chemoembollization
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Am so sorry Colleen, I know exactly how you must be feeling. God I hope this passes for you both soon. It sure sounds like the tumor necrosis is causing havoc, and it did for us too. Please let me know your news, I will check this site as soon as we return.
Hi Colleen -I so hope your Fred is doing better -am NOT totally shocked at your news as we too have been surprised at the lack of predicatability for each session. Hopefully by now the pains are under control, and he is gaining strength? Am most interested in what they recommend for him at Hopkins, and whether they are looking at surgery as an option? And the Theraspheres?
Tom has had a couple of hiccups -the pulmonary embollisms which have made him short of breath, and lately some major fluid retention in knee which complicated his life for a week or so. The chemoembollization had a tougher reaction ( pain and nausea) this time as well, and he is still not back to full strength.
The MRI will be end of Oct so we are taking vacation, hopefully no more dramas for 2 weeks before we face the hnext hurdle.
We are following ( and praying) for you both, and hopefully next step will be easier for him…please keep me updated when you can.Hi Michelle!
I wanted to update you on the 4th embolization that Fred had on Friday. The treatment went well but the recovery has been the most brutal yet. He has been in sever pain since Friday afternoon, even moving a tiny bit sends pain shooting though his stomach. He says it feels like someone is sticking a knife in his side and wiggling it around every time he moves. He also had some nausea the first two days but even without it he still hasnMichele – Thats great news about the 2 tumors, I hope you have positive results on the third one. After every treatment the doctor tells us he HIT it HARD. I only hope he continues to be right! I will keep you posted on how things are going. – Colleen
Hi Colleen -thanks for the update -your news is heartening. Our news is pretty good too -the MRI after the 2nd showed complete necrosis on 2 tumors..yay! They went for a 3rd ( and probably last as his portal vein has an embollus), and hit hit with maximum dose so the big tumor on right side could be zapped. Am not sure what will happen after the next MRI at end of Oct. Let me know how things for you all.
Robyn, hope you find some treatments, please share your news with us. MicheleWe were considering this therapy, and I researched, but we were turned down for it. Ricks tumor, Bob, was about 15 cm, and now has grown and has buddies in there.(we were rejected not only for size but the fact that the gemzar and oxaliplatin did not work) I did read that the necropsy, death of the tumor tissue, can cause the pain and nausea so maybe that has a good side. I had also read that Xeloda has a good reputation as far as patient side effects, but also not a good percentage of success at any degree in cc. The stats were something like 15% success rate, but success meaning an average of 2.3 mo. These stats vary, but you really have to get into what the researchers or docs call success. In this case, every little bit helps, and with combined therapies and little side effects, who knows ! Right now we are doing nothing, which isnt good either, Rick is considering Integrative medicine, combining both alternative therapies and standard treatment. He has a consult soon with his oncologist as soon as they get the info from MD Anderson on latest CT results. good luck to us all robyn in Seattle
HI Colleen, we too are enjoying a pretty normal life. Tom working long hours for a special project, regaining strength on weekends, but even then not too tired. The systemic chemo has had virtually no side effects, he has a little nausea if he doesn’t eat and take Zofran regularly. We are even planning a 2 week vacation after recouping from the 3rd embo, since this one was so easy. However we do have MRI and ct scan to go through first. will let you know how it goes.
Am glad Fred is bck to work, let me know about theraspheres (radiation?), as Tom too, doesn’t want to simply be monitored. But we can be grateful for these times, am dreading the end of the embo’s really, as they give us time to hope and live normally. Hang in there…Thanks Joyce – It truly is amazing that he is able to do so much. Before his last treatment he was cutting our grass and doing normal everyday household task, I feel that he somtimes is over doing things, but he keeps on going. It makes it very hard to comprehend how someone who looks and acts so normal can be so very sick at the same time. I know we are lucky that right now our lives are basically
Colleen,
Congrats to your husband for doing so well and actually going back to work! That’s wonderful news, very uplifting to hear when there is so much bad news going around. Best of luck for continued success !
-JoyceColleen, I missed your last post as our eldest son was getting married. Tom’s 2nd embo went Ok, nowhere near as much pain and discomfort -about 6 days down. Am wondering if most of the discomfort is caused more by the response to pain killers etc…may consider acupuncture on 3rd go round in midSept.
Am wondering how things went for you all this week with the 3rd embo…the growth and reduction is not surprising to me. We were told that there had been some growth as well after 1st MRI, on one tumor on left side side. So this time he is taking Xeloda between treatments…see if the systemic chemo will affect new growth. Let me know how it went, am thinking of you.I wish this update was as good as the first. We finally got the results from the second embolization the comparison MRI was done on 7/17, and the doctor was out of town, so we just got the results last Thursday. The results weren
Thanks for the update Colleen, am so glad this time was easier, gives us hope. But to be honest we only had 10days-2 weeks last time until he resumed normalcy and mostly because we had simlar issues with the pain killers, which triggered the nausea and the the extreme fatigue. This time we feel more prepared. Am anxious to see the reults of the MRI next week. ( have you found out anything from round one?) You all should have some reprieve right now, this procedure has it’s plusses. If we can be sure it is working….
Will post late next week after round 2.
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