carla4jeff49

Thank you, Nykason.
I am thankful to hear you are doing well with your treatments and dietary changes. I hope your tumors continue to shrink. May the Lord continue to bless you on this journey.

Warm Regards,

Carla

Hello Everyone,

My husband Jeff is 2 1/2 years out since his diagnosis of non-resectable ICC. He had chemo locally , then radiation at MDA in Houston.

His recent scans show his tumor still appears necrotic and nothing new shows up. He still has no symptoms and appears healthy and functions normally. We are so thankful for this and each and every day we are given.

I realize this is not the case for so many others, and for that I grieve, and pray that advances will continue be made for this and all cancers.

I don’t know if this is helpful, but I do believe the dietary changes we made after his treatments were completed have helped tremendously. He feels better now than before he had cancer, and while it is not a cure, perhaps it helps his body keep things stable and in check. We do our best to eat foods that are organic and minimally processed. He also takes hemp oil and Curcummin for inflammation. He keeps busy, but always aims to get enough sleep. Most importantly, we strive to trust God in this journey.

Wishing you all the best,

Carla

Catherine,

Thank you! The situations do sound very similar. Your mother’s results are very encouraging. I hope all continues to go well with the scans in January.

Enjoy your holidays,

Carla

Lainy,
We did not ask for a 2nd opinion. Initially, when Jeff was diagnosed locally they did try to find a surgeon willing to operate, but were not able. They do not treat hardly any cases of CC , but have some type of affiliation with MD Anderson so they referred us to them. Our doctor at MDA hoped Jeff would be considered for a liver transplant ( and tried a second time to get him accepted after the first rejection) but he was not. They did genetic testing in hopes for a trial but again nothing was a match.

He then had Chemo in hopes that the tumor might shrink enough that surgery could be done, but the tumor did not change. We then were sent to the radiology dept for radiation. From what we understood, once the tumor was exposed to the radiation it would change it so that surgery for that particular mass would never be an option, and have not heard anything different so far.
The radiation was very effective and the tumor is less than half what it was, and appears to be necrotic 18 months out. At this point we do not feel the need to ask for a second opinion, but do appreciate that option.

Jeff’s chemo was done locally as prescribed by MDA; his radiation was done on site in Houston. His follow-up scans are now being done locally with results sent to MDA. If we went to MDA for scans they would be done every 3 months until the one year mark of his radiation completion, then I think it was 4 months, then 6 months. Because we did them locally he chose to schedule them for 6 months this past year, and then not sure for his next 6 month check-up. It may shed some light to mention that Jeff has worked in health care for 25 years, works at the local hospital where he received his chemo, and therefore knows the physicians and nurses doing his follow up care.

I appreciate your questions and follow-up to make sure we understand what our options are and that we are informed. Choosing to lengthen time between scans does not follow protocol, but Jeff is comfortable with it at this point, although nothing is set in stone.