MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish

elimar86861

Eph, I sure didn't!  Must be the Cheetos that keeps bringing them back.         

lostinmo

When I started rads they scheduled me for 28 so I booked a flight out for that afternoon. Then the RO wanted to add 8 boosts so instid of making me change my flight I had 8 days that I went in twice. Once on the morning for the regular zap and 6 hours later for the boost. Probably why I burned so bad but it was worth it to get done on time.

marlegal

I am soooo sorry for the misinterpretation of "new primary" and not adding DOCTOR at the end. Thanks so much for the concern though, it felt good after I got done feeling bad!

Keep those benign results comin'

JRyan

Elimar, I have to admit the cheetos pulled me in :-) but it's the wonderful people that keep me coming back!

Congrats on the happy news Barbe.

Going for my 3rd echo Wednesday (herceptin). Hoping it's still beating well.

DH asked me if I had any plans for weekend, that he wants to take me away for couple days. It's been a long time since we've been able to do that. I am so excited :-)

Sherryc

Barb woohoo on B9 and praying the rest are B9

I am finallly back home from TN.  Was so good to sleep in my own bed last night.

justmejanis

That is excellent news Barbe! 

barbe1958

Thanks ladies!!! I was on cloud B9, that's for sure!

So, barsco, are you still in testing mode? I've lost 15 pounds and counting during this...but I can afford it. I feel bad for underweight ladies as they get sicker faster than I do....

Ossa

woohoo Barbe..good to hear B9 is always good..

elimar86861

I hope it is not too late for me to have a baby shower today, seeing as they scheduled me to deliver my alien baby tomorrow.  Not everybody gets an implantation during their colonoscopy, but if you do get one then you must get "another colonoscopy" 21 mos. later to deliver.   Don't know whether I should go pink or blue or OTHER...let's just day metallic.

                                                        

barbe1958

Good luck tomorrow elimar! Is it day surgery or do you get to stay in on the good drugs??

sheila888

Thinking of you elimar....♥

elimar86861

Oh no, this is not surgery YET.  It is a colonoscopy and u/s for staging.  Also will get CT and MRI in another day or two.  Then MAYBE they will give me neoadjuvant chemo and radiation, because we are getting closer to the holidays and the spirit of giving.  If chemo, I'll get the bonus port that goes with that, and a clip-on bag o' chemo that I would have to tote around for about six weeks.  That sounds fun, but I doubt they come in suede with fringe.  Then, finally would come surgery with my soccer-dad surgeon slicing open my abdomen or maybe I will get a robotic surgery with young-guy doc.  Did I say finally?  But wait there's more.  They will take some nodes(*) while in there (you know how they are!) and if I have not managed to have kept them clean, I can look forward to more chemo on that account.

I could go on even more about a few new horrors that were mentioned, but why?  It's plenty scary with what I already told you.  I figured I would tell just enough to make breast surgery and treatment sound a little better by comparison.  I am not trying to one-up anyone's breast surgery, but with my breast, I had done all the breast feeding I was gonna do years ago so it had completed that task.  However, I was planning to eat/digest/absorb a good number of meals in my future, and now I'm not gonna have my whole colon to work with.  The way they put it back together sounds like Franken-colon.  I don't like that.

(*) Surprisingly, there are so many nodes in there, they told me LE is never an issue.

marlegal

Eli, you better wear those pants from 20 lbs heavier, 'cause you're gonna need the oversized pockets to hold us all as we join in to send vibes for the best possible scenario in all of that. Frankly, even that doesn't sound enticing, but we still want the best for our best girl. I know in the crowd of well-wishers it'll be tough to eat and drink, and gee...we shouldn't do that if you have to fast and all...so I'll just bring a few snacks to tide us over and I'll let you have yours ahead of time, how's that? Big hugs hon...hope to read positive news real soon on that front.

elimar86861

Thanks, Mar!  I won't get to touch a bite til maybe 3:00 tomorrow, but I will have a sweet dream of gluttonizing that cake tonight!  Everything tastes better when your name is written on it, don't you think?

Valjean

(((~E~))) Hope you aren't sick of the metallic color already!

Momine

Elimar, Shit! That sounds seriously unfun

mumito

((((Eli))))

Valjean

((E))

Anonymous

I've been offline for awhile....just got home yesterday from my DIEP surgery. All went well and I'm feeling a little stronger each day. Good news on all the B9 news!

Eli......((((((hugs!))))))

barsco1963

Eli - Missed wishing you good luck yesterday - I am back to work part time and don't have as much online time as I would like. really sorry that I missed the PP. Hoping to hear that all went well.

Barbe - not sure what you mean by "testing mode". I do have an upcoming colonoscopy next week

luvmygoats

Joining the colonoscopy bunch next month. Late getting there, age 60. DH going 2 weeks later. It's like the old cereal commercial, "Let Mikey try it".  He makes me go first. And Boo-Hoo the first week I'm home. Hope its a warm night since toilet and I will become very familiar. Hate frozen bum (love English expressions).

Eli - (((HUGS))).  Praying for good results. Hope to hear something good when I get home.

elimar86861

Condensed version:

Pre-colonoscopy got good news that my CEA (cancer antigen) number was low.

Nurses nice and gossipy, which was good because I had a half hour wait in the procedure room while they slipped a patient in before me.

Met new young-doc.  Not a hottie.  Not even very conversational.  That's what ya get when you play with robots a lot.  Typical dry surgeon demeanor.

I asked for Versed light.  Missed the ultrasound, but was able to see the c-scope screen during a few waking moments.  I saw my cancer.  It had the slimy look of a newborn alien, without the cuteness...beastly.  I could feel the scope poking my transverse colon, owww!  They gave me more meds., nighty night.

Woke up.  Got the news C/C has grown thru my bowel wall.  I'm in the Stage II ballpark for now, til we see what the nodes look like tomorrow (CT & MRI.)  Found out my C/C is actually RECTAL cancer (an even less pretty picture, if that is possible.)  It's where the rectum joins the colon.  The debate of exactly where they join has been "raging for centuries" (a remark which is the utmost of hilarity in colorectal surgeon circles.)

Doc could not get the c-scope all the way to the end of my colon, so signed me up for barium enema/x-rays.  But I got something gentler than the barium.  But it HURT REAL BAD, worse because some c-scope air was still trapped in my uppermost bowel.  I was crying.

WON"T KNOW MY PLAN til next Tues. meeting with soccer-dad surgeon.

Chemo/Rads Christmas looks more likely.  The pros:  Shrinkage before surgery, save more bowel.  The cons:  Everything else.  We'll see.

p.s.  My husband had a Kefir drink waiting for me, so I could get some good bacteria back in there right away.  Then I had oatmeal at home. 

elimar86861

Barsco,  Good for you, back working part time. 

Chacha, So glad your DIEP went well.  Sorry I have been so preoccupied lately.

                                  

Momine

Blech, Elimar, sounds like a seriously unfun day at the hospital. Keep us posted.

barbe1958

AW...I HATE the thought of you crying without us being able to help!! Does the AREA of where the cancer is colon/rectum make a difference in treatment and/or outcome??? Why couldn't they get the scope further up? Should they have been going the other way instead? hehehheeee (says she who just had a gastroscopy!)

barsco, what I meant was are they still searching for what is causing your digestion issues or have they come to a conclusion. If you have a colonoscopy coming up, I guess not.

Figures this thread would turn out to be about the bowels!!! We have to be careful about what we joke about....

staynsane

Eli,

Hugs to you.  How you continue to be so caring and funny and "there" for others through all this is truly a testiment to the wonderful person you are.  I know I am not alone when I think of checking in on this forum to read the fun, uplifting and inspirational musings you (and others) post.  We need you.  We need you to light a fire under robo-doc's ass and let him know that nothing but a speedy, successful outcome will be accepted. I figure he must be very good at his job; why on earth would anyone want to be "that" kind of surgeon?

elimar86861

I really did not want to turn my nice B/C thread into Colon Central.  Supporting evidence to that claim is that I have had, you know, ...bleeding for over a year (mistaken for hemorrhoidal bleeding) and had not mentioned a word.  When it turned out C/C (and that first "C" is coloRECTAL,) I figured I had to mention it here, as we all do have a slightly greater risk to get that.  Just like I would bring up endometrial or ovarian cancer if that occured.

Barbe, They said my colon was "twisted."  Like brain, like bowels.  No one called me twisted last time but they told me the bowels aren't anchored and do move around.  You asked about area.  Well, we have a lot more colon to spare, so to speak.  Lots of people with rectal cancer get the dreaded colostomy bag.  I don't think that will be me since my surgery will be at the uppermost end and I will have something left over.  What, I don't know.

Momine, LMGoats, others, take it from me:  Don't be fearful of getting the c-scope.  Your real fear should be that you might be hosting some naughty polyps in there; and remember, there is no such thing as a good polyp.  As the saying goes, "Not all polyps are colon cancer, but virtually all colon cancer begins as polyps.

Staynsane,  Humor and ranting are my two coping mechanisms, which occasionally overlap.

Anonymous

Eli.....staynsane said it best! You are incredible and such an inspiration to so many of us. Love you, girl!

elimar86861

Chacha, That was 9.5 on the gushiness scale!  Tied with Staynsane.

THANKS TO ALL MY DEAR MIDDIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I also should say that I have not "announced" to my RL friends yet.  A couple do know, if they have called me in the last week.  Waiting til I know more about the surgery, etc.  Of course, we all know how the NCP (non-cancer people) have mixed reactions to this kind of news.  THAT IS WHY I AM SO LUCKY that I have all of you and your understanding.

Anonymous

And WE are SO LUCKY to have you Eli!! You can kick this CC's butt!!! Tee hee! Give it a case of whoop ass! :-)