Mar 19 2007
Colon Cancer
Father is no more fighting his metastatic liver cancer, but others are. Read the cancer story below (sent to us last month, but we were too occupied in our own cancer fight).
The similarities with fathers’ metastatic liver cancer are clear: you want to live your life "as normal as possible", although your clock is ticking louder than with other people. Louder doesn’t mean faster, it means you are more aware that your days are numbered.
Yet like father said: I wouldn’t have done anything different, especially not when it came to choosing my wife 
The difference with father and the cancer story below is that father was old: kind of too old to get cancer treatment and unfortunately: they never found the primary cancer.
Give your hugs and prays to KA’s family
(KA’s hubby has colon cancer + metastatic liver cancer)
Read KA’s cancer story… :
Colon Cancer
My husband was diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer to the liver almost 2 years ago. In the colon was only one small tumor, in the liver, 3 inoperable softball sized tumors, and numerous small ones. We went to the doctor thinking he needed his gall bladder out. Quite a shocking surprise to find out otherwise.
Cancer treatment
Overall, he’s done remarkably well until the last 2 weeks. Still worked full time, had energy to play with our 2 year old daughter (he’s 37). We visited Paris and took and Alaskan cruise in July of 06. We even did some moderate hiking at the time.
Systemic chemotherapy (the FOLFIRI regimen, plus Erbitux and Avastin, followed by FOLFOX) initially shrunk the larger tumors, and had tolerable side effects (though the skin rash from the Erbitux was remarkable!) But since autumn, his cancer marker (CEA) has been steadily increasing, and he has been slowly, slowly become more symptomatic, especially since the new year. His last scans at the beginning of Feb. showed significant re-growth and new growth, and we have been looking into liver directed therapy treatments, since we’ve failed systemic chemotherapy now.
The last two weeks his pain level (mainly abdomen and back) has increased from taking about 30 mg of Oxcodone over 24 hours to about 180 mg–phew. That seems like a lot, but I’m sure it will keep increasing. His abdomen has become notable distended (liver
protruding), and appetite diminished significantly. The last 3 days he’s been complaining of mild nausea. And fatigue has really hit in a new way. His labs have worsened by a factor of about 3 in the last 1 week, and we found out today, that he may now be disqualified from the treatments we had been hoping for (liver directed).
Cancer story
Even in the last 2 weeks he has still managed to work more than half time, though he comes home exhausted. We need to address this, since I don’t want him spending his “best time†at work, and not with his family. He knows that, but wants to get his projects to a transferable point to his colleague. And he is worse this week than last, worse today than 3-4 days ago.
Through this, we have clung to God, each other, our families, and our church family. We have been SO loved and supported with hundreds of people praying for us regularly. We’ve had babysitting, meals, and lots of lawn mowing. We are STILL praying for a miracle, though we don’t know if that is God’s plan in this trial. And we remind ourselves ALL THE TIME, that our Heavenly Father loves us, knows our present and future, and will never remove his loving arms from around us. As I write this I have tears rolling down my cheeks.
We are terribly scared of what the future will bring. But Richard has surprised the doctors to this point (VERY unusual for cancer so advanced not to have spread elsewhere yet, that we know of). And we continue to walk through this one day at a time, being grateful and joyful for our for many blessings. We also have constant joy from our daughter, who is at a delightful age, and has a great imagination that she shares with us.
I don’t know how we’ll be doing a week or a month from now, or if I’ll have a chance to write again. But reading of your dad’s journey was helpful for me tonight. You have been prayed for, too.
Please leave your hugs and prayers in a comment
Before leaving a comment, please register first. (this is because the medicine spamming on this blog became worse than a cancer).
Like KA says: I don’t know how I will be doing a week or a month for now, or if I will have the chance to write again… We know way too well what this sentence expresses, and the feeling of just not being able to help KA makes my eyes in tears as well…
Leave your comments in case KA returns. If KA doesn’t return, you can help her by spreading the word that there are too many cancer patients.
Cancer can only be cured if we start being aware that cancer is around big time!
