"Jeannie, I wish you the best as you embark on this journey. I know all of us understand your need to be with your family through these transitions for your parents and your son.
You were there for me last year when I was first diagnosed and…"
A community for those affected by colorectal cancer.
-
Beth Falk
- Littleton, MA
- United States
- Blog Posts (4)
- Discussions (93)
- Groups
- Photos (4)
- Photo Albums
- Videos
Beth Falk's Discussions
Do you ever just feel like a burden to loved ones?
Started this discussion. Last reply by Debra M. Aug 7, 2011. 9 Replies 0 Likes
I've got a counselor and a support group to talk this through with, so I'm OK, but before I get there I just wanted to vent a little here. Do you ever feel as if you're just one big bundle of needs…Continue
Does this sound like pain from adhesions to you?
Started this discussion. Last reply by Jeanne A Aug 2, 2011. 6 Replies 0 Likes
Last night, starting at about 10:30 pm, I had SEVERE abdominal pain, unlike anything I've ever experienced before. When it first started, I thought it might be bad gas pain, because God knows my gut…Continue
Tags: blockage, pain, obstruction, adhesion, abdominal
After surgery - some continuing pain/pressure. Is this normal?
Started this discussion. Last reply by Janet Dungan Jun 13, 2011. 3 Replies 0 Likes
I've got a call in to my surgeon to ask this, but he'll likely be in the OR all day today and may not get back to me until late, so I thought I'd check here. I'm 3 weeks out from my low anterior…Continue
MD Anderson bowel mgmt program or other advice?
Started this discussion. Last reply by Shelly Sep 30, 2011. 5 Replies 0 Likes
OK...I have got to find a way to get this MPS under control. As it stands, I can't get through more than 2 waking hours without several bathroom trips. If I have to wear Depends to leave the house,…Continue
Beth Falk's Page
My Journey
You can read a detailed account of my journey through cancer treatment in my other blog, my semicolon.
Latest Activity
Beth Falk replied to Jeannie Moore's discussion A very hard post for me to write, but I wanted you all to know ......Beth Falk posted a status"Today's the one-year anniversary of my diagnosis. It's been a good day. http://ning.it/yUT16E"
Beth Falk posted a blog postChemo Brain strikes again
Good grief. My brain simply doesn't work. I'm trying to send what should be a simple email to a friend about some scheduling stuff. I've been writing the same sentence for about 10 minutes now, and can't make the words do what I need them to do. This morning, while backing out of the garage to take my daughter to school, I slammed into my mom's car (she was visiting for the weekend and her car was parked in the little turnaround bump in our driveway). What's worse is that I've done this…See More
Beth Falk posted a status"CT scan results: all clear for now. HUGE relief. And my port's coming out in December! :)"
Beth Falk posted a status"My first post-treatment CT scan is tomorrow. The waiting/uncertainty is really hard!"
Beth Falk posted a status"Still swimming upstream and recovering from last chemo. I want to go out in the sun!"
Stephenie Holmberg left a comment for Beth Falk"Hi Beth! So glad you are doing good, and done with chemo!! I'm doing well now that I'm done-however I have an exploratory surgery tomorrow to check my peritoneum to make sure all is clear. Kinda nervous, but not too much-I don't…"
Beth Falk posted a status"Today's post-chemo goal: get outside for an hour. Such a gorgeous fall day. Wish I had more energy!"
Beth Falk posted a status"Feeling better as I recover from chemo but still a little down that I'm napping through most of this gorgeous fall weekend. Baby steps..."
Stephenie Holmberg left a comment for Beth Falk"Congrats Beth!!! I see you finished chemo!! Sooo happy for you! I had my last round on 9/2 and feeling great now! Feel like myself again...and you will too! So happy for you. I think we started our journey at about the same time. You take care and…"
Profile Information
- City:
- Littleton, MA
- Relationship to disease: [select only one]
- Patient/Survivor
- Race and Ethnicity: [select only one]
- White (non-Hispanic)
- (Patients/Survivors Only) Type of Cancer: [select only one]
- Rectal Cancer
- (Patients/Survivors Only) What stage were you diagnosed? [select only one]
- Stage 3
- (Patients/Survivors Only) Diagnosis Date:
- January 7, 2011
- (Patients/Survivors Only) Chemotherapy Received:
- Fluoroucil (5-FU), Eloxatin (Oxaliplatin)
- (Patients/Survivors Only) If you have metastates, please note where:
- 2 of 15 lymph nodes positive after surgery
- About Me:
- I'm a 42 year old mother of two young kids, both scared and optimistic. The surreal thing about all this is that I felt perfectly fine just before my diagnosis, and if it hadn't been for some minor bleeding (I thought I had hemorrhoids) I might never have checked this out.
Now that I'm well into my 10 months of treatment (pre-op chemoradiation, total mesorectal excision, now doing FOLFOX), I've learned to live with the idea of this disease. Some days I think I'll get through this year and put it all behind me, and some days I can't stop wondering, "What if it comes back?" Most of the time, I'm able to live day to day and appreciate what I have.
There are some challenges unique to a diagnosis of rectal cancer, especially when it comes to bathroom issues. I'm not embarrassed to talk about them and am happy to offer advice and comfort to anyone with questions.
Beth Falk's Photos
Beth Falk's Blog
Chemo Brain strikes again
Posted on November 14, 2011 at 12:11pm 3 Comments 0 Likes
Good grief. My brain simply doesn't work.
I'm trying to send what should be a simple email to a friend about some scheduling stuff. I've been writing the same sentence for about 10 minutes now, and can't make the words do what I need them to do.
This morning, while backing out of the garage to take my daughter to school, I slammed into my mom's car (she was visiting for the weekend and her car was parked in the little turnaround bump in our driveway).…
Continue Dealing with a loved one's death is different now
Posted on July 11, 2011 at 8:05pm 4 Comments 0 Likes
My uncle died last night. He was in his 80s, and had been hospitalized for a while after a broken hip - unable to speak, eat or drink for the last few days, so it was clearly time for him to go, and he died peacefully.
I'm juggling all kinds of things this week, including putting my chemo infusion off by a day, to get to the funeral. It's going to be a lot of traveling in a short time, and some of my relatives are concerned about my doing it, but I want to be there and to…
Continue Tired
Posted on June 21, 2011 at 8:11am 4 Comments 0 Likes
Today is one of my "this isn't fair" days. I don't have a lot of them, because I'm usually able to put my life in perspective and realize I could be much worse off. But today I've just sort of reached a limit.
I'm tired of thinking about poop. I'm tired of running to the bathroom. I'm tired of my bum being sore from the MPS and I'm tired of the internal pain from whatever is going on with this healing. It's more or less a constant background pain, and after a while, it…
Continue enjoying the sun while I can
Posted on May 6, 2011 at 12:02pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
I celebrated my 43rd birthday by going for a nice long walk/run on this perfect spring morning. If someone had told me when I was 33, "Ten years from now you'll be able to run 5 miles. Oh, and you'll have cancer," I'm not sure which I would have found harder to believe. Probably the running thing. :)
I am hoping against hope that working hard now to take good care of myself will make recovering from surgery easier. I used to find it very easy to make excuses to avoid…
ContinueComment Wall (65 comments)
- At 12:48pm on November 9, 2011,
Jeanne A said… Hi Beth,
Thank you so much for all your comments this past week (and always). It helps me feel supported, and I for sure know I have loving family right here. We sure keep each other going, don't we?
This has been a tough week. Jeannie Moore commented that it sounds like I'm experiencing grief. That could certainly be it.
Thanks again for sending me positive, healing thoughts and energy,
Hugs,
Jeanne
- At 2:10pm on October 16, 2011,
K2 said… Hi Beth
thanks for checking in on me! Going back to work was met with mixed reviews on my part. On the one hand, I LOVED it. On the other....physically it dealt its consequences. I ended up having a seizure aura after 1 week, and had to increase my seizure meds. I attribute this to the lack of sleep while working. Also, I got Avastin this Friday, and it kicked my tail. I slept all day yesterday. I didn't even get up to eat or drink or anything. I called out today from work and am still recovering. This is becuase I went into the Avastin tired.
So, psychologically it's great, but physically it's not.
the other wrinkle in this whole thing is that my private long term disability was approved last Friday. I am unsure what to do know - I will talk to my long term carrier to see if my return to work disqualified me. If it didn't then I will leave my job permanenetly and go back on disability. I plan to use that time to get my nonprofit and fundraisers up and going.
Let's see how it goes tomorrow. This has been one helluva rollercoaster year.
Glad you're done with Folfox! I hope with every fiber of my being that this takes care of it for you - no more treatment forever!
- At 12:14pm on October 11, 2011, Stephenie Holmberg said…
- Hi Beth! So glad you are doing good, and done with chemo!! I'm doing well now that I'm done-however I have an exploratory surgery tomorrow to check my peritoneum to make sure all is clear. Kinda nervous, but not too much-I don't expect anything. Today I drink that stuff to "cleanse" yourself...ick,,,this makes the 4th time I believe-that I've had to do this-LOL! So liquids for me today!
But overall-things are great! Being off chemo is so nice....I almost forgot how nice.
You enjoy as well:)
Steph
- At 11:16am on October 7, 2011, Stephenie Holmberg said…
- Congrats Beth!!! I see you finished chemo!! Sooo happy for you! I had my last round on 9/2 and feeling great now! Feel like myself again...and you will too! So happy for you. I think we started our journey at about the same time. You take care and get rest-enjoy your freedom again! :o)
Steph
- At 4:27pm on August 27, 2011, K2 said…
- Beth - how many cycles do you have left now?? You must be getting there! Oxaliplatin was hard, but I did better on that than the irinotecan. The cold sensitivity and the fatigue 'crash' was the worst, but once I got off the chemo, I felt great only 2 weeks later! Hang tough! Kimi
- At 6:49pm on August 23, 2011, Stephenie Holmberg said…
- Beth-I know exactly how you feel about feeling lousy the day before treatment. It's that whole anticipation thing. Ick huh? I'm with ya. Had my treatment friday and still feeling blah, but it's getting better each day. Get it over and done with huh? Hang in there. Hope all goes well tomorrow-I am sure it will. :)
take care,
Steph
- At 4:46pm on August 15, 2011,
Gail Montgomery said… TY Beth, your comments meant so much. I had the infusion on Friday and was very "high" on drugs they gave me for nausea. I didn't sit still the entire night. Its as if I had drank an entire pot of coffee.
I am at work today and I am thankful for the distraction. You're right a two day infusion in place of a 24/7 regime for 5 weeks should be tolerable. I can do this.
I have an ileostomy until I complete the 4 months of adjavant chemo so I feel overwhelmed at times as I still don't have a firm grasp on caring for that yet. Ostomy nurses are very difficult to find and my husband has become a pro at assisting me. The chemo however has changed the routine too.
I did go for a brisk walk this afternoon and this is a must do in order to get my stamina to return. Appreciate the good advice. Thank you Beth.
- At 5:13am on August 11, 2011,
Robert lindner said… - Yahoo half way thats a milestone right there one day at a time . You'll be done before you know it. Hang in there Bob
- At 11:24am on July 29, 2011,
Nancy Butterfield said… Hi Beth,
Sorry you aren't feeling well! Be sure to let the chemo nurses know what's going on so they can help you! Sorry you have to go through all this!!
Nancy
- At 8:29pm on July 23, 2011, K2 said…
Hi Beth
yes, I have done acupuncture pre-chemo with good success. 3 years ago when I was doing adjuvant FOLFOX right after my low anterior resection, I used to go and get an acupuncture treatment and then drive to chemo. It calmed me down a lot, and I think it was helpful overall. It also helped my gut motility and prevented some cramping. I don't know if it helped with nausea. I also took Ativan that first year - I took 2 mg and slept through all the infusions, which was great, but it also messed up my memory. Now, I take lexapro every day, plus xanax (alprazolam) when I need it. I also have done hypnosis, guided imagery, and meditation. All of them help, but none of them are perfect. I used to also get a weekly massage when I could afford it - THAT was wonderful - so healing.
After so many chemos and surgeries, I manage to get my anxiety down to the day before. It's acutely uncomfortable, but I haven't had a full-blown panic attack in a while (except for one in the hospital), so i consider all of the treatments a success.
I would encourage you to try them - worth a shot!
Kimi
© 2012 Powered by Colon Cancer Alliance.
|
My CRC Connections is generously supported by: |
Connect with the Colon Cancer Alliance: |
|
 |
 |
     |
