Advice/tips sought from survivors/family of cancer-preferably colon and/or advanced?

My mom (who just turned 57 on Wednesday) was diagnosed with advanced colon cancer (spreading to her liver) on Friday. I'm taking her for her colonoscopy tomorrow.

We are ready for a fight and are ready to win. Any advice anyone can give on diet, supplements or anything that helped you win your fight is most appreciated.

PLEASE...helpful/positive comments or advice only. I've spent the last 3 days reseraching every website there is, so your personal, helpful experiences are really all I'm looking for.

Thank you so much. I appreciate your time, and wish everyone luck in their future health.

hey, sorry to hear your mother has to go through this!

it is so good that you are ready to fight and win!

i am no expert on this. my mother in law's cervical cancer just returned in her lungs and she has stared chemo a few weeks ago.

there is no diet to help cure cancer. however, making sure that your mom eats well and balanced is important. my mother in law doesn't always make the healthiest choices so i tried providing some for her. anything rich in antioxidants will be good. try stuff like grapefruit, spinach, arugula, tomatoes, blueberries, black beans, walnuts, olive oil, salmon, even some red wine... lots of good food. even if its not fighting the cancer (who knows if it does or not) it is still important for her body to be as strong as it can be.

i suspect that your mother will either undergo chemo therapy or radiation or both. this stuff is poisonous to the body and will drain her energy. she will get nauseated and sore and will take lots of medication for that. my mother in law has a very sore throat from the chemo and takes medication for that as well. that means some foods might not be an option (such as acidic foods).

otherwise make sure that you have a good network of supporters. inform family members and friends so they can help and pitch in. our biggest problem right now is that we are doing most of the stuff for her and it is taking a toll on our relationship and mental status in general.

my mother in law needs to be taken to the hospital every 3 weeks (2 1/2 hours away). but when she is home, she needs to be checked on every day (to make sure she takes her meds right and is ok). she needs some financial help because right now she is not able to work. most of all she needs motivation and emotional support.

but for some reason her other two children stay distanced. also, mom is sometimes too proud to ask others. so now WE started asking the extended family for any type of support, aunts n uncles, sisters, grandchildren, even church members and neighbors.

we simply cannot do all of this on our own.

so my biggest advice to you is that you provide as much help and support as you can but make sure that you have help.

i know your mom can fight it but it is a long and devastating journey. so be prepared and remember that you have to take care of yourself too!

my heart goes out to your mom and you and i wish you all the strength in the world to defeat this stupid cancer!

good luck!

My father had colon cancer but it was caught early and he only needed surgery.

I had breast cancer and know that chemo is very tough to endure. I found that a positive attitude, laughter, prayer and moral support from my family and friends helped immensely.

It will be important for your mom to stay hydrated when she does chemo. Gatorade, or other sports drinks help. Also sucking on hard candies such as butterscotch or peppermints helps when the mouth gets dry (a common side effect of chemo). It is also helpful to have a good relationship with her oncologist and the other staff that will be helping administer her chemotherapy. They are there to answer your questions and help you understand what to expect.