CancerCompass message board discussion started by Complete on 1/31/2008 http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,20515,0.htm Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ Hi there,Can anyone give advice about the drug Avastin? I live in the UK & it is unavailable here & my 69 year old father would like to try it. My father has Met Colon cancer. He had a colon resection about 5 years ago followed by Folfox treatment regime for 6 mths. A couple of years later he had a lobectomy after a spread to the left lung. He underwent another course of Chemo - Folfox for period of 6 mths as a preventative measure. He was clear for 3 months however the cancer showed signs of progression again in the same lung.. Doctors are recommending we wait to see what symptons arise so that my father can have a rest from the chemo. The next treatment regime would be Folfiri for advance stage cancer. During treatment my father has had very limited symptons & generally managed the treatment well therefore would like to try this new drug which is reported to show positive results. Can anyone validate this? Has anyone had experience with this drug (or combination) & seen an improvement? Would anyone out there recommend it? Reading my fathers chronology can anyone relate to what he has been through? Can this drug be purchased for an annual supply? Can anyone help this confused daughter who has no idea what to do now... I would appreciate any guidance to help me with some important decision making I need to make.Look forward to hearing from anyone.   Complete Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT Hi,I have stage IV CRC.I had a colon resection Nov 06 then it wasdiscovered I had mets to the liver that they initially said they couldnot operate on.I have had some great results with Avastin.After13 Folfiri, 9 with Avastin, almost everything was gone and the surgeondid a liver resection (65% removed) to remove the ghost areas.My oncologist said he never saw such results before Avastin.Noweven though there is No Evidence of Disease I am having another 12rounds of Folfox4 adjuvant chemo to get rid of any microscopic seeds. Ialso take a ton of supplements.Avastin is quite expensive. In Toronto it cost $2700.00 per treatment. You should search this forum for other Avastin stories. Another option that has shown to be effective for patients in my support group is Erbitux.Hope this helps.Roman   Roman22 Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT Hi there Roman,Thank you for your immediate response. I think this is a wonderful website for sharing patient & carer experiences & must be commended. I am happy that you are getting a positive response to treatment & wish for your continued recovery... I had not read the many other email exchanges on Avastin on this site so thank you for the tip..  May I ask you or anyone out there how you found the Folfiri treatment regime and why you chose this treatment? Are the side effects very severe or manageable. This is a regime that we may need to consider going forward. I am a great believer in the power of positive thought, faith & belief as an aid to recovery. Does anyone out there believe this view or do I need to be realistic.. Do we really have the power to heal ourselves or is this a dangerous concept when we are talking of the "C" word? Nutrition & diet also play a major part however I am new to this field & have only started reading into this? Can anyone share some nutrient/diet changes that are a must & have known benefits? I have found this website very useful but there are countless sites & any guidance would be of great help.. www.raysahelian.comI have always been someone able to control things & help in a guiding capacity to bring about a positive change to enable others to take control in their lives. This is the first instance where I feel that something is gradually taking over despite my continued resilience?  Would love to hear of some inspiring stories of faith, positive thinking & prayer helping people through their challenges.  I spotted this during my internet browsing - a guided meditation which I found very peaceful..  http://www.innervisionresources.com/audio/10minguided.mp3 Kindest Regards,Sangita  Complete Sat, 02 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT Hi Sangita You are not being unrealistic when you believe that we all possess the power to heal ourselves. The mind body connection is a powerful tool indeed. I have learned so much about this since my diagnosis. I practice visualizations first thing every morning and last thing every night. I have learned a great deal from a young Canadian energy healer's books on the subject and I have also attended four of his workshops. His work has been authenticated by the scientific community and he holds workshops in many different countries now often presenting with such notables as Dr. Edgar Mitchell /former astronaught. Hopefully his website will be allowed here. www.dreamhealer.com along with this one which contains many, many video testimonials on successful outcomes. http://www.dreamhealer.com/video.htm Best regards Shemay Sat, 02 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT Good Morning Sangita;I am a great believer in the power of positive thought, faith & belief as an aid to recovery. Does anyone out there believe this view or do I need to be realistic.. Do we really have the power to heal ourselves or is this a dangerous concept when we are talking of the "C" word? Nutrition & diet also play a major part however I am new to this field & have only started reading into this? Can anyone share some nutrient/diet changes that are a must & have known benefits? I have found this website very useful but there are countless sites & any guidance would be of great helpI also share your belief of positive thought and faith! A positive attitude can go along way. I additionally believe that we need to become as informed as possible. And with this information we need to challange the Drs. to change their "assembly line" therapies and treat the cause. A book that I have read that addresses your question of diet and nutrition changes is:THE pH MIRACLE  by Dr. Robert O. Young and Shelley YoungI also believe their website is titled the same.Should you need any further info privately e-mail me as I usually post under the Multiple Myeloma page.Take care;Kevin K. C. Sat, 02 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT