My mom was diagnosed stage IV colon cancer January 2023. 14 cycles of FOLFOXIRI, 16 cycles of Avastin, 1 8 hour long CRS + HIPEC, and multiple AKI hospitalizations later, she had an MRI that showed retroperitoneal lymph nodes & illiac lump nodes seemed suspicious.
Cue the scanxiety for 1.5 weeks. PET + CT came back negative for active disease. They were the same dead cells from the surgery 6 months prior.
Your substack helps me a lot. I cannot thank you enough for sharing your experience, and making this easier on countless other patients & caregivers. I’m not a typically praying person, but I will pray for your scans to be clear.
And you know what? My gut feeling says you’ll be all clear.
Thank you so much for sharing this with me - I really appreciate hearing who is reading what I put out into the world, especially if it's helping ease somebody else's journey. And I'm especially glad to hear that someone else's iliac lymph looked more active than it actually was! All the best to you and your mom. : )
I've been thinking about you, Gina, since your last post and hope to hear that you are moving forward from the lymph limbo. Sending positive thoughts from the universe. Hugs.
I read your blog all throughout my mom’s illness, and I wanted to let you know how much it helped me. I updated her about how you were doing and it helped ease her anxiety a lot. When she was diagnosed, her stage IV CRC cancer was unfortunately very advanced, with a large portion of her liver having mets as well as her lung and spine. (I think the phrase “stage IV” is misleading for a number of reasons, and I could write a whole blog post about that - her options were mainly palliative, while so many others can and do beat it. I pray for the day everyone can beat it). She passed away in March this year after 15 months of treatments. Those 15 months were very tough on her as her body couldn’t tolerate oxaliplatin. I’m grateful for all of the hard work she put in - which included suffering I just can’t fully comprehend - because spending those 15 months with her was so incredibly precious. I wish it could have been longer, but I’m grateful for the time we had. I am also so grateful for your health and your resilience - it played a big part in me encouraging her to seek life-extending treatment. If she hadn’t, we’d have had so much less time with her. I will be rooting for you and your family always.
I know exactly where I will be channeling my positive/star energy xoxoxo
Sending love, positive thoughts and a special Gina angel your way💫😇💫
Pulling for you! xo
I love this post. And I trust your gut (both literally and figuratively) ♥️✨
Lord, have mercy. Here’s to swapping out ‘lymph limbo’ in favor of ‘absolutely all clear!’ ❤️
My mom was diagnosed stage IV colon cancer January 2023. 14 cycles of FOLFOXIRI, 16 cycles of Avastin, 1 8 hour long CRS + HIPEC, and multiple AKI hospitalizations later, she had an MRI that showed retroperitoneal lymph nodes & illiac lump nodes seemed suspicious.
Cue the scanxiety for 1.5 weeks. PET + CT came back negative for active disease. They were the same dead cells from the surgery 6 months prior.
Your substack helps me a lot. I cannot thank you enough for sharing your experience, and making this easier on countless other patients & caregivers. I’m not a typically praying person, but I will pray for your scans to be clear.
And you know what? My gut feeling says you’ll be all clear.
Hope you have a wonderful trip with your family.
Thank you so much for sharing this with me - I really appreciate hearing who is reading what I put out into the world, especially if it's helping ease somebody else's journey. And I'm especially glad to hear that someone else's iliac lymph looked more active than it actually was! All the best to you and your mom. : )
Fingers crossed!
Hope all is well, Gina.
I've been thinking about you, Gina, since your last post and hope to hear that you are moving forward from the lymph limbo. Sending positive thoughts from the universe. Hugs.
I read your blog all throughout my mom’s illness, and I wanted to let you know how much it helped me. I updated her about how you were doing and it helped ease her anxiety a lot. When she was diagnosed, her stage IV CRC cancer was unfortunately very advanced, with a large portion of her liver having mets as well as her lung and spine. (I think the phrase “stage IV” is misleading for a number of reasons, and I could write a whole blog post about that - her options were mainly palliative, while so many others can and do beat it. I pray for the day everyone can beat it). She passed away in March this year after 15 months of treatments. Those 15 months were very tough on her as her body couldn’t tolerate oxaliplatin. I’m grateful for all of the hard work she put in - which included suffering I just can’t fully comprehend - because spending those 15 months with her was so incredibly precious. I wish it could have been longer, but I’m grateful for the time we had. I am also so grateful for your health and your resilience - it played a big part in me encouraging her to seek life-extending treatment. If she hadn’t, we’d have had so much less time with her. I will be rooting for you and your family always.