Inquisitive son…..
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Rob,
I also would like to welcome you to this site & to reassure you that you have found the right place to be when dealing with CC. All the people here are so helpful & supportive. I don’t have any answers for you as the situation we dealt with was so unlike your Dad’s, however, I am sure you will be getting more replies shortly. My personal opnion is that quality of life is more important than quantity, but as Lainy said, it is a personal decision that has to be made by the patient & family after getting all the infomation you possibly can. I wish all of you the best. Keep in touch. We are all here for you.
Darla
Lainy…..thank you for replying and appreciate what you and your family have been through.
There never seems to be a “great” decision to make, yet in what you’ve briefly described in regards to your husbands situation and type of CC…..you chose what you felt was best.
I think my father has a different type (of sorts) of CC because the “Gemzar” prescribed for him was specific in “maintenance” in giving him a “quality of life” vs. no chemo at all, being that radiation and surgery were not an option in his “Stage-4” evaluations.
You are right…..it’s a valuable ‘topic’ and hope one of you has or is facing a similiar situation to which the chemo is beginning to take “good” days away and if a ‘reduction’ of Gemzar is possible.
Thank you again for your response and god bless.
Hi Rob and welcome to the best little club in the world that no one wishes to join. The question you ask is the one we all ask. Unfortunately there is no set answer. Its a patient and family decision. We were told that chemo will not help my husband’s CC but he did have radiation and cyber knife and it worked. We have discussed the chemo versus quality (should any doctor want to try it) and we have opted never to do chemo because it will not help his type of CC, but that is our decision, he is 76. For us, we prefer quality time. Oddly a few of our doctors related the same thing to us after we decided to do it this way. That they would accept quality instead. Again its a private decision. Maybe that question would create an interesting thread here. Those who have gone through chemo versus those who opted not to. It would be interesting to hear from patients and caretakers. Please keep us posted.
Greetings!
My name is Rob and have just joined the discussion board in hopes of finding relivant conversation in regards to my fathers situation.
In September of 2008, my father was diagnosed with “Stage IV” Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma; to which a 9 x22 centimeter cancerous mass was discovered in his liver and 3 smaller masses in other regions in his 9th rib, spleen, and sternum.
We, as a family, are very pleased with the quality of care he is receiving at the James Wilmont Cancer Center in Rochester, New York and have been in a “quality of life” treatment program prescribed by Supria Gupta Mohile for approximately 3 months now.
I must admit that I am reminded daily of “personally” cancer affects the lives of the patients and their families…..the hope is through each of our situations that some resemblence of a “quality of life” can be achieved and strongly recommend Dr. Supria Mohile for just such in the care of the elderly.
There hasn’t been a day gone by since our first introduction to her and her staff that the proper attention has been placed in the welfare and care of our father. A 79-year old gentleman who is simply “dealing” with the ‘days’ remaining of a good life…..they, at Wilmont, are simply making his last ‘days’ the best they can be.
He is about to begin his fifth series of treatment of Gemcitibine (Gemzar), to which he is fortunately not faced with any of the potential side-effects we were warned about and urged to keep them abreast of. However, he is beginning to show signs of the “toll” each series is bringing upon him as it now takes him a good 4 days to recover and feel like getting out of bed.
It’s been a gradual build-up through each series of treatment and lately, we have addressed ‘blood-clotting’ issues.
On the positive side, again, he has not had any major side-effects…..yet I am beginning to wonder about his remaining days in regards to the “quality of life.”
We meet with the doctors again on Monday to review his recent CAT-scan…..the last of such reveiled that the 9 x22 centimeter mass in the liver had been reduced to 8 x 16 centimeters, but all other sites were still prevelant and he will remain in “Stage-4”.
My question: “If the prognosis isn’t going to change that he had 4-6 months beginning in October of 2008 and we are concerned about his quality of life…..the treatments have ‘maintained’ him through the holidays, but are gradually taking away any enjoyability between treatments; then do we reduce the Chemo-treatment to give him a few days a week of anything but being in bed”???
Is that even possible??!!!
Of course I will ask the doctors on Monday, but maybe one or some of you have been through this in a similar or comparable situation.
I’m open to suggestion!
Thank you for any response or interest and look forward to chatting with any of you soon…..
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