My mum has just been diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer and i am so scared.Looking up google doesnt helpAnyone living well with stage 4??Im trying to lift my spirits and stay strong for my mum but im finding it very difficult
Hi Sophia 111, it’s so hard when your first diagnosed I was in shock and to tell you the truth I still am! But tell your mum it gets easier. Has she got a treatment plan because when you get that things seem to fall into place. I’m going through chemo at the moment after having my tumour removed but mine as spread to the lymph nodes and the lining of my stomach so it’s just waiting to see if that treatment works. Hope things start to seem clearer to you soon xx
They told her surgery isnt an option.She will start chemo in 2 weeks but has ended up back in hospital for a blood tranfusion.Thank you for easing my mind and i wish you well,may i ask when were diagnosed?
Hi and welcome to the board. The first piece of advice that I always give people is to stay away from google -it is out of date and downright scary in places. There will be lots of statistics but your mum is not a statistic and there are lots of people who are living with stage 4 cancer for many years. I’m sure court will be along shortly but if you click on her name then you will see her mums amazing story. There are also lots of Stage 4 people on the bowel cancer uk board too who have been living with stage 4 cancer and having chemo to maintain the situation for many years.
These first few weeks are very stressful as you will be waiting for scan results, meetings etc. but once there is a plan in place then things will feel a little better. There are lots of people on here going through various stages of treatment so please feel free to post and ask anything you want - there is nothing too daft or embarrassing - and we’ll be happy to support you both through this
Oh @Sophia111 I’m so sorry to hear that - what a horrible year you’re having. Hopefully you have a lot of family and friends helping you through this but if you ever need to chat to the nurses on here then they’re available 7 days a week from 8am- 8pm for both patients and relatives 0808 808 00 00 x
Sorry about that ! Bowel cancer even in a stage 4 setting still can have a lot of options and a sub group of patients continue to do well treating it as a chronic condition . Some use chemotherapy to hold the disease at bay and for others successful chemo can open up other treatment options like surgery or radio frequency ablation. Immunotherapy is now coming through also which is helping a certain group of patients with a cell type it responds to . Once the oncologist gets a feel for how your mum responds to chemo they get a better picture for treatment for the future . You will see patients in their fifth and sixth year going on and off chemo . Sadly some don’t get the response they hoped for but it’s very much a work in progress. My own mum is 12 years after a difficult diagnosis.
