Vitals

Name:
audrey friedman (audreyk)

Member Since:
August 6, 2008

Home page:
Click here.

Location:
seminole, Florida

Birthday:
June 15, 1988

Type of Cancer:
Colon and Rectal Cancer

Diagnosis Date:
August 4th, 2008

Stage of Cancer:
Stage 3

Lymph Node Involvement:
Yes

Surgery:
Colorectal Surgery, Colostomy

Chemotherapy:
Fluorouracil

What I Hate Most About Cancer:
losing control of my body

What I Have Learned From Cancer:
true loss & terror

Things My Supporters Can Do To Help:
give me books and love

Cancer Drugs Positives & Negatives:
loss of appetite and radiation burns.....but losing all my extra fat and looking good!

Cancer Symptoms:

rectal bleeding, bloody stool, constipation for DAYS…

Surgery Description, Dates & Side Effects:

Port Placement – this was horrible. a 15 minute surgery that ended up taking a little over 3 hours. It was not my surgeon’s fault, but I couldn’t help cursing him when I woke up and felt the pain. There was horrible bruising and 5..wounds? They were stitched closed and the biggest one of course is over the port but the extra ones do not make me happy. At least I know anyone looking at my chest is checking out my scars and not my boobs, they are that noticeable. This was September 4,2008 and I just pulled the last of the stitches out myself (they never dissolved properly) a week ago.

Radiation Description, Dates & Side Effects:

Radiation for me became a time of meditation and a time to just lay back and picture my cancer cells being burned to a crisp (along with my bladder, vagina, uterus, ovaries, and anything else in there)...sometimes I cried during treatment and sometimes I just pretended it wasn’t really me…I had the best team and although I hope to never have to deal with this treatment again I know where I will go without a doubt – Wellspring Oncology in St.Petersburg Florida. I had six weeks of daily (mon-fri) treatments starting Sept 8, 2008 and ending Oct.20, 2008. I had pretty bad “burns” all over my vaginal and rectal areas, pain in my butt (haha), and my bladder was affected (frequency, burning)...I still have no confirmation of the extent of damage to my womanly organs but will in a few weeks…

Chemotherapy Description, Dates & Side Effects:

Oh my little pump…I hate you. No, that isn’t true, I actually became attached to it (haha again) and will do it again if ever necessary. I had a port put in (after 4 tries which left me with considerable chest bruising, pain, and extra scars) and it it was accessed 4 days after insertion to begin my chemo treatment. I luckily only had one episode of nasuea (although I was given aloxi every time I began chemo on mondays at 8 am and that may have helped more than I think), and I did not lose my hair or get any mouth sores. I did feel like shit every day, I did lose my appetite completely, I did have stomachaches all the time, hot flashes, headaches, & extreme diarrhea or extreme constipation. At first the pump I had to lug around bothered me but within one week I was already used to it. This was simultaneous with the radiation, mon-fri for 5 weeks. Began Sept.8 2008 and ended Oct.10 2008.

Audreyk's Stats

audreyk's Cancer Blog (7)

  good news

  conflicted

  disappointment

  in other news...

  halloween!

  transferred from the past

  ready...

audreyk's Photos (7)

audreyk's Calendar (2)

  12.04.08 - surgery!