Chemo is suppressing the growth

Yes, it took a while for my mom’s BR to come down, she went through 2 stents, and 2 bags before they gave her the ok to resect, which when they opened her didn’t continue with because of the cancer metastasizing. After the unsuccessful surgery, she had the metal stent inserted and this seems to be working well. This went on from July to September. I think if they were able to get the BR under control quicker, the surgery might have been a go? Can’t look back and second guess…we just need to move on and help her with the treatment she is now receiving. Her platelets are now low and she is having severe skin reactions to the Tarceva, so her dr is going to start her on treatments every 3 weeks instead of every 2 weeks. I don’t know if they are giving her anything to improve her platelet count or not…need to ask her this. I pray for your mom and family, I and everyone else on this site understand what you are going through, the fear of the unknown…but try to learn all you can to be an advocate for your mom. I will be thinking of you!

Hi QuanYinprayer, I understand your nervousness, and am sorry your mother has to go through this, it would also take many pages of writing to describe my feelings watching my mother go through what she has been enduring. But, she too had many stent replacements, before she received her permanent metal stent, with this in place, her billirubin went to 1, which from what I understood was normal. She had the drainage bags also throughout the months, but with the metal stent in place, and my mother’s insistance on removing it, she no longer needed the external drain. I know she was continually told the billiruben needed to be down before they would do chemo (ideally below 3), I don’t know if it depends on the doctor or what. She will be going in for a follow up discussion with her doctor this Friday, I am curious to see what he will recommend for continuing treatment. She has been doing this chemo treatment since October, and I know if it weren’t for us, she would stop. She is not a big fan of it, which I really don’t know that anyone is. She wants to discuss doing treatment every 3 weeks, instead of every 2. I don’t know what this will do to the tumor, but I am standing by her decision. I think that was my biggest hurdle, to let her make the decisions, it is not my right to do that and all we can do is be there for her! In the mean time, my sister and I are trying to plan a trip to Hawaii with my mother. It is someplace she has always wanted to visit, and I told her we would take her, so we all have something to look forward too!