Okay, so
we had a TON of information thrown at us yesterday, so if you feel overwhelmed
by what I remember to post, imagine what we are feeling.
Levi, Mom and I made it to the oncologists appointment yesterday, after I had come down with the stomach bug on Tuesday night and yesterday. (Really, was that necessary? Honestly, I don't think fate planned that very well...). However, after I finally started to get over the diarrhea, nausea, and sever headache (see what I mean - the universe is cruel!), we headed to the drs appt, where Levi met us. The waiting room was filled with a variety of people - from young kids waiting for a chemo patient to people who looked like me (no obvious outward signs of cancer, but they obviously weren't there as a fun expedition) to a woman who was obviously deep into her chemo treatments and struggling physically with the ramifications of what her body was going through (very little hair, swollen feet, bruises all over her body, etc.). She sat there talking with the volunteer that brought her to the appointment about her family, her kids, how they are dealing with everything.....it was hard to see and hear. All I kept thinking was, that's going to be me in three months.
We got called into the room, and they did the routine height/weight/bp/pulse. All good. Actually, my bp is really good, and I lost a few pounds. Anyways, we met Dr. Ondreyco (from here on out, known to us all as Dr. O) and talked with her about the situation. She did a very cursory physical exam (as Levi pointed out, she can't see what's wrong from the outside...), and then we got down to business. As most of the doctors are, she is perplexed about WHY I got this. So, she is ordering me to go to a genetics testing lab to have blood drawn - they are going to be able to test my genes to see if I carry the mutant gene or whatever it is indicating that this was a hereditary thing. If it is, it will mean my brothers and parents will get a more thorough colonoscopy (didn't know you could do that, but whatever - I figured they were all pretty "thorough"), and that my kids are pre-determined to have this gene. Not that this means that any one of them are destined to get colon cancer - just that they have the genetic predisposition for it. So, here's praying that those come back normal and negative, and that I am just a freak of nature.... :-)
We talked a bit about the chemo and the next six months. Basically, it's 12 rounds of chemo. Two days of chemo every 2 weeks, then removal of the meds on the third day. They are "installing" a port in me today (see previous post for info on that), and this will allow them to give me the chemo meds without having to stick me with an IV each time. They can also pull blood from this thing, which they will do at each appointment to monitor my blood level and CEA or CAE counts (I can't remember the acronym, but it's a cancer indicator in the blood). The good news is that this is all preventative - the chemo they are using is top of the line, and very effective. The bad news is that there is about a 71% cure rate, meaning that I have about a 28% chance that the cancer could recur, either in the colon or in another organ. If it comes back in another organ, they have about a 1/3 chance of cure rate from that point. Not the odds I was hoping for, but it's okay. I will be fine. As Dad said, it's still in the majority that I will beat this and be fine. Whew.
Anyways, the chemo they are using is called Folfox (I don't know what that means, only that there is a variety of drugs that will be streaming through my system). Apparently, this is tops in the field. Matter of fact, there is a huge meeting going on this week to look at results from trials regarding colon cancer treatments, and my chemo regiment might modify slightly based on the outcome of that meeting, so really, I feel like we are at the leading edge of this. Good news, I think.
Side effects: Basically, the way it was explained to us is that the most likely side effects of this type of chemo are fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, neuropathy (numbness of my fingers and toes), etc. So, I won't be feeling too great for the next six months, but they have other drugs they can give me to help combat the side effects. It's going to be a long 12 treatments, but I will make it through.
Oh - more about the chemo. So, the first day of my treatment every two weeks, I will be in the drs office for about 2 hours, where they will talk with me, administer drugs, take levels, etc. When I leave, they have a pump attached to me (think fanny pack) that will administer drugs over the course of the next 48 hours. The next day, it's another 2 hours in the office, and take home the fanny pack again. Third day - removal of the fanny pack and it's port attachment. Then, I have freedom until the next round of chemo.
It should be an interesting six months. As I said, we go for the port placement today. I thought it was a local anisthetic thing, but they are going to give me, as Dr O said, "Happy Juice". Okay - more cruel irony. As if I don't have issues enough, I can't eat or drink today until after the procedure. Now, let me explain to you - for prep for the colonscopy on Thursday the 22nd (which was only 2 weeks ago), I couldn't eat solids. And, chicken broth isn't as filling as you would think it would be. On Friday, I had the colonoscopy and got the results, and didn't each much that day (no food or drink before hand). Saturday was my only "free" day, but I still couldn't eat well. Sunday and Monday, it was a low-carb, low-sugar, high-protein diet for me in prep for the PET scan. Tuesday, nothing to eat all day, and only water until after the PET scan (which was at 3). Wednesday was the surgery - nothing to eat or drink. Thursday - liquid diet only until I passed gas. Friday - solids. After that, it's been okay, but today, nothing to eat or drink until after the port placement. I just don't think it's fair. Have these people been through this? :-)
So, I think that's about it. 12 treatments. It's easier to think about it that way than 6 months. My first chemo treatment is on the 19th of June, which is Levi's birthday. Unfortunately, all of these things seem to have some sort of awful correlation with family birthdays. But, I get the first chemo treatment removed on June 21st, so Happy Birthday to me! LOL!
Let me know if you have any information about this chemo treatment. I don't, and I haven't had a chance to do any research, yet. Based on what we are hearing, I am hoping to be able to go back to work after the July 4th holiday. I will update more as I have it, but there you go. I will try to update today or tomorrow about the port placement. Have a good day!
Levi, Mom and I made it to the oncologists appointment yesterday, after I had come down with the stomach bug on Tuesday night and yesterday. (Really, was that necessary? Honestly, I don't think fate planned that very well...). However, after I finally started to get over the diarrhea, nausea, and sever headache (see what I mean - the universe is cruel!), we headed to the drs appt, where Levi met us. The waiting room was filled with a variety of people - from young kids waiting for a chemo patient to people who looked like me (no obvious outward signs of cancer, but they obviously weren't there as a fun expedition) to a woman who was obviously deep into her chemo treatments and struggling physically with the ramifications of what her body was going through (very little hair, swollen feet, bruises all over her body, etc.). She sat there talking with the volunteer that brought her to the appointment about her family, her kids, how they are dealing with everything.....it was hard to see and hear. All I kept thinking was, that's going to be me in three months.
We got called into the room, and they did the routine height/weight/bp/pulse. All good. Actually, my bp is really good, and I lost a few pounds. Anyways, we met Dr. Ondreyco (from here on out, known to us all as Dr. O) and talked with her about the situation. She did a very cursory physical exam (as Levi pointed out, she can't see what's wrong from the outside...), and then we got down to business. As most of the doctors are, she is perplexed about WHY I got this. So, she is ordering me to go to a genetics testing lab to have blood drawn - they are going to be able to test my genes to see if I carry the mutant gene or whatever it is indicating that this was a hereditary thing. If it is, it will mean my brothers and parents will get a more thorough colonoscopy (didn't know you could do that, but whatever - I figured they were all pretty "thorough"), and that my kids are pre-determined to have this gene. Not that this means that any one of them are destined to get colon cancer - just that they have the genetic predisposition for it. So, here's praying that those come back normal and negative, and that I am just a freak of nature.... :-)
We talked a bit about the chemo and the next six months. Basically, it's 12 rounds of chemo. Two days of chemo every 2 weeks, then removal of the meds on the third day. They are "installing" a port in me today (see previous post for info on that), and this will allow them to give me the chemo meds without having to stick me with an IV each time. They can also pull blood from this thing, which they will do at each appointment to monitor my blood level and CEA or CAE counts (I can't remember the acronym, but it's a cancer indicator in the blood). The good news is that this is all preventative - the chemo they are using is top of the line, and very effective. The bad news is that there is about a 71% cure rate, meaning that I have about a 28% chance that the cancer could recur, either in the colon or in another organ. If it comes back in another organ, they have about a 1/3 chance of cure rate from that point. Not the odds I was hoping for, but it's okay. I will be fine. As Dad said, it's still in the majority that I will beat this and be fine. Whew.
Anyways, the chemo they are using is called Folfox (I don't know what that means, only that there is a variety of drugs that will be streaming through my system). Apparently, this is tops in the field. Matter of fact, there is a huge meeting going on this week to look at results from trials regarding colon cancer treatments, and my chemo regiment might modify slightly based on the outcome of that meeting, so really, I feel like we are at the leading edge of this. Good news, I think.
Side effects: Basically, the way it was explained to us is that the most likely side effects of this type of chemo are fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, neuropathy (numbness of my fingers and toes), etc. So, I won't be feeling too great for the next six months, but they have other drugs they can give me to help combat the side effects. It's going to be a long 12 treatments, but I will make it through.
Oh - more about the chemo. So, the first day of my treatment every two weeks, I will be in the drs office for about 2 hours, where they will talk with me, administer drugs, take levels, etc. When I leave, they have a pump attached to me (think fanny pack) that will administer drugs over the course of the next 48 hours. The next day, it's another 2 hours in the office, and take home the fanny pack again. Third day - removal of the fanny pack and it's port attachment. Then, I have freedom until the next round of chemo.
It should be an interesting six months. As I said, we go for the port placement today. I thought it was a local anisthetic thing, but they are going to give me, as Dr O said, "Happy Juice". Okay - more cruel irony. As if I don't have issues enough, I can't eat or drink today until after the procedure. Now, let me explain to you - for prep for the colonscopy on Thursday the 22nd (which was only 2 weeks ago), I couldn't eat solids. And, chicken broth isn't as filling as you would think it would be. On Friday, I had the colonoscopy and got the results, and didn't each much that day (no food or drink before hand). Saturday was my only "free" day, but I still couldn't eat well. Sunday and Monday, it was a low-carb, low-sugar, high-protein diet for me in prep for the PET scan. Tuesday, nothing to eat all day, and only water until after the PET scan (which was at 3). Wednesday was the surgery - nothing to eat or drink. Thursday - liquid diet only until I passed gas. Friday - solids. After that, it's been okay, but today, nothing to eat or drink until after the port placement. I just don't think it's fair. Have these people been through this? :-)
So, I think that's about it. 12 treatments. It's easier to think about it that way than 6 months. My first chemo treatment is on the 19th of June, which is Levi's birthday. Unfortunately, all of these things seem to have some sort of awful correlation with family birthdays. But, I get the first chemo treatment removed on June 21st, so Happy Birthday to me! LOL!
Let me know if you have any information about this chemo treatment. I don't, and I haven't had a chance to do any research, yet. Based on what we are hearing, I am hoping to be able to go back to work after the July 4th holiday. I will update more as I have it, but there you go. I will try to update today or tomorrow about the port placement. Have a good day!
Comments:
troy said...
Hey
Michelle,
Your attitude is just incredible! I have had a few family members and friends battle cancer, with different frames of mind -- the ones that shared your strength and conviction to win have all beaten it!
As far as food goes, it would be so unlike me to send a goodie box...yes, so unlikely...
Your attitude is just incredible! I have had a few family members and friends battle cancer, with different frames of mind -- the ones that shared your strength and conviction to win have all beaten it!
As far as food goes, it would be so unlike me to send a goodie box...yes, so unlikely...
June
5, 2008 at 9:03 AM
mrsjenbuck said...
Hey
there... I thought that we would share a quote that we received from our Small
Group Leaders at our church - Bob and Jackie. (we brought you up at our small
group meeting a few days ago - asking for prayers!...hope that was okay...)
"Many people recover from colon cancer after the tumor has been removed and after the chemo has been administered. If she had a colostomy, it might possibly be reversed in a few months after the chemo. I have a friend who lived through that about 15 years ago and she is still alive (& kicking, I might add!), and friends from church, Barb and Jim Davies, have a 43 year old son who went through the removal of part of the intestines, colostomy, chemo, and reversal 1 1/2 years ago and he is doing very well, too. Keep praying and leave it all in God's hands."
and I also second what Troy said... strength and conviction, BABY!
love ya!
jen & kevin
"Many people recover from colon cancer after the tumor has been removed and after the chemo has been administered. If she had a colostomy, it might possibly be reversed in a few months after the chemo. I have a friend who lived through that about 15 years ago and she is still alive (& kicking, I might add!), and friends from church, Barb and Jim Davies, have a 43 year old son who went through the removal of part of the intestines, colostomy, chemo, and reversal 1 1/2 years ago and he is doing very well, too. Keep praying and leave it all in God's hands."
and I also second what Troy said... strength and conviction, BABY!
love ya!
jen & kevin
June
5, 2008 at 4:20 PM
Hey
Michelle,
I'm glad you're doing as well as can be hoped. I am glad you post so much about this experience, I know it helps Jim and it definitely helps me to be able to feel involved in what's going on with you.
You asked about the chemotherapy drugs, so I did some googling and asked about some of it from a friend here who is a researcher on chemotherapy drugs.
Apparently FOLFOX is actually a cocktail of chemotherapy drugs made specifically for colon cancer, and it's super effective. One of the three is a more traditional drug--basically it prevent fast dividing cells in your body from replicating their DNA and thus reproducing. Cancerous cells are in this set of cells in your body (but, unfortunately, so are hair and skin cells, hence the usual symptoms). Basically, when these cells can no longer reproduce, they kill themselves (this is described by a fun word called "apoptosis"...just say it, it's amusing).
The second drug is SUPER cutting edge. They know that it works really well against colon cancer, but they don't exactly know why. But studies have shown it works much better than other chemotherapy drugs.
The third is similar to folic acid (like the vitamin) and is used to make the non-cancer cells in your colon more resistant to the effects of chemotherapy drugs to soften the blow. It allows these other drugs, which are very aggressive, to do their work without too much collateral damage.
Anyway, I hope that gives you some information and maybe alleviates some nervousness about having weird chemicals put in your body--I wouldn't be a big fan of it either. Jim and I are thinking about you always. If you need or want anything from us, please ask. We'd love to do anything we can for you. Good luck!
I'm glad you're doing as well as can be hoped. I am glad you post so much about this experience, I know it helps Jim and it definitely helps me to be able to feel involved in what's going on with you.
You asked about the chemotherapy drugs, so I did some googling and asked about some of it from a friend here who is a researcher on chemotherapy drugs.
Apparently FOLFOX is actually a cocktail of chemotherapy drugs made specifically for colon cancer, and it's super effective. One of the three is a more traditional drug--basically it prevent fast dividing cells in your body from replicating their DNA and thus reproducing. Cancerous cells are in this set of cells in your body (but, unfortunately, so are hair and skin cells, hence the usual symptoms). Basically, when these cells can no longer reproduce, they kill themselves (this is described by a fun word called "apoptosis"...just say it, it's amusing).
The second drug is SUPER cutting edge. They know that it works really well against colon cancer, but they don't exactly know why. But studies have shown it works much better than other chemotherapy drugs.
The third is similar to folic acid (like the vitamin) and is used to make the non-cancer cells in your colon more resistant to the effects of chemotherapy drugs to soften the blow. It allows these other drugs, which are very aggressive, to do their work without too much collateral damage.
Anyway, I hope that gives you some information and maybe alleviates some nervousness about having weird chemicals put in your body--I wouldn't be a big fan of it either. Jim and I are thinking about you always. If you need or want anything from us, please ask. We'd love to do anything we can for you. Good luck!
June
11, 2008 at 11:12 AM
No comments:
Post a Comment