Hi everyone. My husband has been diagnosed with a malignant tumour in his descending bowel. He had very acute anaemia which was followed up by a CT scan. This detected a tumour and was followed by a colonoscopy which confirmed what we thought. We had the meeting with the oncologist a couple of days ago and we were informed that the CT scan also showed numerous very small nodules in both lungs (less than 5mm). Because they are so small we were informed that they will not show on a PET scan and are too small to do a biopsy. So they are starting him on Chemo (oxaliplatin and capecitabine) in two weeks and have said that after three months they will do another scan to see if the nodules have changed. We were not given any staging or information on possible spread. The oncologist did say if it was not curable she would give us a prognosis but we declined. We are now worried sick that the cancer has spread to the lungs and now have to wait for 3 months for another scan. On a positive note we were told that the chemo treatment is what they would use if they were looing for a cure. Has anyone else been in this position please? I am really trying to stay strong but I am so worried about him. Thank you for reading.
Hi Freddo
I am really sorry to hear that your husband has been diagnosed with bowel cancer. I understand that it is a worrying time for you both.
My own cancer was different to your husbands but I did have chemotherapy and I know that it is not an easy treatment to face. I did find however it was doable and although there were side effects, most would begin to pass by the end of the first week of each cycle and there was often medication that could help. I found it important to rest and just go with the flow for the first few days.
From my understanding of lung nodules, there can be different causes- infection for example. Where there are tiny nodules the routine thing seems to be monitor them and rescan a few months later to see if there is any change. A close friend is currently having hers monitored and they have been coming and going for a while and she has been told this is likely due to infection. If the original ones had continued to develop then this would likely be when further investigation would be advised.
If the lung nodules do have any cancer then the chemotherapy would hopefully deal with them.
My own cancer had managed to sneak a few cells in tiny lymphatic/blood vessels leading from the main cancer and my chemo was done to mop them up. Because chemo is a whole body treatment it was able to work whole body wise.
I wonder if it would be worth giving the Support Line a call and talking to one of the nurses about your concerns. They will have the medical knowledge that may bring more reassurance.
I wish your husband well with his treatment and if there is anything either of you need, please do ask. I know from experience that it is not easy for not only the person having the chemotherapy but their family too.
Jane
