I would like to join this group. Reading through the posts, I felt heavyhearted seeing the loved ones you all have lost, yet I also found small glimmers of hope, though I must admit my own hope for my mother's recovery feels increasingly fragile...
My mother is 62 years old. Fifteen years ago, she was diagnosed with uterine fibroids, which led to a hysterectomy and removal of her ovaries. She was hospitalized at the time due to severe bleeding, where doctors discovered she was extremely anemic and found an enlarged left atrium caused by previously untreated high blood pressure.
As you might guess, she is one of those people who refuses to listen to the doctor until everything falls apart.
In 2004, she was diagnosed with left breast cancer (it started as a persistent skin ulcer on the breast that wouldn't heal). She underwent a mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation. Her follow-up treatment involved Nolvadex, which was recently switched to Aromasina tablets. She has maintained regular checkups, and everything seemed fine; her markers were always hovering around 7.
A few years back, she suffered heart failure and was admitted to the ER; after a couple of weeks in the hospital, she was discharged and recovered. However, she was also diagnosed with Type II diabetes at that time, for which she now takes Glucophage.
About nine months ago, she had a gallbladder attack that resolved relatively well through diet and antibiotics. The doctors decided not to surgically remove the stones.
Roughly three months ago, while preparing for a routine oncology appointment, she had standard tests done. Suddenly, her markers spiked to 538. We were so naive that we briefly wondered if the lab technicians had mixed up the samples... An ultrasound revealed a suspicious lesion on her liver.
When we met with the oncologist, she stated it was a recurrence, noting in the report that the abscess did not require evacuation. The medical board decided to put her on Taxol, consisting of 12 weekly chemotherapy sessions. She has tolerated the treatments well so far without excessive nausea; her hair fell out, and she dealt with uncontrolled nasal congestion for a few weeks, but that was it.
The oncologist noted in her charts that both subjectively and objectively she is improving and tolerating the therapy well, so she decided to proceed. She is currently on her 14th cycle.
During those twelve weeks, her markers were tested again at week six and had risen to 575, but they dropped to 350 just a couple of weeks ago.
Throughout the treatment, the doctor initially noted an abscess, then mentioned ascites, which is now receding. Her immune system is okay, though she is slightly anemic. Physically, she is visibly and gradually weakening, though she regains her strength quite well a few days after each chemo session.
Last week, her sedimentation rate spiked, so the doctor decided to skip a weekly dose of Taxol. This week, her blood work looks better and it was time for the next round, but she wasn't even able to make it to the hospital due to pain in the liver/gallbladder area, similar to what she felt during her previous gallbladder attack. The doctor told us to give her pain relief and bring her in on Monday once she recovers. He also mentioned it might be shingles(?).
I heard from other women at the oncology clinic that they also experienced intermittent gallbladder or liver pain and found that drinking black tea helped.
Has anyone had similar experiences or seen a similar progression of illness?
What should I do?
My mother is 62 years old. Fifteen years ago, she was diagnosed with uterine fibroids, which led to a hysterectomy and removal of her ovaries. She was hospitalized at the time due to severe bleeding, where doctors discovered she was extremely anemic and found an enlarged left atrium caused by previously untreated high blood pressure.
As you might guess, she is one of those people who refuses to listen to the doctor until everything falls apart.
In 2004, she was diagnosed with left breast cancer (it started as a persistent skin ulcer on the breast that wouldn't heal). She underwent a mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation. Her follow-up treatment involved Nolvadex, which was recently switched to Aromasina tablets. She has maintained regular checkups, and everything seemed fine; her markers were always hovering around 7.
A few years back, she suffered heart failure and was admitted to the ER; after a couple of weeks in the hospital, she was discharged and recovered. However, she was also diagnosed with Type II diabetes at that time, for which she now takes Glucophage.
About nine months ago, she had a gallbladder attack that resolved relatively well through diet and antibiotics. The doctors decided not to surgically remove the stones.
Roughly three months ago, while preparing for a routine oncology appointment, she had standard tests done. Suddenly, her markers spiked to 538. We were so naive that we briefly wondered if the lab technicians had mixed up the samples... An ultrasound revealed a suspicious lesion on her liver.
When we met with the oncologist, she stated it was a recurrence, noting in the report that the abscess did not require evacuation. The medical board decided to put her on Taxol, consisting of 12 weekly chemotherapy sessions. She has tolerated the treatments well so far without excessive nausea; her hair fell out, and she dealt with uncontrolled nasal congestion for a few weeks, but that was it.
The oncologist noted in her charts that both subjectively and objectively she is improving and tolerating the therapy well, so she decided to proceed. She is currently on her 14th cycle.
During those twelve weeks, her markers were tested again at week six and had risen to 575, but they dropped to 350 just a couple of weeks ago.
Throughout the treatment, the doctor initially noted an abscess, then mentioned ascites, which is now receding. Her immune system is okay, though she is slightly anemic. Physically, she is visibly and gradually weakening, though she regains her strength quite well a few days after each chemo session.
Last week, her sedimentation rate spiked, so the doctor decided to skip a weekly dose of Taxol. This week, her blood work looks better and it was time for the next round, but she wasn't even able to make it to the hospital due to pain in the liver/gallbladder area, similar to what she felt during her previous gallbladder attack. The doctor told us to give her pain relief and bring her in on Monday once she recovers. He also mentioned it might be shingles(?).
I heard from other women at the oncology clinic that they also experienced intermittent gallbladder or liver pain and found that drinking black tea helped.
Has anyone had similar experiences or seen a similar progression of illness?
What should I do?