I spent 10 years of my early adulthood trying to cope with the fear of recurrence. I still don't have it all figured out, but I hope reading my story will help you grapple with what you're feeling. (Read tips for coping with the fear of recurrence.)

If we're lucky, the challenges we face teach us lessons we can pass on to others who are experiencing a similar situation. Each week, I ask readers to consider a particular question and offer insight when they can. All responses will be considered for inclusion in articles designed to help site visitors cope with colon cancer and related conditions, such as genetic syndromes that increase colon cancer risk. This week's question: How do you prepare for chemotherapy sessions?

From the Colon Cancer Forum: One of the painful problems my mom deals with is mouth sores. The doctor prescribed a mouthwash to "deaden" the area and help heal the sores, but it didn't work. My mom went to several doctors for help, and it was a skin specialist who prescribed the treatment that finally worked.

My mother asked her oncologist about using this on the mouth sores caused by chemo, and he agreed to prescribe it. The generic name for the prescription is triamcinolone 0.1% dental paste. Here's how mom uses it. Read more of this post.

When colon cancer spreads, it often goes to the liver. Leroy Sievers and Tony Snow both had this happen, and common treatments include surgery (if possible), chemo, and/or radiation therapy. A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine may add another drug to the chemo arsenal: Nexavar (sorafenib). Read more...