After chemo where now?
My husband Tom (28) was diagnosed with Colon cancer in Jan this year. Thankfully the lymph nodes were clear despite initial fears as they were inflamed. Cancer was labelled 2B. It was a T4 tumour. The cells were moderate to poorly differentiated which are not the best kind. 6 months of Chemo is finishing soon. I am terrifed and unsure how to proceed. Tom's oncologist does not fill me with great confidence as we haven't seen him since January and there are some other worrying aspects of the care that bother me.
I would appreciate any advice. What should happen at the end of chemo? I only know about the colonoscopy and the CT scan. Is there any blood test that can be done regularly or other things we can do to stay alert to cell changes. He tested negatively for lynch syndrome.
Comments
Hi how are you getting on ?
Hi,
Thanks for posting on our message board. I am sorry to read of your husbands diagnosis of colon cancer . It’s a particularly distressing time for you both and your post signals the need for more support is needed for both of you. Particularly now that you are transitioning out of the chemotherapy treatment and on to the post treatment surveillance phase. As you identified the medical plan is to do CT and colonoscopy in the coming months. You will also be given an appointment for follow up and review of these tests and further discussion on how often the consultant wants to see Tom. Over the coming weeks you can start to prepare for this appointment by jotting down questions you would like information on when you meet the Consultant .
This will help you through the following months.
Coming to the end of treatment causes both patient and family to have a higher level of distress for the reason that you gave , the uncertainty of the situation. Also the level of distress is higher for the carer at this time in anticipation of their changing and increasing responsibility.
I would recommend that you would seek support at your cancer support centre where there are many programs available to support you both . There is free counselling and support groups and also peer to peer volunteers available there to talk with you . Here is the link Cancer support in your area | Irish Cancer Society
Lastly ,you can call us on the Cancer Nurseline 1800200700 to talk about you concerns . We are here to listen and support you through this time.
Kind Regards