Posts by Sophia Davis4

Michael Diaz4 said:Honestly, the idea of hemorrhoids causing leg numbness sounds pretty far-fetched to me. It’s more likely that you’re just tensing up everything from the stress of the pain, and that muscle tension is what’s actually traveling down into your leg. At the end of the day, how much discomfort you're willing to put up with is really up to you. Good luck with it...😉

Believe me... after I had my baby, there was this entire week where I couldn't even roll over in bed without being in agony on my left side. There wasn't anything visible on the outside, just this deep, internal pain. Honestly, if it hadn't been for this one old doctor—he’s retired now—who immediately clocked that it was actually hemorrhoids, I would've been lost. The pain was radiating all the way down my left leg and into my lower back. Seriously, if that doctor hadn't stepped in, I probably would have died from the sheer amount of Advil I was popping. It sounds wild, I know, but I guess I'm just one of those weird cases.

I feel like I should probably weigh in here too... I’ve been dealing with hemorrhoids for about 12 years now—ever since my last pregnancy. They flare up pretty regularly, though maybe not quite as often as some of you mentioned... but when they do, it's a nightmare. It causes this radiating pain down my entire leg, probably because a nerve is getting pinched, and my lower back just feels completely wrecked. It's honestly a disaster. As for treatment: besides the standard stuff like creams and the usual prescriptions, I actually use ice or even a frozen potato, or just really cold water. To be clear, this was a suggestion from a doctor who's big on "alternative" methods. Basically, when the inflammation gets unbearable, I apply the ice or that frozen potato, and it just sort of "kills" the swelling. Sometimes I get relief within an hour... other times, it doesn't do a thing. I tried Pilex, which is pricey, and it helped a little bit for maybe a month or two before things went right back to how they were. I didn't mention that mine are Stage IV; I have one massive one on the outside about the size of a large hazelnut... so, yeah, I'm just going to push through as long as I can, even though surgery is constantly staring me in the face. If you're in the middle of a bad flare-up, try the ice trick—it might give you a little window of relief, at least for a bit..

vividsailor7 said:I haven't forgotten you guys, I'll get back to you when I can.

We definitely need more data here—things like blood work, imaging results like ultrasounds or CT scans,
current treatments, age, any other symptoms, specific diagnoses, and so on.

Hi everyone! I finally managed to track down some information. My mom is in the hospital right now, and they found metastases in her hip. I’m going to try to type out everything I’ve received, though I feel completely lost in all these numbers.
L 8.81, E 3.54, Hgb 92, Hct 0.303, MCV 85.6, Plt 480, MCH 5.9, Urea 3.9, Creatinine 49, Urate 207, K 4.6, Bilirubin Ind. 5, AST 15, ALT 13, ALP 134, GGT 78, Serum Amylase 75, Fe 3.4, UIBC 27.1, TIBC 30.5, CEA 3.29, AFP 7.5, CA 19-9 1787.7
ABDOMINAL ULTRASOUND: The liver is globally enlarged with regular contours and no obvious focal lesions, though the parenchyma has a granular texture. In the gallbladder area, there is an inhomogeneous, irregular mass. The common bile duct is dilated. The pancreas is difficult to visualize and appears hyperechoic. Both kidneys are normal size with regular contours, no obstruction or stones, and preserved parenchyma with normal echogenicity. The spleen is longitudinal, about 12 cm, with no focal changes.
CT OF LUMBAR SPINE AND PELVIS: This scan shows the bone structure. There is osteolysis in the iliac bone above the acetabulum, the femoral head, and the medial wall of the acetabulum, which looks like secondary spread from the primary disease. A break in the bone continuity—essentially a fracture—has occurred in the pathologically changed bone of the medial acetabulum and the iliac bone. The bone structure of the right femoral head is slightly inhomogeneous.
Diagnosis
Metastatic bone disease of the right ilium, acetabulum, and femoral head
Gallbladder cancer
Malignant infiltration of the right lobe and porta hepatis
Status post resection of liver lobes IVb and V along with gallbladder resection
Osteolysis/metastasis at T6 - status post radiotherapy
Status post pulmonary artery embolism
DVT of the right lower leg

Oh, and I should mention, my mom is 58 years old.

Thanks so much in advance!

Hey everyone!
I wanted to send my sincere condolences to Lea and her family.

I’m actually reaching out because I really need some help here. After getting the discharge papers from my mom—she was at Mercury Hospital for surgery to remove her gallbladder and part of her liver—I realized I have absolutely no clue what I'm reading. Could anyone please help me make sense of this?
dg: adenocarcinoma vesicae felleae, infiltratio hepatis seg IVb et V
th. resectio atypica seg. IVb et V cum vesicae felleae, lymphadenectomia lig. HD Resectio omenti mayoris

It goes on to say:
1. A section of the bile duct, about 0.2 cm in length, showed no tumor tissue in either the intraoperative biopsy or the subsequent permanent sections; all structures remained intact.
2. An irregular piece of tissue, 0.7 cm in diameter, which histologically corresponds to two lymph nodes (up to 0.4 cm in size), one of which shows metastatic tumor infiltration that looks like the primary tumor in material 4.
3. Fatty tissue measuring 5 cm in length, containing nine lymph nodes ranging from 0.3 to 1.6 cm, two of which are infiltrated by metastatic tumor.
4. The gallbladder, measuring 6x4 cm, with an attached liver resection measuring 12x9x8 cm... there is visible perivascular and perineural invasion, along with pronounced desmoplasia and areas of necrosis. In the area of the gallbladder neck, there is a 0.6 cm lymph node infiltrated by metastatic tumor. The tumor invades the surrounding fatty tissue and liver tissue; at the caudal edge of the liver parenchyma, fatty tissue is drawn in, and the tumor invades the capsule, though the fatty tissue itself remains intact. The remaining parenchyma maintains its architecture, with portal spaces showing sparse to moderate chronic inflammatory infiltrate alongside cholangiolar proliferation; about 20% of hepatocytes in the liver lobules show micro- and macrovesicular steatotic changes in the cytoplasm. The resection margins at the gallbladder neck and the liver parenchyma are clear.

Does anyone actually understand any of this?! Based on these notes, what kind of prognosis should we be looking at?
Thanks in advance

graniteorca42 said:Hi everyone, I’m new to the forum, though I’ve been fighting alongside my mom for quite a while now.
The reason I’m replying to you specifically is because this type of tumor is just so rare, and you were the first person I came across talking about it.
We live in a mid-sized city in the Midwest, and back in August of last year, my mom was diagnosed with a gallbladder tumor during what was supposed to be a routine surgery for gallstones. It had already spread to her liver and lymph nodes in the retroperitoneum. Now, she had incredible luck in a bad situation because she ended up under the care of one of the top surgeons in the country for these specific tumors—getting her to that operating room at all felt like something straight out of a movie. He managed to clear everything out during the surgery, but then my mom hit two really rough complications afterward. First, she dealt with enterocolitis from the antibiotics, and then she suffered a pulmonary embolism. She pulled through all of that, and about two months after the surgery, we could finally start chemotherapy; before that, she just wasn't strong enough. Once chemo kicked in, we found she had two metastases on the liver and one in the lymph nodes (all within just two months). She went through eight rounds of chemo and by this past May, her scans showed she was clear. Sadly, this August, we hit the same wall—three metastases right back in the same spot. She’s currently starting her second line of chemo. One thing I really want to emphasize is that even before all this, my mom had heart issues and was 80% disabled from an old car accident involving severe spinal injuries. And on top of all that, she gets this. When she had the surgery, the prognosis was less than a year, even assuming the chemo worked; honestly, some doctors didn't even think she’d survive the first round (she finished her treatment for the embolism just ten days before starting). I didn't have much hope myself, but here she is, right next to me. Throughout the whole illness, Mom has actually felt great regarding the tumor itself—she can eat, she looks good, and she hasn't had any pain. Even now, if you saw her, you wouldn't believe everything she’s been through. Keep hope alive; miracles really do happen. I know this is just extending her time, but as I said, we wouldn't have dared to wish for this in our wildest dreams. After the first three rounds of chemo last year, the tumor shrank by almost 90%, and one metastasis disappeared entirely. Mom handled that incredibly intense therapy remarkably well. As for the cancer itself, besides how rare gallbladder tumors are, she "hit the jackpot" with an even rarer type: a poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma—basically the "grand prize" of the worst possible tumors. Just don't give up until the very end. My head has been such a mess, I've survived so many shocks... I'm just pushing through now, feeling a bit more stable, but it still hurts so much whenever I think about it. Even here in the States, medical resources can be a struggle, though Mom was lucky to land an oncologist who is a true specialist in these specific tumors, which was a total stroke of luck for us.
I’d love to hear how things are going for all of you, and I’ll be praying for your mothers.

Hey everyone... I haven't been active here for a while, but I've been following along... we've gone through so much. First surgery, which here was unsuccessful, leaving a trail of complications behind—a pulmonary embolism and a blood clot in her leg. They found a metastasis in her spine, which they treated with radiation, and now she's recovering from surgery at a specialized clinic in Chicago. They had to remove the right side of her liver and her gallbladder. They’ve got her wearing those compression stockings on her leg to manage the clots and thin her blood. She’s in a deep depression, partly because of my dad, partly because of herself, but mostly because she’s terrified for me. We’re constantly buying supplements to try and boost her strength. It’s just... it’s awful. It’s heartbreaking to think that now, two months after Dad passed away, I feel like he left us in peace. It happened almost overnight. In a way, it was selfish and selfless at the same time. For him, it was perfect—he didn't even know what was happening to him—but for us, it was a total shock. Still. The pain my mom is enduring right now is something I wouldn't wish on anyone. The most excruciating pain was from the spinal metastasis. That was terrifying. They used radiation to help stop the pain. But now, the surgical wound hurts, her leg has circulation issues, and her skin hurts from being bedridden... And me? I can't even cry. I can't let out everything that's been swirling inside me these past two months... it feels like someone just wiped out half my life with a sponge.
graniteorca42, I sent you a private message
I'm keeping everyone in my thoughts and prayers.

Angela Wright said:@Sophia Davis4/">@@Sophia Davis4, I am so incredibly sorry that everything is hitting you all at once like this. I can only imagine how heavy this feels. You didn't mention which primary tumor we're dealing with, so I can't give you a super specific answer regarding that. Honestly, no one can tell you exactly what to expect. Given that it's cancer and considering the targets involved, the situation clearly isn't good—and I know you realize that already. It is what it is, and neither you nor your mom can change the reality of the diagnosis. All you can do, and really, all you *must* do, is fight. You have to dig deep, find every ounce of strength you have, and be her absolute rock. You need to pull yourself together, because if you break down and let despair take over, it won't help anyone. You just have to take whatever chances are there, no matter how slim, and fight. I truly hope you aren't going through this alone and that you have some support nearby. Hang in there, honey. Don't let life beat you down; unfortunately, life is made of moments just like this. 😢
@wiredcanyon39/">@@wiredcanyon39, the CT scan happens after the first line of treatment is finished.
@dustyjackal10/">@@dustyjackal10, I’m in no position to make a call like that, nor do I actually know who I would even give it to. You could put out an ad and donate the drug based on the medical history provided.
Sorry for the typos, typing this on my phone.

I know all of that. I really do. But I have these bad moments. The nights are the hardest because that's when I have nothing to do but think, and then sleep becomes impossible. There is a primary tumor on the gallbladder, which is very rare and carries a very grim prognosis. And she... she is just so full of life around me. We wanted to do this before, but Dad wouldn't leave his house back then. She looks at me with so much hope, while I'm just sitting here drowning in fear. I'm the only one here besides my husband, who is so understanding and willing to help, and our two little girls. But parents are parents, and I'm just not ready to lose them in such a short window of time. I know I have to stay strong and be there for her, but I'm terrified. I feel like I'm afraid to even breathe because I'm so scared of losing her too...

Her report shows an infiltrative process of the gallbladder involving the surrounding liver tissue. Everything else—the rest of the liver, pancreas, spleen, adrenal glands, kidneys, and bladder—looks normal with no focal lesions. It also mentions that no lymph nodes were found in the abdomen or pelvic area that would suggest secondary spread.

Angela Wright, please, I see you have so much experience and life wisdom in you, help me....
Just a month ago, all of this felt like it was happening to someone else. Today, it’s hitting me, and it’s hitting twice as hard.
On July 24th, I lost my aunt. She passed away within just ten days of being diagnosed with primary liver carcinoma. He didn't even realize what was happening to him; he was gone overnight. They told me he just fell asleep—that his kidneys failed and he was essentially drowning from fluid buildup. They say he was lucky because he only dealt with pain for a couple of days. I haven't even had time to process losing him before this new lightning bolt struck. Since July 13th, my mom has been fighting through pneumonia, then an infection in her gallbladder, and finally, an ultrasound revealed carcinoma with metastases in the liver. Everything else seems clear, at least that's how it looks, but they're telling us there's nothing more they can do. They've given her just a few months. For two days, I just cried, trying to pull myself together and gather information. I went to Merkur Hospital, and they said maybe removal might be possible later, but first she has to recover from the complications following that unsuccessful surgery. Please, I need help. What are we facing? I am not ready to say goodbye to both my parents in such a short window of time. I have to, and I want to, give everything I have to help Mom beat this. Please, does anyone here have any experience with this kind of situation? For now, she’s doing okay; she actually has a huge appetite, mostly out of grief for Dad, and she stays brave for my sake. Believe me, I am screaming inside. My whole world is falling apart...🙂