How do I cope with a Stage 4 cancer diagnosis and upcoming chemo?

I'm so sorry you're going through this. I was not treated for stage 4 (mine is stage 3 c). But I had the tumor removed, a port pit in, then 6 months of FLOX chemotherapy. I was supposed to get FOLFOX but had a rare adverse reaction. I ended up having a lot of rare adverse reactions and had to stop 4 treatments short due to chemo toxicity. I spent two weeks in the hospital recovering from that but should be cancer free. Your journey may look different. But having someone to help with day to day activities is helpful (friend or family or Hired). There are good days and bad days and it's an emotional roller coaster. Let the people in your life help. They are going through this too and being able to help is important for their mental well being too. Ask questions and report symptoms right away. The doctors don't always recognized rare side effects right away so push for answers.i had a great care team but they still missed the toxicity because it's so rare. Good luck!

Thank you. And prayers for you. You got this too...

Hello Gloria. My daughter had ovarian cancer and received a port. I at the same time was being treated for colon cancer. Her sessions were 5 hours for chemo while mine was just over 2 hours. I had chemo placed through arm and wrist. Was numb and sensitive to cold right away. The port is the way to go. I had 25 radiation treatments to shrink tumor and then 6 chemo every three weeks. Doing follow up MRI and CTscans. I will keep good wishes for your recovery. Ken

Hello Gloria. I was diagnosed with Stage 4 colorectal cancer in 2021 and am still here and feeling good! I've been in and out of chemo for the past 4 years, which can cause mental stress and tiredness, but I'm living proof that treatment combined with a positive frame of mind really does work!!! There are always newer and more effective treatments coming out and becoming available for us so have faith in your Oncologist and always have hope for yourself. I'm sending positive vibes your way and I wish you the best of luck moving forward.

Hi Grace, I gad my first chemo infusion of FOLFOX & a pump for 46 more hours at home 2 weeks ago & had extreme intestinal pain several hours before I went in to have the pump removed. I’m curious to know if your adverse reaction was similar to mine? My next chemo is next Tuesday & my oncologist has reduced my chemo by 20% and also discontinued the pump. I’m hoping to not have the same reaction this time. Any advice?

Hi Karen. My adverse reaction was cardiovascular spasms, not intestinal. Although I was sick to my stomach and vomiting. But it felt like a heart attack. My oncologist switched me to Weekly infusions of 5-FU and leucovorin with oxaliplatin given every 2 weeks. I did this 3 rounds of 6 weeks on 2 weeks off. After 14 treatments though I got 5fu toxicity and had to stop. I spent 2 weeks in the hospital recovering. The toxicity presented as intense uncontrolled diarrhea. They didn't know what was happening until it was almost too late.

Hi Grace! I must have missed your reply several days ago! The toxicity you experienced sounds awful! I’m glad they discovered it in time!! How are you doing now? My 2nd chemo session went better than the 1st! Experienced muscle/joint flu like symptoms the day of infusion, neuropathy & some nausea thru the rest of the week. This is my “off week” where I get a little glimpse of “normal” before they hit me again next week! Hope we all have this awful disease in our rearview mirror before long! Stay strong! ❤️

Hi guys. I just saw your post about chemo toxicity. Wow. I am on the folfox 4 hours in and the pump for 2 days at home. I have been experiencing chronic diarrhea since my last treatment. I went for the next one today and have the pump on for two days. I noticed you mentioned something about cardiovascular issues. I've been feeling like someone is squeezing my heart like a lemon. They just told me to take immodium. Chemo toxicity sounds bad. They never mentioned that possibility to me. Sorry for what you went through but so glad they got it in time.

Hi Gloria., You said you just found out what stage your cancer is... Did you recently have an operation and have lymph nodes, etc examined and just get the results? I was diagnosed with colon cancer back in April but was too weak for the cancer surgery... So first I had surgery for an ileostomy bag so I could eat and regain my strength and get rehydrated... My colon mass was blocking and causing difficulty eating, etc. In June they reversed the ileostomy bag and the cancerous part of my colon. They removed 44 lymph nodes and 2 were cancerous. I had a port put in on July 9 and started FOLFOX chemo the next week. I have my last infusion tomorrow. However, my carcinoembryonic antigen keeps rising instead of decreasing... It should be going down if the chemo is working. I had a cat scan with contrast and it didn't find any new cancer... 🤔...the only thing it saw were multiple very small dots on my liver but it couldn't diagnose them. So this Friday I'm having a different deeper kind of scan... A PET scan from brain to thighs . Putting in the port is a minor outpatient procedure... That way they can draw your blood each time you have chemo from the port instead of doing an IV or poking your arm over and over. And then they use the second outlet from the port for the chemo drugs. ,🥰 Blessings and prayers.

What is FOLFOX? I was told I need to go on oral chemo first then six weeks of chemo and radiation five days a week for six weeks. It seems excessive compared t and don't know what the "norm" is although I guess we are all unique even though the cancer is the same.? what I read on this app but then I have never had cancer before

I will be going on oral chemo Tuesday encorafenib. Plus another new one. With my original ones. My new ones are a clinical trial. Nervous over them. But I gotta do what I gotta do... Will let everyone know how it goes.

Rochelle, FOLFOX is a strong chemo treatment typically used for treatment of colon cancer consisting of three chemo drugs. I had mine as a liquid infusion one morning at the hospital cancer center and then went home with a pump attached to my implanted port for the next 2 days. Then they detached and flushed my port. I had 6 infusion... Every other week for 3 months. July to September . Just finished.

I have had a portacath since 2004 because I have no venous access hand MRSA infections and the port was used for IV antibiotics therapy, I am on port #4 now, it was implanted in and due to a pain problem not cancer related, I suffered multiple right hand infections. My port has been a godsend over the years and now it will be used for chemo. Have any of you had chemo for five days a week for six weeks along with radiation at same time? Seems overkill to me and I am not so sure I can tolerate that kind of regimen.

This news can feel overwhelming, and it's completely natural to feel scared when facing such a significant diagnosis. Many people in this community have walked similar paths and found strength they didn't know they had, along with treatments that helped improve their quality of life and outcomes. The support here from others who truly understand what you're going through can make a real difference during this challenging time.