Hi Joy, thanks for your reply. The Xeloda was pretty harsh at first, on day 3 I ended up in the ED for 11 hours with chest pains (no heart attack just vomiting and med related though) after having spent the entire day vomiting. I now have to now use Miinitran patches to keep those pains at bay, courtesy of the meds, and I've also been given stronger anti nausea wafers which have helped a lot. I've not yet done a 3 week cycle, I've managed 2 x 2 week cycles though and will start the first 3 week cycle on Tuesday, am hoping it goes as well as it did last week, I didn't have too many harsh side effects. I have been moisturising it's particularly my feet but so far they've been ok. How many more cycles do you have left? ... View more

Hi Leeanne I'll try and add you, I did try but wasn't able so I'll reply here and then try again xx ... View more

Hi Ben I've been following your blog since I found out about the tumour and I see that ours was similar. No loop illeostomy for me. Yeah small pelvis is a compliment.. ummm I think... hahahaha. The pathology results were more than I could have hoped for. Initially I was a T3N2M0 and after surgery and the removal of 23 lymph nodes they found no activity in them and it was downgraded to a T2N0M0 which was fantastic to hear. Well today I met with the Oncologist and will start chemo - Capecitabine tabs on a 21 day cycle of 14 days of meds and 7 days off them for 21 weeks. I start tomorrow morning. I thought it would be a week or 2 before I would have to start. Kind of bewildering really. ... View more

Thanks for the greetings. I've since found out a little more info after the CT and MRI. I will have a colonography the day after tomorrow as the CT images weren't very clear. At this stage the cancer is confined to the lower rectum and is in a few of the nodes. I'm scheduled for surgery on the 25th and will be having a lower rectal resection. I've been doing a lot of reading and a lot of talking to others who have been in a similar position. Had a counseling session and I am doing ok. Just starting to get a little nervey about the surgery as the date gets closer. ... View more