hercules
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Duke, maybe 18 months before diagnosis I was prescribed a pill for toenail fungus. It required a blood test to determine the health of my liver before prescribing this drug because ” it is hard on the liver. ” I have wondered about any relevance here as well, Pat
Well Duke, my analogy is distract yourself by doing what you love, or try something new, just for a while don’t look ahead. Mental survival is as critical as physical survival . Faith is facing the unknown and not being overcome with fear. Have faith Julie, it might be a long ride, Pat
Julie, you are at a difficult time in the first year, it is hard to distract yourself from this topic. Our lives are like a canoe ride on a very winding river. We know there is a waterfall somewhere ahead, but we don’t know just how far. Don’t be so worried about the waterfall that you miss all the beautiful things along the shoreline . Think about what you love to do, make a plan and do it… hope for the best, Pat
Well Cathy hang in there. Time passes quickly …pursue your dreams, help others, and you will be at 9 before you know it. My Oncologist always said cancer is the most baffling corridor of medicine one could practice. Cancers of all types can suddenly turn around, and all at once the bodies defenses recognize the cancer as an invader and suddenly it is gone .Never lose hope, it is our most powerful ally, My best wishes to you…Pat
Yes Lainy, I did check that out… His quotes are motivational, which basically is the same. Coach is making these statements to motivate young men to work hard . It is way too easy to just sit around and be unmotivated. My dogs make me move every day, we help each other. They hate rainy days, and so do I . Keep moving, Pat
Years ago, a man I knew was going to retire. when asked what he planned to do, he said ” I’m not going to sit on the porch and wait to die, that’s for sure.” I thought of him often after he left our outfit and he would drop in occasionally and it is easy to apply this attitude to cancer survival as well. This is what I base my outlook on. thank you all again, Pat
Well there you are, Julie, you are a true survivor ! I commend you for showing an employee of a professional position how to do their job properly . You know how to be your own advocate, speak up now, you might not get another chance. Continue to take care of yourself, Pat
Serena, we all have tremendous resolve in our fight of this disease and I believe in anything that can help your fight. A few of the women I sponsored with cc had chemo.One had a chemo port which became infected. They said the infection went right to her liver, weakened already by the disease , surgery and chemo. Cindy voted on Tuesday and died on Thursday, it happened so fast I could not believe she was gone. My message is this to all chemo patients with a port, be ever so careful, watch every nurse, how your tubing is handled, your life depends on hospital cleanliness, 24/7. Pat
Serena, Hello, my name is Pat and I am a resection patient with 0 lymph involvement and I chose to forgo chemo treatments, my onc. suggested I do not get chemotherapy. He said he would let me have it if I felt it would help psycologically …? Well I certainly didnt want chemo to suppress my fears, thats for sure. I chose to not have it and I am happy I didn’t…. Pat
And also Julie…. Live your life NOW not tomorrow, our future is uncertain, mine, yours, the 93 year old woman I help often, we live a life with no real long term plan. After my surgery when I was where you are Julie I went on what I felt was the vacation of a lifetime, I wanted to see a south pacific island type paradise so I went to Bora Bora with my ex wife , and had a wonderful time. I did many things I realized I had not done, experiences I had not lived, and I can honestly say I lived the best years of my life in the last 9 . Make short term plans for now. As you feel well enough , take that trip, get that puppy, live your life now. Do it, ( voice of experience ) Pat
Oh iowa girl, I have asked for a thousand tomorrows one at a time. When those were all gone, I asked for a thousand more, one at a time. I’m currently working on my third thousand. Hey, this system works…. Pat
Lainy, yes I did see your response which was positive and energetic as most your replies are, thank you as always.Gavin you too are always upbeat and positive, thank you as well. So many things have changed and evolved in my life since 05′, time has passed swiftly. I began sponsoring others with cc at about 5 years out , through different support groups in my area. All were women, all were resection patients, 4 different hopeful people who I cheered on and gave them my best support and hopeful encouragement and did not have any of my people do well. I am not sure why god has given me so much and I want so much to have someone I support on this personal level do well with me.It has proven one of the toughest things I have faced in 9 years of my new life. I hope to have success in this area this year. Thank you all again, Pat
Hello everyone, I have passed a wonderful milestone in september…nine years passed diagnosis, nine years since I first heard the word “cholangiocarcinoma”, a name that changed my life. All the doctors initially assured me it is very unlikely to be this, it is very rare, …a fraction of one percent, don’t worry. It would have hurt more than helped to worry. I just wanted tests and treatments as fast as they could come. The heck with second opinions, By the time I was on the table, I know at least five doctors looked at the medical tests and time is a major factor. My surgeon was referred to as the best by my gastrointestinal doctor. I chose to put my life in his hands. In my case it payed off. Being told you need half your liver removed is mildly upsetting news, but I felt O.K. lets get this over with. Once again it seemed to work out . My blessings have come ever since. Today I will be fishing with my adult son and enjoying another beautiful fall day. Thank you for helping so many people, Pat
Nancy, I do not have a stent currently, In previous posts I noticed certain foods and alcohol make my resected liver produce what I call a “burst of bile” where I can see evidence of over production of bile, I believe a steady flow of bile keeps the duct clear. It is when I eat nothing but salad and tuna fish and fruit etc. that trouble starts. A careful presence of alcohol and animal fat seems to keep my bile duct clear til now. This is my observation up to this point. Everyone is different and we are all just chemical robots as my high school earth science teacher once said. The trick is listen to your body, you must learn to read the messages your body sends you. It seems contrary to logic I know, I do eat healthy,most the time, I drink a lot of cranberry juice, coffee, daily r outine to keep moving,find what agrees with you. Good luck…(required),,,,Pat
Nancy, my name is Pat and my case has many similarities to Ron’s , I am eight years past complete resection, I also had a bilary restriction issue at the area where the bile ducts were rejoined. It was a year ago so it was about the same time.The doctors all talked about it and my surgeon who did the job seemed confident this was just scar tissue and to stent it. I was not jaunticed when I went for a MRI of the bile duct, I had a week of light tan colored stools and mild pain in liver area when I eat fat or drink a beer. I knew right away when things weren’t right. One evening I had a few beers, it was hot out and I try not to drink too much usually but the next day things seemed fine and my stools where normal dark brown again and very quickly my symptoms disappeared ….? Talk about crazy but true. And my symptoms have not returned. I talk with my Gastrointestinal doc and my theory is bile is very acidic, it can also act as drain cleaner on scar tissue. My gastro doctor laughs about this absurd possibility, and does not dispute it. A very lean diet with no alcohol seems the right and healthy thing to do for a resection patient. I love a prime rib dinner occasionally and my doctor says “If you can do a whole prime rib dinner without an issue you are doing well.” So there it is.I use cannabis daily as well.I also have been diagnosed with Primary schlerosing cholangitis, which is a scarring condition of the bile duct. I am not a doctor, and my doctors have nothing to base a next move on either. I live each day as it comes and I am on easy street compared to most. My guardian angels are very effective, and I believe there is a spiritual twist to all of this and I try to demonstrate my appreciation to god every day.May god bless you both, and I hope you have an amazing turn for the better as I have, Pat
