‘Colon-aid’ the Yeovil District Bowel Cancer Support Group
Site last updated 25 January 2012
Rex’s story continued from August 2007.
These results were satisfactory and the next CT scan was arranged for August 2007. The results from that scan were uncertain. There were unusual features showing in my right lung. Dr. Falk was not sure what they were and consulted Mr. Morgan at the BRI. It was thought they might be scar tissue from the May 2006 operation and it was decided to repeat the CT scan in early December 2007. I saw Dr. Falk on the 17th December and he told me that there were growths in both lungs which were not operable and he recommended a course of chemotherapy. I asked him what would be the consequences of declining the chemotherapy and he said that he thought I would survive for 6 to 12 months. Later that day I agreed to accept the chemotherapy and to partake in the COIN clinical trial under the supervision of Nita Beecham at YDH.
Later I received a telephone call from Ruth Collins from St. Margaret’s hospice. She called on me and explained the help that was available due to the terminal prognosis. She produced the forms and we completed them and within weeks I received financial and practical help.
The chemotherapy regime was 4 x 3 weekly cycles. On day one I was given a 2 hour infusion of oxaliplatin followed by 14 days of capecitabine tablets, then 6 days of no treatment, then it all started again. At the end of this treatment I had a CT scan to see how the cancer was responding. The results were good, the cancers having shrunk, and I was to be closely monitored with a blood test and CT scan every 12 weeks.
These tests continued satisfactorily until November 2009 when Dr Barlow said that the slow but accumulative growths were now of such a size that chemotherapy treatment should be resumed. The treatment was to be the same as in January 2008.
This treatment started on 4th January 2010, but I soon found the IV treatments to be very painful and had a PICC line fitted which solved that problem.
At the end of March I had a CT scan to assess the effect of the treatment and a week later Dr. Barlow was pleased to tell me that growths in my lung had been reduced. I had another scan in June which showed minimal growth, but the next one in September showed that the growths to be as large as they were in January before the last treatment. This was hugely disappointing, as 3 months chemotherapy had only given me 6 months respite. I was given 3 choices, firstly to cease all treatment and let the cancer take its course, secondly to repeat the previous treatment with the knowledge that it seemed to be less effective each time or lastly to take the capecitabine tablets only. I decided on this last option on the grounds that it was the intravenous drip that had caused me the most problems and visits to the hospital, and maybe the tablets would hold the growth of the cancers. I have now completed 3 of the 4 treatment cycles and in January 2011 I will have another scan to assess the position.
Updated 8th December, 2010.
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These results were satisfactory and the next CT scan was arranged for August 2007. The results from that scan were uncertain. There were unusual features showing in my right lung. Dr. Falk was not sure what they were and consulted Mr. Morgan at the BRI. It was thought they might be scar tissue from the May 2006 operation and it was decided to repeat the CT scan in early December 2007. I saw Dr. Falk on the 17th December and he told me that there were growths in both lungs which were not operable and he recommended a course of chemotherapy. I asked him what would be the consequences of declining the chemotherapy and he said that he thought I would survive for 6 to 12 months. Later that day I agreed to accept the chemotherapy and to partake in the COIN clinical trial under the supervision of Nita Beecham at YDH.
Later I received a telephone call from Ruth Collins from St. Margaret’s hospice. She called on me and explained the help that was available due to the terminal prognosis. She produced the forms and we completed them and within weeks I received financial and practical help.
The chemotherapy regime was 4 x 3 weekly cycles. On day one I was given a 2 hour infusion of oxaliplatin followed by 14 days of capecitabine tablets, then 6 days of no treatment, then it all started again. At the end of this treatment I had a CT scan to see how the cancer was responding. The results were good, the cancers having shrunk, and I was to be closely monitored with a blood test and CT scan every 12 weeks.
These tests continued satisfactorily until November 2009 when Dr Barlow said that the slow but accumulative growths were now of such a size that chemotherapy treatment should be resumed. The treatment was to be the same as in January 2008.
This treatment started on 4th January 2010, but I soon found the IV treatments to be very painful and had a PICC line fitted which solved that problem.
At the end of March I had a CT scan to assess the effect of the treatment and a week later Dr. Barlow was pleased to tell me that growths in my lung had been reduced. I had another scan in June which showed minimal growth, but the next one in September showed that the growths to be as large as they were in January before the last treatment. This was hugely disappointing, as 3 months chemotherapy had only given me 6 months respite. I was given 3 choices, firstly to cease all treatment and let the cancer take its course, secondly to repeat the previous treatment with the knowledge that it seemed to be less effective each time or lastly to take the capecitabine tablets only. I decided on this last option on the grounds that it was the intravenous drip that had caused me the most problems and visits to the hospital, and maybe the tablets would hold the growth of the cancers. I have now completed 3 of the 4 treatment cycles and in January 2011 I will have another scan to assess the position.
Updated 8th December, 2010.
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