Can someone please help my 37 year old mother??

Hi my name is Morgan I'm 14 years old and my mom has stage for colon cancer at 37 years old just a few weeks ago we found out she had a obstruction in her colon and before doing any kind of chemo the doctors decided to do surgery and remove part of the colon, she's fine in that area but the terrifying part is that it spread to her liver and she has 12 tumors/spots all over her liver. The doctors are saying even if chemo works she will have two to five years to live. But if we can find some sort of medicine to heal up her liver that might increase her chances of living longer.  Can someone please suggest some kind of medicine? Because my mom is supposed to live for another 50 years and it's scary to think that she might only live for another 2 to 5. Please help.

Morgan,

Take a look under the topic of liver cancer on the left side of the message boards.  There are alot of people on there in the same situation as your mom and may have the information you are looking for.  Good luck, God bless, and I will pray for your mom and you.

Morgan- Every case is different, and doctors are not God. There are standard chemo drugs used specifically for colon cancer even if it has spread to the liver big time. The key is for the doctors to keep trying and changing the chemo drugs until they find the right drug or combination of drugs that will kill the cancer cells wherever they might be in her body. It is a scary place to be in for your Mom and for you and everyone that loves her.

My brother is going through the same thing your Mom is. It's only been a few months, and already he is seeing the liver tumors shrinking.  The liver is the only organ in the body that will regenerate very quickly, and they can surgically remove  up to 65% of the liver and in a few months it will grow back to normal. They just have to get those tumors to shrink.

You have to be strong for your Mom, because underneath she is scared just like you. We are here for you anytime you need us, just keep the faith.

 

 

Thank you so much, my mom cried when I read this to her , we will pray for your brother, god bless you -Morgan

Thank you <3

I am so touched that I could give you hope, because there is always that.  If I can help in any way,please let me know.  I will pray for your Mom and you and your family. Be proactive about the treatment, don't be afraid to get second opinions, and never give up.

On Jun 08, 2012 8:15 PM ih8coloncancer wrote:

Hi my name is Morgan I'm 14 years old and my mom has stage for colon cancer at 37 years old just a few weeks ago we found out she had a obstruction in her colon and before doing any kind of chemo the doctors decided to do surgery and remove part of the colon, she's fine in that area but the terrifying part is that it spread to her liver and she has 12 tumors/spots all over her liver. The doctors are saying even if chemo works she will have two to five years to live. But if we can find some sort of medicine to heal up her liver that might increase her chances of living longer.  Can someone please suggest some kind of medicine? Because my mom is supposed to live for another 50 years and it's scary to think that she might only live for another 2 to 5. Please help.

Hi there, so sorry your mum is having to go through all this, and you too.  They have good chemotherapy for this these days: Folfox, Folfiri - and there is a specialized liver therapy that you could ask about for her called Sir Spheres which are tiny beads that are radioactive and go straight to the tumors to destroy them.  It's fairly new, and my husband has had that done and it was succesfull in killing the liver tumors.  Perhaps she is a candidate for that type of therapy.  She still may have to do chemotherapy for a while though.    My husband was diagnosed in early 2009, and although he is on a maintenance chemotherapy he is able to do the things he loves, and still goes to work every day, and visit his daughters who are out of state, and he bought a motorcycle a few months ago!     I am sorry you are having to experience this all at such a young age especially.  Hugs to you and to your mother.x

Hi Morgan, I can imagine how scary this is for you and your mom.  Good news is that standard chemotherapies (for example, FOLFOX and FOLFIRI combinations) can do wonders in reducing the size of tumors and in keeping your mom around longer.  Some people have such extreme response that they are initially never expected to be operable, but chemo shrinks the tumors enough that they later can be. 

I'm a stage IV inoperable colon cancer patient myself, living with CRC for 2.5 years.  One thing I'd recommend looking into (with her oncologist and/or Google) is an HAI (hepatic arterial infusion) pump, which gives concentrated chemo directly to the liver.  This can be very effective for treatment of CRC patients whose metastasized tumors are limited to the liver.  It certainly has worked wonders for me in keeping my numerous liver tumors stable.  Unfortunately HAI is only done in a few cancer centers in the world - most notably Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York City, where it was pioneered by Dr. Kemeny.

Other than looking into HAI, here are a few other suggestions:

Educate yourself/herself about colon cancer and its standard treatments (this board is a good place to start; there are a few others too), and get a second opinion about treatment and outlooks - preferably from an NCI-rated center.   

Exercise as much as possible - even just a short walk several times a week if that's all she can manage.  This helps reduce inflammation and stabilize insulin levels, and some studies show it can help cancer patients fare better with both treatment effectiveness and reduced chemo side effects.  Plus it can improve both mood and energy levels.

Try to cut down on foods with lots of added sugar (e.g. soda, candy, sweets).  This is a slightly controversial recommendation, but I've heard enough evidence to be convinced that this can reduce tumor growth factors in the blood (e.g. IGF-1).  And try to eat more natural (i.e. less-processed) food, esp. fruit and veggies.

Have her doctor check out her Vitamin D blood level.  Upwards of 80% of cancer patients have too-low levels of Vitamin D, and studies show that those with higher levels of D fare better on treatment. 

She will doubtless hear numerous recommendations of "miracle cures"...please take these with a grain of salt.  Even though the people recommending them are well-meaning, many of these panaceas are ineffective, or worse, counterproductive.  I'd recommend Googling "MSKCC herbs" for a link to their amazing database with pro/con evidence for many natural agents that are reputed to fight cancer.

Anyway, best of luck to you and your mom in this incredibly tough time.  You're just a few weeks in, and still in the shock stage.  Believe it or not, it does get much easier to cope with over time.

-Chip

 

Thank you! And good luck to your husband

Thank you so much! And good luck to you !