Hi Craig, It's good to hear you are feeling more positive. It can take a couple goes to get the dose right, so hopefully this round is easier. I have had both 5FU (completed in January 2009) and FOLFOX (completed in January 2012) and have no lingering side effects from either - although admittedly, I am not as far out from having completed treatment as Ron. Sorry that you have been through so much, Ron. It is sometimes hard to accept that chemo is the only way; that the only treatment they recommend to us (apart from surgery) kills both 'good' and 'bad' cells indiscriminately. But if it wasn't for chemo, I might not still be here....perhaps I would be regardless,but I just don't know. I have had two recurrences since my initial diagnosis in 2008 and during my latest one (picked up in December 2012), whilst I was eligible for surgery, my oncologists recommended against chemo. In my particular circumstances, there was no evidence that chemo would do anything for me (at this stage, at least). Even without chemo, though, my CEA (which appears particularly sensitive to the comings and goings of my cancer) is at an all time low (<0.5). Perhaps my surgeons just got it all this time? As horrid as chemo is, I am a bit lost without it now. Chemo provided me with some reassurance. I was doing all I could, medically speaking, to knock this thing on the head. Still I know there are other things I can do to look after myself. Nourish my body with good food, keep fit and active (there is evidence that physical exercise can reduce the chances of recurrence, particularly with colorectal cancer) and avoid stress. And so far, so good! Chemo isn't easy, but despite having my cancer come back, I have never regretted my decision to have it. Hang in there Craig. Karen ... View more

Hi Sarah, I was also 27 when I was diagnosed with stage 2 bowel cancer. It was such a surprise to be told. It's definitely NOT something on the radar of a 27 year old young adult, is it?! I also had chemo (IV though, not oral) following my surgery. Six months of 5FU (the IV version of xeloda). I tolerated it fairly well. At first, I didnt notice any side effects at all! But the side effects were definitely cumulative for me. By the end of it, I was only working 4 days a week due to the fatigue and trying to control my nausea. In retrospect, I wish I had seen my onc about the nausea, because I am sure he would have been able to prescribe something to control it, but that's easy to say in retrospect! I hope it goes well for you Regards Karen ... View more

Hi Craig, Good luck with chemo today! I completed FOLFOX treatment in January 2012. I presume this is the treatment you will be having? If so, I won't lie, it wasn't easy (for me!), but it wasn't all hard either. I suffered with nausea to begin with, but my onc upped my antiemetics and that really took care of it, which was a pleasant surprise. There really are some great anti nausea drugs available now. Fatigue was probably the biggest issue for me. As I had treatment every two weeks, I found I had a good week (the off week) when I felt pretty normal, and a bad week when I was fatigued and tired. I often spent a day or two in bed after an infusion, so I made sure I made use of my good week, doing jobs I needed to get done and planning fun things to do, so I had something to look forward to when I wasn't feeling well during my bad week. The other issue with FOLFOX was the neuropathy. Both the acute (where you can't touch/drink anything cold) and the cumulative/peripheral (which didn't develop for me until the very end). The acute neuropathy wasn't too much of a bother, just a pain in the butt (excuse the pun) having to watch what I touched/drank. It tends to go away a few days after the infusion, so it wasn't too bad, but the cumulative/peripheral neuropathy took a few months after treatment finished to go away and got quite painful. Make sure you keep an eye on this and let your onc know if it is troubling you. That all said, chemo treats everyone differently and some people tolerate is a lot better than others. I hope it's nice to you. Regards Karen ... View more