Mark has stage 2 colon cancer with a 3T tumor. Chemo and radiation therapy will begin on November 1st. He'll have a port/catheter surgically implanted in his chest sometime during the last week of October (the port cath is necessary for the Chemo therapy, it'll be a 24/7 drip that he'll be attached to via a small portable pump that can be strapped on like a fanny pack). Hopefully we'll know the actually surgery date soon. He'll also need at least one more CT scan to help pinpoint the exact measurements they need for the radiation therapy.
The Chemo therapy they're going to use (FU-5 is what it's called if I remember correctly) shouldn't cause hair loss or have very many extreme side effects. He'll have radiation therapy 5 days a week (Monday thru Friday), and a chemo check up and blood drawn once a week for 6 weeks. Then a period of rest/recovery for 3-4 weeks with no chemo or radiation and then the surgery to remove the tumor. (So some time the beginning of 2011). After surgery he'll have 3-4 weeks of recovery time again and restart a different regime of chemo therapy for 6 more months.
So that's the plan so far. Things feel a little less 'up in the air' and better now that there seems to be a definate plan of attack. Keep the prayers coming, they help keep us strong.
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