hercules
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My, your mother’s case sure moved along quickly it seems, I don’t know how long all the tests you mentioned took to do, I was almost 5 months from finding a tumor to surgery. I hope all goes well, there are a few recent resection patients posting lately, and all, including your mother, sound promising. I wish you continued success, Pat
Aiste, hello and good day, the emotional sensitivity I think is from the i.v. pain medication, I was teary before I went home and I was NEVER like that before, it could also be that you realize your mortality and that is a release, I still cry reading these boards (sometimes even my own when I read them) so this disease is life changing, and he is thinking about sentimental things he hasn’t thought about in a while, it is emotional even for the toughest man ( I am hercules you know and it was hard on me) ha! So be supportive of dad , being cut open, having stuff taken out, being sewn back up makes you look old, go easy on him, he’ll look better at home with his grandson and You, Be patient and take care, Pat
P.S. Best wishes from the other side of planet earth…..Fred, the liver regenerates in just 4 to 6 weeks, an amazing thing to try to imagine what is going on in there on a cellular level, eating healthy is important, thank god my daughter is a great cook and the smell of her cooking makes even a resection patient hungry. I have posted about my appetite problems, for me cannabis and my daughters wonderful cooking made a huge difference.Marinol helps for some, however for me marinol had minimal effect compared to high grade cannabis. I lost a third of my body weight by 2 months past surgery, it is still hard to keep my weight up (cashews and milkshakes are good calorie bursts ) best wishes to you both, Pat
It is difficult to explain the feeling Julie mentioned. It feels great to share the excitement of a clear scan , even after years of good news, it is still stressful to even take a look. When you share such news, you do think of the others on this board whose scan may have shown a return, which deflates everyone reading here. Those of us who have done well do feel this tug on our hearts when we write, unfortunately not enough of us get that good news to share, It is hard to describe but there is a sadness in writing things when you try to see them through the eyes of someone who has just received devastating news in their test results. This disease is awful, it tortures us even when it is in remission, the right thing is to share triumphs and setbacks, that is a part of learning how to beat it.Victories or setbacks, we are all here to find ways to beat this, we must be strong and hopefully someday we all will beat this, until then I will share my story, Pat
Darla, Marion, Lainy, yes there are times it is not the right time to share all related experience, and part of a support discussion board does require being mindful of how some may interperate well meant words in a hurtful way, but also posting good news is not chest thumping, it is sharing sometime the most incredible and relieving news you could have gotten from a doctor, or anyone for that matter, They have opened the envelope, and the results are… you have won the lottery of life for 1 year…..unlimited breaths. You’ve GOT to tell someone…. right?
Aiste, good to hear he is happy and moving around, it is good he made a friend in there,stomach cancer, like all gastro-intestinal cancers, is hard to beat too. sounds like he’s doing fine, God bless you all, every day will get better, Pat
Dear Julie, I too have posted about how it feels sharing milestones amongst some who do not fare as well. It is your good heart thinking of others feelings while you write. There is a reason we are here, a reason we come back to this site, it is because we want to give others facing the tough part of their journey hope. When I was reaching 5 years of survival, I tried to look beyond statistics and find a long term survivor, I asked my surgeon about how many long term survivors he had , he said he had many, this was just as privacy laws were being re-written in the states so he did not put any of us together at that time. I did not have this site then, and I never had that person with more time to share details of his/her survival with me. I did not know I would become what I wanted for others. So do not feel bad sharing victories dear Julie, let time go by and the good feeling overcome the uneasy ones when sharing good news. What would this site be like if all posts were from people who are sharing bad news? Keep sharing, and don’t let your good caring heart beat you up while you are doing it, take care…Pat
Aiste, I was a little concerned about his fever, thanks for letting us know it has come down. It is good he is eating, I was all liquids, and on day 3 at 3 a.m. I was awake and suddenly extremely hungry, so hungry I was uncomfortable, the kitchen was closed, the nurse was able to put together a small can of chicken noodle soup and a carton of white milk from the family waiting area, it was the best canned soup I ever ate, and I like canned chicken noodle soup ever since…lol… they would not give me solid food until the doctor said o.k. seemed like in no time I was out of there yay! Back home with my dogs and my fireplace to relax by…. I am happy for all of you, hug that mother of yours, too much crying is not good for anyone, tell her Pat said all will be alright again soon, keep me updated, Pat
Aiste, try to remain strong, sounds like mom and dad need you and your strength. When I was post op I did not know about liver enzymes and other details, I think the doctor doesn’t want to complicate your mind with too many details, Just simply focus on healing and talk about what you all will do when the beautiful summer weather comes, try to avoid shop talk til the dust settles as they say, fill his mind with hopeful thoughts of what he wants to do after he gets better. Think of something you all can do as a family together and this will give his mind proper direction, talk about favorite things you have done and try to get his thoughts out of that hospital bed, I bet a well chosen topic can get all your minds off negative thoughts, for now the goal is to heal up and go home. Stay positive, we are pulling for you too, Pat
Aiste, sounds like everything has gone perfectly so far, let’s hope he’s comfortable til he see’s you, I will hope and pray for his continued success, Pat
Aiste, I did very well after surgery, The surgeon was not sure if he would need to take a piece of intestine to make a section of bile duct if needed ( fortunately, he did not, he said he was able to move things around a little bit and made what was there reach. ) I was up and walking on day 3 and I went home on day 5 after surgery. One big difference is I was 49 at the time, so I was 25 years younger than he is, he may not be expected to heal as quickly as I did, but we can hope for results close to mine as you say he is healthy. The toughest thing about it is your stomach muscle is now cut and re-sewn together. That is probably the most uncomfortable thing about the recovery is the tender stomach for a while, sitting up to move and such. He has you, which is huge also, my daughter looked after me and cooked and cleaned and helped me do as well as I did. Without her I am sure it would not have been so successful. Tell him be strong and everything can be as good as before. Best of luck to you both, Pat
Dear Aiste, most Cholangiocarcinoma patients are not definitively diagnosed until after surgery, usually the tumor should not be disturbed until removal. Your father sounds like a very special man, and his condition is operable, which is huge. I wish you and your father the best possible results, god bless, Pat
Catherine , great news ! Good to know chemo is effective against some variety of this awful disease, congratulations, Pat
Fred, every cancer case is different in some way, the only thing that is always the same is that we call it cancer. That said I will share some things I remember leading up to my surgery. I remember being more excited than fearful about the operation, The surgeon explained to me the importance of the portal veins involvement with the tumor. My tumor was contained in the left hepatic duct and had not “grown through” the sides of the bile duct yet. the hepatic vein runs along the bile duct where it enters the liver about the same area the bile ducts come out. It is easy for this to turn into a big mass which is difficult to dissect and separate healthy from sick cells. I asked why remove half the liver if a tumor is in my bile duct? After my surgery he explained cancer is present in the bilary tree within the liver like rust on the inside of steel pipes, hard to show me on a ct scan but seeing as there is a tumor further down the duct, it is presumed the liver is also involved, curative surgery requires removal of all possibly involved tissue. That means half the liver or more. Be positive, he’s young, you found it earlier than most, pray, many prayed for me, it can’t hurt. Try to help him find ways to relax, 10 minutes of quiet solitude a day, It sounds like his chances are good for a positive outcome, best wishes to both of you, Pat
