Dealing with the after effects

I must say I have been blessed! To be alive today. My surgery was on May 13, 2008. The surgery went fine, I had little pain, and no effects from the Gemo or the Radiation. But now I feel everything that I should have been feeling during my treatments. I had heartburn in which I had before the cancer, 20 time worse. I went to the hospital to relieve the pain of it all. It lasted two weeks and I was fine afterwards.Now I have severe constipation, in which left me very sore in the area I had the surgery. I have to take pain pills so I can lay on my right or left side of my stomach. I hate sleeping on my back. But the pain pills helps me alot, so I can sleep anyway I want. What happened is my diet was not good and slowly I was getting constipated. It was so serious, the stool was so hard it made my whole stomach area sore. After solving the problem, I am sore again. The pain pills make me constipated too!.I let the condition last to long unaware of my condition. Now I feel like a million dollars! I say whats next, it been a year May 13, 2009. But you know I can't complain I am alive. Most people are not. We all are blessed problems or not were here to tell the story. How did I find out I had the cancer. I thought I had the flu.Three times I went to the ER feeling sick. Then they said do you realize your eyes are yellow? I said what! They did some testings and there she was at the door. Thank God it didn't spread. But they told me it didn't look good. I did not claim it and said do what you have to do. Its in Gods hands now. It just wasn't my time, I had more work to do (smile). All I can say is take it one day at a time. At least we are fighting for our lives and we know it. Look how many people don't even know whats wrong with them until its to late. Leave it in the hands of the Lord or your faith and go on living the best way you can. I am blessed to live in this new age, because years ago there was nothing for us. The best thing out of all of this is I got the figure I always wanted and I look better now then ever. I guess God gave me my wish I have been praying for years. I have sugar diabetes but I only take two pills aday and watch my diet. I was 210 from the start and I must say it help me alot, because I lost over 55 pounds, now I lost the weight to help fight the dieabetes. I must say give thanks everyday for the Lords blessings and everything will be alright. Your not alone. Its a blessed team now so we must comfort each other through all of this.

take care, with God love and mine!

Happy to be alive

Babygirl

I, too, feel really blessed.  I was diagnosed too late for surgery in 9/08.  From all the dire forecasts I figured I'd be in the ground by now, at least in hospice.  But, here I am 8 moths later still walking around doing most anything I want.  I know my time is coming but I'm taking the chemo and trying to do what it takes to hang around this old world as long as I can.

 The old fashion remedy for constipation is prunes.  It has worked for me but I haven't had any surgery so don't know what you are going through.  I have little pain, just fatigue and mouth sores.  I have some strong pain pills but I've seldom taken them.  I do take some ibuprophen before golf but I did that before I knew I had stage IV PC.

Keep the faith.  Prayers do help.  Without them I doubt I would be writing this.

Hello, Ace and D...my husband is a 10 month survivor of Stage IV PC.  He could not have surgery but his cancer has remained stable for the last 6 months.  He has also suffered from various side effects as you have but he is still working everyday.  He suffered from a severe reaction to Tarceva which took months to get over but his main complaint is leg pain.  His doc put him on a mild steroid for a while which helped a lot but he can't stay on it forever and has begun tapering off on it and the leg pain is coming back.  He also feels quite weak most of the time but he's gained back most of the weight he had lost in the beginning so he's doing much better than we ever expected. 

We are thankful he is still alive.  His survival this long has really amazed his doctor, too

We take it one day at a time and thank God for each half-way normal day.

i'm now in my 16th month surviving Stage IV PC and surgery was unsuccessful because of where the tumor was located.  I too count my blessings each day as I go about life as normally as possible.  I chose to leave work on LTD to fight this battle as I knew it would take all my effort to battle this foe.  The side effects are frustrating but I too have found prunes help with the constipation and Milk of Magnesia.  I go about daily activity as if there is nothing wrong, it's my way of telling the cancer it is NOT winning.  I just took an 18 mile mountain bike ride in VA this past Monday with 2 of my sisters, 1 niece, `1 nephew and 2 other friends, we had a great time and on the ride I thanked God for being able to do it.  My biggest issue now is sever neurapathy in hands and feet from one chemo product, Oxilaplatin.  I can hardly button my shirt or hold a pen to write and walking is painful but I go on each day ignoring the pain as much as possible.....it's better than the alternative because my surgeon told me i had 6 to 9 months in the beginning.  Guess I'm just a stubborn ole country boy that just want give in to this beast.

 Keep your faith, keep positive attitudes, share a smile with as many people as you can each day and enjoy life.

Doug