Yay PM!
What an awesome answer to prayer.

I've had the barium sulfate for a CT scan. It's miserable and I think any anger over having to consume large quantities of that is totally and 1000% justified.

The other stuff is just icing on the cake.

That stuff is nasty, and what it does to you on the way out is no fun either.

PM,

You and your husband are in my thoughts and prayers.

I have two sisters and a brother that had colon cancer. All three got the sugury and survived because they caught is soon enough. I'm about the same age as they were when they were diagnosed so I got a precautionary colonoscopy done a few years ago. However, because it runs in my family I should probably get checked every other year.

St. Louis University wanted to do a case study on my family. I come from a large family and only some of us have had the cancer. I assume they would try and isolate which gene that makes some of my siblings more suceptable to the cancer.

A woman from my church works at the hospital in the cancer center. She said that when people have the chemo and loose their hair .... It doesn't nessasarily grow back the same. Sometimes it grows back a different color or if you hair is straight it will come back curly etc...


One of the women from my divorce support group was diagnosed with breast cancer. She's worried about the chemo and loosing her hair. She said "No offence but I just don't want to be bald" I said "well in my case it's a slow death and once it's gone it's gone. At least your's will grow back.

I told her If she lost her hair I'd shave my head in support.


PM, I know its scary... I'm praying that everything will be OK.

Miss Meggy,

I am so THRILLED to hear the good news! God is amazing and the faith you are both showing in Him is the only way to go.

I have been and will continue to keep you both in my prayers!

Glad to hear some good news, PM! That's terrific! The two of you will remain in my prayers...Your husband was on my mind the other day as I decided to schedule my very first colonoscopy...My mom has had polyps removed a couple of times and so I've needed to have one scheduled for a while now - your hubby being in my thoughts and prayers pushed me to go ahead and make the appt. - you tell him "thanks" for me, k?

Hey, did you guys know that there are now PILLS you can take instead of having to drink what I hear is an AWFUL drink? For me, the pills won't seem as bad - er, I think...

Mrs. W

PM, I just found this thread. We don't know each other but you posted kind and helpful words to me when I was really down.

I will keep you and your husband in my thoughts. It is very promising that the cancer seems to be only in one place!

HE is bigger than cancer....

I am so thrilled P......I so thankful for the wonderful news and your miracle....

Now, you all go and have a great weekend and "show" that mean, nasty cancer who's boss.....


hugs and love to you....

not2fun

Are the Drs. on board with the no surgery option? I can't imagine.

My husband has been battling colon cancer for about 4 1/2 years, and he was a stage IIIc upon diagnosis. The CT scan after the colonoscopy did not show or find anything and they knew he had it and where it was, and the cancer in the colon was large enough to cause a 70% obstruction. In the end, he not only had cancer in the colon, but in 7 lymph nodes with other tumors around the colon without nodal association. CT showed no evidence of cancer. With the CT your husband just had, they were mainly looking for liver and lung mets. Reading CT's is not science but art, and things are missed all the time.

I'm so sorry you're going through this too. How is your husband now? How did they find the other locations if not the CT scan? The doctor did say that he thinks they found it in the earliest stage.

As far as the no surgery option, no they quickly put that notion out of his head. He IS going to have the surgery after all because he promised me and the kids he would if that's what the doctors said he HAD to do. We have to call the surgeon on Monday.

I still believe everything will be fine.

Just dropping a note to say that I'm thinking of you and hubby too.

Consider another prayer said.

Colon cancer is a very curable cancer if caught early.

They found out the staging and lymph node involvement from the surgery. They will take out a portion of the colon and the fat surrounding it which should include at least 12 lymph nodes. Then the pathology report will tell you if it was in the lymph nodes, aggressiveness of the cancer, venous invasion, perineural invasion, etc. The Pathology will give you the Stage from I to IV.

I was hoping you would not ask how my husband is doing, but as the surgeon said he had a particularly ugly case. He just started his 5th round of chemo and it has just about done him in. The Dr. has already said no more chemo.

Get that surgery so you will know what you are fighting, and hope that surgery is all that is required for him.

I'm so sorry about your H BeContent, bless your heart. That has to be so hard to deal with.

Just to update, H saw the surgeon today. You are correct about the surgery and the lymph nodes, etc. We thought the CT scan was for that purpose. But we were wrong, it'll be revealed during the surgery.

H is still wanting to get a second opininon and is looking into Cancer Treatment Center of America. They'll fly us up there to meet with their doctors for 3-5 days. Our insurance will cover most of it.

I really don't want H to do this. I just want him to get the surgery done. I don't think CTCOA is going to offer any different options. The surgeon told H today that he could probably get by with waiting SIX MORE WEEKS before he had surgery. It's his body but man I wish he'd just go with the treatment plan that's been recommended.

PM

I don't have any qualifications to say what is or isn't right.

Just hugs and prayers that Gg-ds will for you, finds its way into your thoughts and you know that whatever path you take it's with G-d.

PM, just wanted to stop by and see how your DH is doing. I'm so very happy to hear the current diagnosis! My father had colon cancer in 1980 and they took it all out and he's never had a reoccurrence! I'll keep him in my prayers!

Update: DH has an appointment to fly to Chicago to the Cancer Treatment Centers of America on the 17th. Yay! He's going to get a second opinion and then will come home and get the treatment he needs (surgery).

I can't go because of work but our oldest son is going with him. My kids have been great.

I pray that CTCA will agree with the docs down here, DH will get the surgery and find that he's only Stage I, which will require the easier follow-up treatments.

Thanks everyone for your continued prayers!

So glad your kids are there for you guys! Take care of yourself pm.

Love in Christ,
Miss M

If they're talking surgery that's a really good sign.
Thanks for the update. I, too, am glad your family is there for one another right now.