Bowel cancer and METs on the liver

[Jasmine]

Hi everyone, After having a successful bowel resection back in 2009 and being declared 'cancer free' I have now been told by my oncologist that I have mets of the liver. I have not even completed my 12 cylces of chemo yet. Just finished my 7th last week. I am due for a PET scan on 23 June and am devasted by this new challenge. Has anyone else been through this? I thought I was winning. It sems that I am not. Any advice from anyone right now would help. Thanks Jasmine

[Molly]

Hi Jasmine, Sorry to hear about the mets to liver. Wait until you have your pet scan, they will be able to know more and your oncologist will be able to advise you on what can be done. There is so much out there these days, stay positive. take care Molly

[dunedigger]

Hi, You can win this battle. I am. See :http://www.cancerconnections.com.au/content/bowel-cancer-my-story-success-so-far This is an account of my journey. There is more to cancer treatment than Chemo. Liver surgery to remove or freeze Mets is being done very successfully along with a lot of other methods. HOWEVER do not take one Drs opinion, get a second one and look at surgical options. I was told my liver was inoperable (13 metz ) until I found someone who would operate. I am now nearly 4 weeks out of surgery and have been told all the 'buggers' are out. I await scans in some months time. However cancer may get me, but not before I am ready, about 30 years . . . I am 61 By then they might have even more cures. Get out there and fight ! Oh And . . Molly said "Stay Positive" . . . you are allowed to be negative for about 10% of the time . . that is quite normal Dunedigger

[Jasmine]

Hi Dunedigger Thank you for the encouragement. I need people like you around me right now. I have my 1st procedure this Friday, embolization of the portal vein to the right side of my liver, and then in 3 weeks time I will have a liver resection. Approx 3/4 of the right side of the liver must be removed. I am normally an extremely positive person. At the moment I'm just a bit afraid. But rest assured I will fight! There is no way that I am going quietly. I just turned 44, have a delightful 12 year old son and a very loving and supportive husband. I have everything to live for! Thank you for you support. Can you tell me about your resection? Helps to know I am not alone. Jasmine

[dunedigger]

Hi Jasmine, I had 4 surgically removed and 7 frozen in one go. In the process they removed my gall bladder, which is normally done I was told as it gets in the way ! Where are you having this done ? There are many surgical ways of treating liver cancers and new methods are being developed each year I am now 25 days out and stopped taking Panadol 36 hours ago. I feel very lethargic but don't need to sleep during the day. I have lost all interest in our business but my fife and staff are handling everything quite well. I am burnt out anyway. The liver completely regrows in between 3 and six weeks. After resection you will have tubes everywhere and be in intensive care at least overnight. The care in intensive care was excellent. I was a nurse in a "past part" of my life so I knew what was coming. It sounds as though your surgeon knows what he/she is doing Keep me informed. BTW, I had a lot of people asking after my welfare after my diagnosis. I started a email list and sent out 'wellness reports' every so often. It kept them of my back and off the phone.I sent them out while having chemo and in hospital Dunedigger Aka Rex

[Danni]

Hi Jasmine, I was diagnosed with Bowel cancer in july 2005 and had emergency surgery after I was rushed to hosp with an obstruction which was when they found the tumor. I started chemo in Aug 2005 and was clear for 15mths before secondaries were found in my ovaries. I had a hysterectomy in May 2007 and was then told I had 4 small tumors in my liver this number grew to 7 quite quickly and surgery options were looked at and ruled out due to the positioning of the tumors 3 are in the liver and now 5 on the outside. Everyone is different and my diagnosis was grim with 6mths being a stretch in Aug 07. We are now in july 09 4 years since my cancer was found and 2 years since that terrible terminal diagnosis and I have just started another round of the dreaded chemo. My tumors went dormant until recently where scans have showed them to be growing again. I am confident that this new chemo (Avastin) with the folfox can but me some more quality time wouldn't do it if I didn't believe it was possible.I wished I could have had surgery and I was referred to 2 Drs Prof Morris in Sydney and a Prof in townsville where we were living before moving to Vic. You put your faith in your Drs but don't forget to put your faith in yourself and do what you feel is right for your body. I wish you the best of luck and hope that you find some comfort in knowing that there are others out there that know how you feel.

[Jasmine]

Hi Danni Thank you so much for your kind words of support. Sounds like you have been through a great deal yourself. You are right. I have faith in the Dr's that are treating me and I believe that they are doing all that they possibly can to help me. I am scheduled for liver resection surgery on 03/08/09. I am praying that this surgery will release me from the grip that this nasty disease has on me. I feel like it has stolen my life away and I intend to fight with everything I have in me to get it back. Your email has given me comfort and the courage to keep fighting. Thank you. Jasmine

[Jasmine]

Hi Dunedigger My liver resection surgery is scheduled for 03/08/09. There are 4 tumors on the right side of my liver. The surgeons are removing approx. 3/4's of the right side of the liver. I am praying that this surgery will be my saviour from this nasty disease. Like you, I am tired of this disease. I want my life back know matter how many operations I have to have. I am having the operation at Westmead Hospital. That's where my Dr's want me to be so even though I was absolutely unimpressed with the hospital during my first operation I do not have much choice about the location. My Dr's want me where the best specialists and equipment can be accessed. I will keep you updated. Stay in touch. Jasmine

[dunedigger]

Hi Jasmine, I am now 5 weeks post surgery. I saw the Professor today and everything is looking good for me. I have SIRTs done in a few weeks and go back on Avastin for good measure. Not bad for someone who could have been dead 6 or 8 months ago. Keep fighting the buggers in your liver and ask about SIRTs http://www.google.com.au/search?q=sirt&sourceid=navclient-ff&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1B3GGGL_enAU280AU280 Goo luck with your surgery, It will be a uncomfortable 3 weeks if you are like me. Keep us ALL posted Dunedigger

[samex]

Hi Jasmine, It's really hard to give you words that can help. How about an electronic hug? Even though we don't really know each other, we share a common bond which maybe allows this familiarity. I hope all goes well. Samex

[Jasmine]

Dear Samex Thank you for your kind words. They have given me great comfort at a time when I need it the most. Jasmine

[Sailor]

Hi Dunedigger I have a friend who has a rather rare bowel cancer and is considering FOLFOX6 or 7. They are rather concerned about the side effect of the Oxaliplatin particularly the peripheral neuropathy. They use their hands a lot and are concerned about losing the tactile sensation they rely on to produce their work. What was your experience? Cheers Sailor We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now. Martin Luther King Jr

[samex]

Hi Sailor, I had both drugs - not sure if it was folfox 6or7 and oxaliplatin. I found that by the 9th or 10th cycle (of 12) I had very limited feeling in my fingers and it often extended to my hands. My feet have been a longer standing problem. I finished treatment in April 2008 and I still have a loss of feeling in my toes, particularly when I exercise, ironically.When the neuropathy kicked in, my feet were very sore and I was only able to wear "sensible" shoes. Massage helped. With my hands I had great difficulty with anything requiring fine work and my hands also shook quite badly for the days after treatment. I was making beaded jewellery and wasn't able to continue, for example. This tended to coincide with the neuropathy that can occur in your throat - a sensitivity to cold. Didn't have anything over room temperature for 6 months! I have operated on the theory that I may have been left with this residual neuropathy but it is a better option than the alternative. I'm not sure what kind of tactile work your friend does but I found that the fatigue was a far greater impediment to working than the neuropathy. I am a teacher and after a month I was incapable of working at all. Lots of nanna naps instead. Hope that my experience has been of some help. The neuropathy seems to be very individual in its effects, however. My best wishes to your friend and the difficult decision they are making, Samex

[dunedigger]

Hi everyone, I finished Folfox6 Last September 2008. The issues in my hands quickly dissipated but my feet are another story. I was told that it would take 12 months for the effects to go away and after that, you had to live with it. As someone else said it is the best alternative. Folfox6 + Avastin + intravenous Vitamin C reduced my liver tumors to almost nothing, which was proved by pathology after I had the rest of the tumors romoved by surgery. Happy days are hear again ! ! ! I am on holidays in Norfolk island dunedigger

[saada]

hi jasmine, I am sorry that the news wasn't better. But please don't give up hope. My dh was diagnoised with a met to herliver during her colon resection. had a resection 4 months later, then it came back, one in each lobe of his liver. she had radiofrequency ablation on the right side and they resected the whole left lobe. They implanted a hepatic artery infusion pump and he recieves concentrated chemo directly to her liver. she is actually doing really well right now. There are several treatments now that they can do when you have mets to the liver. Sir-Spheres, radio frequency ablation and resection are just a few that I can remember right now. There are others. The main thing is to contact a surgeon specializing in liver cancer. He will be up on all of the new treatments. Also there is a difference between primary liver cancer and metatastic liver cancer. It seems that metatastic is easier to treat. Good luck and let us know how things go. And just remember it can be treated.