"I'm so sorry to hear that. Is there any chance they could try a third chemo combination?"
Yeah, he'll be starting something else in about ten days—assuming he makes it that far... He couldn't quite remember the name of the drug. It's basically one day of chemo via IV, then ten days at home taking some kind of liquid medication, followed by a week-long break, repeating that for six cycles total...
Back again with more bad news... It’s been a year since we found out Mom has colon cancer, and after surviving four different surgeries and two types of chemo, the latest CT scan just hit us hard: there are metastases in her liver, lungs, and kidneys (she’s actually been on radiation patches for the last two weeks). Even through those four cycles of Folfiri, the cancer kept spreading
Medicine isn't really my specialty, but I’m starting to think they really botched things with my mom... After her initial colon surgery at Duke Cancer where they found a few affected lymph nodes, they opted for some kind of weakened-down chemo. It wasn't until after a fourth surgery and six months of pure misery—dealing with raw meat, intestinal obstructions, and three more operations—that they finally put her on Folfiri. Now, after just three cycles, you can actually feel the tumor tissue through her abdomen, according to the discharge papers... So, apparently, even this isn't doing a damn thing... 👎 Should we stick with the Folfiri, or should we be looking into stopping it to see if she qualifies for Erbitux testing?
I might not be the most qualified expert to weigh in here, but I honestly have nothing but praise for Kurija Žunec near the Suburban City, USA, and Lojzek's House just outside of Marija Bistrica...
I was chatting with my internist at a private clinic during my physical the other day about whether cycling messes with your prostate, and he just told me it's more of an issue for the testicles...
So, Mom’s oncologist finally crawled back from medical leave, took one look at the labs, and told us she’ll be doing radiation and probably chemo via pills, though she didn't sound particularly optimistic about any of it... I can't even begin to imagine what Dad was going through when she broke the news to him 🙂
The oncologist has been out on medical leave for two weeks now, and apparently, nobody else has the guts to actually look over my discharge papers and medical history...
It’s not helping right now, but Dad is going to pick some up today, so maybe things will finally start looking up... The pills he’s on currently only seem to last about five hours before the pain kicks back in, and honestly, between the pelvic cancer and the incision from his fourth surgery acting up over the last few months, it's just been a lot...
🙂 Dad isn't ready to just throw in the towel, even though Mom keeps begging us to let him stop... He’s in constant pain and he’s convinced there’s no coming back from this. He thinks we're all just dragging out his misery. His last PET scan was over two months ago, and honestly, given how much he's aching all over, I'm worried the cancer might have already spread to his bones They'd probably give her the truth if it were actually the end—if she knew she'd never have a normal life again—but the doctors keep insisting it's not over yet, telling us it's still worth fighting and continuing treatment
My parents have basically decided they’re done fighting it... they aren't going through with chemo or radiation because they don't see a path to recovery—maybe they'll hang on for another few weeks or a month, but honestly, who knows at this point... 🙂 It's just been silence... no suggestions for some kind of miracle cure or anything else worth trying...
It’s been a while, so I guess I need to catch everyone up... My mom's history: In August 2010, they removed a colon tumor along with three affected lymph nodes, and once she recovered, she started chemotherapy. A week after her second chemo cycle, she developed a fever that just wouldn't break, so she went back in for surgery to figure out what was going on. They found some inflammatory issues that were supposedly non-cancerous at the time. But while we were waiting for her to stabilize enough to resume treatment, things took a turn for the worse, leading to another surgery where they had to perform a colostomy to manage the unbearable pain during bowel movements and otherwise. Things haven't improved since then; she underwent surgery again yesterday, and the biopsies show those old inflammatory spots have turned into tumors. According to her doctor, her intestines look like grains of rice, the tumor is spreading incredibly fast, and now we're left wondering if she'll even recover from this latest surgery enough to actually start treatment... They also removed a tumor near the bladder, and there's apparently one in the pelvis that isn't operable. Does anyone have any advice?... 🤷 What should we do?
Donna Garcia52 said:My mom went through colon cancer surgery about twelve and a half years ago, involving several affected lymph nodes—Duke C stage... She’s still here today, right by my side, looking bright and cheerful, just enjoying life together and feeling grateful for everything we've made it through. She did chemo back then too, and she beat it all! My mom had a hell of a time mentally dealing with it (honestly, who wouldn't?), but what really pulled her through was that I was pregnant at the time; she gave birth soon after and lived for her granddaughter, and now she gets to enjoy two granddaughters! Your mom has a massive chance of pulling through this, but she’s going to need serious psychological support. If she needs medication right now to get through the initial phase, let her have it... eventually, she'll be strong enough to handle things without them. Just stay by her side, maybe read her my post... it might give her a little hope for recovery. Anyway, my experience with my mom was positive, and I truly wish the same for yours.🙂
The MS CT showed some shadows on the adrenal glands and in the lungs, so now they want to run a PET CT (around 14 $0.00 ?) just to be sure. They're assuming it's nothing, but they want certainty before deciding on chemo or radiation. Is there any way to get this covered? As far as I know, there are only three private clinics out there that do this, none of the public hospitals...
Angela Wright said:If you check out Rib, you can find Dr. Mary Braš. She’s a psycho-oncologist running a clinic specifically for cancer patients. The "Something for her" association also offers professional psychological support for women battling cancer. You can find more details here:
That doctor is actually on vacation right now, and her clinic is over in the Hilltop area, though it's listed under Rib...
Angela Wright said:Where is her mom getting treatment? There are places in NYC where you can get actual psychological support instead of just being handed pills, which usually works way better anyway...
She went to see a psychiatrist over at Coors Field... I'm honestly worried she might end up hooked on these meds if she stays on them too long... When my dad mentioned seeing a specialist, I was hoping for some kind of therapeutic support rather than just a prescription, so this whole pill-only approach isn't really what I had in mind, and I'd actually prefer if she stopped taking them altogether. I'm just not sure if staying on them is even the right move or not... Where am I supposed to find actual therapy instead?
It’s been about six weeks since my mom’s surgery for colon cancer—they found a few affected lymph nodes, too... physically she’s bouncing back, slowly putting some weight back on after dropping over 20 pounds during the whole ordeal, though her iron levels are still lagging a bit behind. The real issue is her mindset; she’s lost all faith in the recovery process and has fallen into this depressive funk that’s just incredibly hard for us to witness. We took her to see a psychiatrist and they prescribed two pills... I can't help but wonder if she should actually take them, or if this mental slump will just pass on its own once things settle down. She’s heading in for a consultation next week regarding radiation or chemo, so hopefully being around other people facing the exact same battle will help things look up...
Matthew Torres5 said:I have a question..... I don't really know much about herbal medicine, so I was hoping someone could walk me through everything there is to know about elderberries. I'm curious about what you can actually make with them and whether they're safe to eat raw. If anyone happens to have a recipe for elderberry juice, please leave it here... Thanks!!!
Back in the day, we used to make juice out of the berries, though now we just stick to the flowers... as for recipes, you can find plenty of them online...
My mom (52) was just diagnosed with colon adenocarcinoma today after a colonoscopy at the Sun Clinic. We have some connections out in suburban Ohio, and we're planning to reach out to some doctors through them tomorrow... I'm wondering where we might be able to get things moving faster, though. How much of a difference will having those doctor connections actually make regarding wait times, and could we realistically handle everything through our contacts in the area?
Between the bleeding and the hemorrhoids, she’s physically exhausted and honestly, she’s already losing the will to even fight this...