halinamary

Hi Marion,
Did you find the mistletoe injections and Vitamin C helpful? Did your husband have intraveneous Vitamin C?
A naturopath physician we visited suggested Mistletoe injections and intraveneous Vitamin C. However, an integrated medicine doctor at Sloan Kettering advised against both. She said the mistletoe can be dangerous and people have dropped dead on it. As for the intraveneous Vitamin C, she said there is no proof it helps.
I have been thinking though of trying these for my mom. However, having to go a few times a week for the Vitamin C could be rather tiring for her. I just don’t know what is the best thing to do for her.

Her oncologist suggested trying Tarceva, a targeted medicine, which she thinks my mom may be able to tolerate better than she did the Gemzar. However, there are side effects with the Tarceva as well. I don’t want to do something that could make my mother sick but I want to try something for her if it could help her.

My mom’s cancer markers keep going up and last week were 15,000.
Recently, the spreading of the cancer is causing a blockage against the ureter preventing urine to come out of her left kidney to the bladder as it should. For the time being nothing is being done for this unless it becomes problematic.

Except for the tiredness she is feeling O.K.

Thanks,
Halinamary

Thanks Gavin,

I am looking alot on those sights. I did ask her oncologist about meds for the fluid in her abdomen as you mentioned and was told there isn’t anything for that.
Her last scans now show that there is evidence of cancer cells there.

Thanks for your support. Halinamary

Marion,

Thank you for responding. We decided to try the Gemzar. She is getting 500mg – 2 weeks on and then 1 or two weeks off, depending on her blood counts. She had 2 treatments and so far she is feeling no side effects at all.

She had no problems with the radiation and it did help shrink the tumor. I’ve read so much about how chemo has helped and I’ve also read how chemo was debilitating, not helpful and that this cancer does not respond to chemo.

My mom is a somewhat active woman and goes everywhere with me and my children ( visiting friends, Central Park and even row boating there, Bronx Zoo, county fairs, museums etc.).

If the chemo can give her a better chance with this cancer she is willing to try it. What scares me is that the chemo could make her sick by compromising her immune system. Yet, if we don’t try the chemo and the cancer starts getting worse we’ll regret not having tried it.

As I said, so far she is feeling fine – even her weight has not gone down anymore. One problem I think with her weight is that it has been hard getting alot of calories. The doctor told her to stay away from oils and fats. So I have been cooking everything on water instead and that reduces calories quite a bit. Also I read that sugar should be limited – another source of calories.

I find my head spinning with so many different opinions and options. I have been giving her alot of supplements and foods that are suppose to help the immune system. I hope it helps.