Colon Cancer Treatment

ExpandedMind

Hi...

Yesterday I found out that my best friend has colon cancer. They removed what they could of the tumor, during the colonoscopy, but my friend now needs to wait another 8 days until the inflamation goes down until an ultrasound can be done to see how much remains and also to check to see if the lymph nodes are enlarged. She knows that she will need to have surgery to remove the section of intestine that has the cancer, but they don't yet know what "stage" it is at.

Has anyone here been treated for colon cancer? Or assisted a friend or a loved one to find the best doctors, surgeons, etc? Has anyone here heard of Cancer Centers of America and know if they are reputable? Their philosophy is to treat the whole person and you are tended to by (from what I understand) a regular doctor, an oncologist, a naturopath, nutritionist and a psychologist who all work together to plan the treatment. You are treated at the center and when strong enough to leave, you go home to recupe until the next treatment is due.

I almost don't know what questions to ask... any input at all would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much!

ExpandedMind

PS: I apologize if this is the wrong category to post this in, but it seems this may be the most widely read category and I need as much help as possible.

"The mind, once expanded to the dimensions of larger ideas, never returns to its original size." --- Oliver Wendell Holmes

Warrigal

So sorry to hear of your friend's illness. My mother died of colon cancer. She refused surgery because of the blood issue and firmly believed that armageddon was about to happen any moment. That was back in 1968 and she was 57 years old. What a waste of human life. I hope your friend sought and received treatment early-on and will have a good recovery.

Francois

I don't know anything about Cancer Centers of America, but I do know that I am suspicious of medical providers that advertise on TV, or anywhere else for that matter. There are just too many good and reputable places to take a chance on a place that advertises for patients.

Depending on where this person lives, there are many, many reputable treatment centers. Here are a few:

Boston - Dana Farber Cancer Center
Atlanta - Winship Cancer Center, Emory University
Raleigh - Duke University Hospital
Tampa - Moffett Cancer Center
Houston - M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Miami - Jackson Memorial Hospital
Miami - University of Miami Hospital
Washington, D.C. - National Institutes of Health
New York - Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centers
Rochester, MN; Jacksonville, FL - The Mayo Clinics
Santa Monica - John Wayne Cancer Institute

And there are many, many others. These are just on the top of my list (I am a five-year melanoma survivor and I keep track of which treatment centers are on top of the "high quality" survivor's list.) Frankly, it would make little difference to me where the best place to go was, I would motivate my fanny to the best place regardless of where it was. Luckily for me, one of the best places in the US for treatment of malignant melanoma was right there in Atlanta.

francois

TorturedSoul

Hi........

First let me say how sorry I am to hear about your friend. Although my cancer is different and terminal, I found the doctors at the University of Washington and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer center to be very very good. My Mother received much help at Sloan-Kettering and was able to fend lung cancer off for 17 years. I know they have a new drug for colon cancer patients called Irinotecan which seems to be almost a "wonder drug" that is used after initial surgery. I wish I could help you more. I think I would stay with well known research centers and hospitals.

T.S.

ExpandedMind

Dear Warrigal, Francois and TS,

Thank you so much for your thoughts and this information. We will be reviewing each and every bit of information received to help my friend make the best decisions.

I really appreciate your taking the time to post and for getting back to me.

Sincerely,

ExpandedMind

Mulan

Cancer Centers of America and know if they are reputable? Their philosophy is to treat the whole person and you are tended to by (from what I understand) a regular doctor, an oncologist, a naturopath, nutritionist and a psychologist who all work together to plan the treatment. You are treated at the center and when strong enough to leave, you go home to recupe until the next treatment is due.

I've heard nothing but good things about them. I think treating the whole body is a wonderful concept. So much of your health is in your head.

When my cousin, Sharon, was going through her cancer treatment, it was the traditional things, with a little alternative thrown in by her..................she died. It was the worst thing I've ever had the displeasure to go through. (I went with her to all her treatments) It's like Nazi Germany, in my opinion. There never was any hope for her, but they didn't tell us that until it was too late. The treatments extended her life, but there was very little quality left. What's the point? If she hadn't had insurance they wouldn't have done it.

My niece's husband has Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (diagnosed 7 months ago) He isn't being treated anywhere, and their doctor is keeping a close eye on his progress. He is taking many supplements, changed his diet, and the last report showed remission. He feels very good, and seems to be holding his own.

I'm so sorry about your friend. Give her lots of support and positive thoughts.

I forgot to say that both my niece and her husband are psychologists. That must be a great advantage.

OICU8it2

Very sorry to hear this news, exp. mind. my mom-in-law had a colon resection and survived without any mets for 16 yrs. till old age caught up with her. Wy first wife, Brenda had a colon resection for CA and never had any spread of that type. (Unfortunately, about the same time, she developed a totally unrelated CA called carcinoid syndrome. Very rare lung CA and was not able to tolerate a lobectomy due to extreme asthma). But, she hung in there for about 6 years as the strongest fighter I've ever known. The colon problem never came back (the doctor even gave her a free tummy tuck during the surgery). She always was gorgeous. Concerning the colon CA, Twice, a very competent internist attempted removal with a scope. This was unverifiable as to its sucess. So she went ahead with the open surgery which was sucessful...the reason I mention this is even though surgery through the abdomen is more involved than colonoscopic removal, I felt it was more sure and less likely to leave anything. But that's just my opinion. If I had a choice, I'd want the most complete removal. Your freind will need you. Looking back I felt I was strengthened by God to help her.

Mary

Expanded, there are few things that strike terror like the words "you have cancer".....I know, I went through it last year..........I had surgery, but I also incorporated alternative medicine. I consumed only fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, I drank Essiac tea, I took large amounts of Coenzyme Q10, Flax Seed Oil, I did meditation and I bought the most fantastic book called "Love, Medicine and Miracles" by Dr. Bernie Siegel, a retired surgeon who tells of his experiences with cancer patients. If you do nothing else, make sure your friend reads this book. It'll make him feel a thousand times better. Here's a few links you might want to check out too:

http://www.cancernutritioncenter.com/

http://www.cancer-info.com/essiac.htm

http://www.1uphealth.com/alternative-medicine/coenzyme-qten-7.html

patio34

Hi Expanded,

Sorry about your friend. I had rectal cancer (same thing as colorectal cancer) 4 years ago. It was stage three and I had the surgery, chemo, and radiation. It was rough, but WELL WORTH IT!! I'm as healthy as can be now. I just went thru the regular medical treatment locally. The way I understand it, the protocol for treatment is standard. My team of docs used the same thing the Mayo clinic does.

Take it one day at a time and be glad it was caught in time!! Feel free to email me or your friend too at [email protected]

Pat

Colon Cancer Treatment

Share this