survival rate for IV is not too bad if treated quickly and aggressivly. Your DiL being young has a very good chance that she can withstand an aggressive treatment regimen that an older person would have much more trouble with. On the other hand of course it really sucks that someone so young would get this.

We are all here to answer questions that we can and to provide any emotional support we can as well. Feel free to ask about anything, we may not have an answer but you can still ask. We have all been touched by colon cancer, either by having had it ourselves(such as me or CancerDad) or have had loved ones who have, such as is the case for you.
If you don't mind my asking, how is your son doing and are there any grandchildren? My wife was a huge part of my recovery, I tear up as I think of it. It was extremely difficult on her but she aided me every step of the way and for that I do not think I can ever thank her enough. The kids were grown up so they were not as much of a worry though as they might have been if they were little.

Some other questions (I know that answering some may be painful, if you don't answer them we will understand), where in the colon is her tumour? It will affect what she may encounter during an operation and during recovery. Is the CC tumour resectable, that is is it one mass that can be removed/ Finally, what is the status of the metastisis? Is it confined to one other organ and only one site in that organ?

mountainessence · 04-27-2005, 06:25 PM

ty so much for answering my heart goes out to all of u my son and daughterin law have been married 3 yrs they have an 11 month old baby girl . they have been living an almost story book life highschool sweethearts. very much in love had lana bought there first dream home last yr and have been decorating it and making there plans for living in beautiful mountain town with their daughter im so proud of them they have the kind of love we all dream of dilaw is very sweet soft spoken my son is what i describe as a gentle soul to others. she started getting sick around her time of month shortly after baby was born finally went to see dr a month ago and turned out she has a blockage drs new it was cancer from tests so she had surgery friday they took out 8 inch section with the cancer in i believe the large colon. they also found cancer in rectum and vagina they removed all cancer she just got results yesterday that it is stage 4 and 9 lymphnodes were involved. son is to upset at moment to discuss more with me she is home now from hospital suffering much pain and nausea.they r staying at moment at her mom and dads house while she recovers.

CancerDad · 04-27-2005, 07:00 PM

Welcome Mountain:

I'm soo sorry it's under these circumstances. Since she seems to have had cancer in her colon and rectum, she is facing both chemo AND radiation, (as did I). I too had positive nodes (6/10 removed, even after the pre-op radiation and chemo I endured) BTW, I am 32 with two young boys. Jaydees is soo right. You need to keep a positive attitude... really difficult at times, but really important. Let your son and dil mourn over the news... It's extremely shocking. They will probably talk with her about genetic testing as well... as she probably carries a genetic factor being so young. They suggested the same for me. You can run a search for HNPCC and FAP. Sounds as though it's probably HNPCC though.

Statistics suck. That's the truth and the realist view. For some reason, you would think young would do better than older, but it's actually the opposite. They do treat you VERY AGGRESSIVELY with chemo and radiation, and it is true that younger people bounce back faster. With that said, now forget it! It's all about attitude. You need to be supportive that SHE WILL BEAT THIS. The one thing that studies have shown, for older people too, but moreso for younger is that Cancer in the young is DEVESTATING Financially. If you are in a position to help them, If your son needs to take time off under federal Family/Medical Leave Act to help her, believe me, they would be SO APPRECIATIVE. There is so much to worry about, and finances should NOT have to be one of them. I am getting WAY ahead of myself though. Like JD said, we are here for ANY questions you may have.

GOD BLESS and GOOD LUCK. We look forward to hearing from you.

Warm Regards,
CancerDad

edinaman · 04-27-2005, 07:53 PM

Mountain, my heart goes out to you, your daughter in law, your son and the rest of your and her families. I think this is a good example of how this is not a disease of older men. My cancer was diagnosed as stage 3, one lymph node, growing outside of the colon. They were able to do a resection immediately. I am just finishing chemo and do not need radiation. With the rectum involved, radiation is common. All of us are here to offer any support we can and to answer your questions to the best of our abilities. Think positive-the chemo nurses have stressed how that makes such a difference.