Recurrence!

Lots of people more experienced in this than me will be along shortly. Sending ((hugs))

Thank you Gemmary-thats so kind- Contact appreciated!!!

Hi ElizaViloet

Welcome to the forum . It’s very hard to hear of another recurrence and my mum had a few too . However from what your saying it does sound as though they have some treatment options they wish to investigate .

Apparently radio frequency ablation is very good too and some people on the forum have used it very successful.

My own mum had two surgeries on her liver and one on her lung before the micro disease surfacing . She was diagnosed in 2009 and last intervention was 2016 the rest of the time she has been disease free . 

It is full of uncertainty at times and a weary road however it does not mean other interventions won’t resolve the spread or be the last to deal with . That’s the hope we all hold onto .

I think there is a place for getting informed when you have to make choices about which route you go down with a stage 4 diagnosis etc but it’s sometimes just too much and you have to step away . It took me a while to notice sample sizes and dates on research. Some of what I was reading was already dated as treatment has moved on .

Apart from her lung which was slow growing my mum always had chemo first then added in another option . 

Enjoy your life is very hard at this juncture when you are processing difficult information. There were definitely times it was a day by day , toe by toe journey as we got over the next hurdle together .

But mum got there in the end . Practically knowing the treatment plan , staying connected to life and forging a path in the midst of the chaos served mum well and she did find her feet and had good days in between treatments .

Chat any time you like . We all understand.

Court 

Court, thank you so much- can’t tell you how helpful that is!

https://bowelcancerorguk.s3.amazonaws.com/Publications/TreatingAdvancedBowelCancer_BowelCancerUK.pdf
Have you read this leaflet ?

I found this type of information helpful and reassuring when you see the various options available .

For us the question that formed at the front of our minds was after chemo was finished who would be the best people to consult with to get a good plan in place . The good thing about chemo is it gives you time to formulate the next step in the process.

People used to say there are many steps to NED ( no evidence of disease ) I think that was about right in my mum’s case but each time she reduced the tumour burden and pursued the next window of opportunity.

Take care ,

Court 

Thanks again, Court-I have shared your comments with my husband-really helpful- I didn't know about that leaflet-I will study it. You have given me a way of looking at all this which just felt a jumble when I wrote my post early this morning. You have really helped and I am most grateful.

hi ElizaViloet, just wanted to reach out and say hello. It 's such a hard time for you. and  it can feel so lonely. Google can be so contradicting and down right irresponsible. I hope the experts can give you good and upbeat advice very soon. X.

Aah, Kath, your message has rallied me-really makes a difference - thank you so much xx

Hi ElizaViolet!

I am new here too and your husband's predicament mirrors my own husband's too- great to connect to someone in the same boat! We on found out on Tuesday this week that my husband's cancer has recurred after being post surgery for 6 months and apparently cancer free (he had his bowel operation back in January this year). He got a letter a couple of weeks ago to say that his CEA markers had increased with the result of a blood test his surgeon did at his follow up post op appointment back in May and they brought his scheduled CT scan for later this year forward. The cancer has come back in his stomach lining and is showing slightly in his pelvis. They've said surgery is not an option at this time and we have to meet with his oncologist on the 7th July to get a management plan together. His surgeon said to him however, that the tumour is `slow growing` and she's looking at a lifespan of `years into the future` for him and like you she told us to go away and live our lives as normal and yes I agree that is easier said than done!  For the last 3 days I have been on `auto pilot` and just can't focus or function on anything but this. I was like this last June before his initial cancer diagnosis on the 1st July last year (how Ironic is that!) was hoping to celebrate that milestone with him finding out about it then beating it 6 months later looks like that's out the window now. I don't feel like eating because my stomach is in a permanent somersault and I literally just force myself to eat and feel sick after it. Sleeping is fine but the last couple of mornings I've just felt like pulling the duvet over my head and not face the day and it takes me all my time to get up. Yes I too have found `googling` to be dangerous! although like you I've been doing nothing but the last couple of days. If you are doing this stick to the UK sites like here and Cancer Research and the NHS they will give you info on what happens here. Sites like Web MD and Mayo Clinic etc I think they're all American related and they're medical terminology and practices in regards to cancer may be different from here. But I feel I'm making myself ill because there is so much conflicting and contradicting information on the web one tells you one thing then another re-words it and it all sounds bad. Which is why we shouldn't but can't help it. I worry about his cancer spreading as its another week and half before we see the oncologist to get a treatment plan in place again but then I think well if it were thought it was an emergency he would see us sooner. Ironically my husband is the one holding it all together and trying to be positive and its him that has the cancer and I'm in bits!! but I know all sorts will be going on in his head when he's sitting on his own. It's just a `rollercoaster of emotions` for me just now. I'll sit and think `yeah it's going to be alright` and then feel guilty and think `but what if it's not`.  I just want to stop feeling like this. Good luck to you Eliza hope everything goes well with your husband's treatment as I hope for my own husband. 

Vicky 

They're all great on here btw. My thanks to Court the last couple days he's been through it all with his mum and is in some way a `mine of information`. But you'll always find someone to talk to here Eliza. Take Care

Vicky xx