hercules
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No, Alikemal, I have not had chemo, I had a resection surgery (70% of liver removed) gal bladder and partial duct resection . At the time my oncologist recommended that I forgo chemotherapy . He said there was no effective chemo for my cancer. I take an anti inflammitory drug that seems to open up my bile duct and has kept things working for a few years now. No stent, no further treatments whatsoever since Jan. of 06′ . I have said it is, perhaps, the best outcome one could ask for. My digestion and functionality were perfect for maybe 8 or 9 years. I have had some bilary restriction issues that for now have been kept in check with the Meloxicam. Take care, Pat
Ubri, I understand that many people are more fearful of chemo than the cancer itself. I have gone to local cancer support groups and sat with people that are receiving chemo treatments at the time and some get relief from symptoms of the cancer. Everyone is different and every case is unique in some way but similarities are many. Perhaps attending a local cancer support group would give you the opportunity to talk with people getting treatments and tell you first hand the good and bad. There are herbal products that claim to help the body fight cancer, but once a tumor has formed it becomes a more difficult battle. I hope You find a treatment soon, Do what you must do, surgery is not easy either but one must do whatever it takes to stop or slow this cancer. I wish you the best, Pat
Thank you Barry, that is why I am here. It is actually eleven plus now. How amazing to have a run of luck like this, huh? I am blessed with eleven years of life with no restrictions after diagnosis, If caught in time with an experienced surgeon and all the planets align it can work out better than expected. I wish you the best, Pat
Chinese chick, when I first came home after surgery, my oldest daughter, who was my primary caretaker when I came home found an herbal tea called Esiac tea and I don’t remember the herbs, maybe three and I won’t mention the company, this is an herbal blend that has been around since the twenties and there are stories of incurable cancer suddenly reversing and clearing up. I did drink this tea every evening before bed with honey, and it was soothing and it helped me rest during a time when things were very uncertain. Maybe for two or three years, then I just sort of phased it out because it wasn’t cheap. My oncologist knew of this and said take it if I wish. Good luck, Pat
Matt, a big high five on your incredible results with this trial drug, I hope there is more positive news with You and others. Here’s to your continued success, Pat
Catherine, what a wonderful anniversary, Your mothers story gives hope to so many who are told resection is not an option. I have known a few patients that would have wished for this kind of outcome. May your parents blessing continue for many more years. Pat
This thread makes me cry . It is sad and beautiful at the same time. So many that were taken too quickly. My heart goes out to everyone here. I have always become lost trying to move pictures around my computer, I hope to learn how, You are all hero’s to endure this cancer’s wrath. God bless the surviving families, life is not fair, Pat
Wonder, Congrats on 5 years, a great start! My C 19-9 has changed over the years, the first 6 years it was always around 10 or 12 and lately it has come down. My onc. said smoking cannabis would elevate the reading, not to worry. i would look at your levels just before your resection surgery to first determine if the C 19-9 was elevated when you know cancer was present. C 19-9 is not always an accurate indicator of the presence of a tumor. How elevated is your level? Understand it may not be a re-occurance. Try to not panic until an image verifies such a thing. This cancer will fool everyone, the doctors and the patients quite regularly so try to be strong. Elevated levels are sometimes a reason to look further with an MRI or a CT scan . It is your doctors call but if I am worried I ask my doctor about taking a look, and one time we did and it was a false alarm. So my plan of action would be to schedule an MRI or scan and let a radiologist take a careful look. It is part of the excitement of being a long term cc survivor, welcome to the club. If one was just done I would do another blood draw in a few weeks to see a trend up or down. The upside is you are living a life which was impossible 50 years ago, so every day is a miracle over and over. I hope this is just a hiccup in the system, good luck, Pat
The drug is called Meloxicam, it was initially prescribed for a bad shoulder joint which is an old injury that is a source of pain when the weather changes. I noticed after beginning the medication my stools are dark and my urine has returned to light yellow. When I spoke with my doctor about this, he told me when any part of your body is sending a strong pain signal to the brain a stress hormone is released causing numerous sites of scar tissue around the body to “light up” as he put it with inflammation. We are not only treating your shoulder he said, but your scar tissue in your bile duct as well. This has worked well now for almost two years, we have increased the dosage from 7.5 to 15 mg. which worked better. It is a reasonably priced pill at 1.00 for a thirty day supply. It is hard on the stomach and must follow a decent sized meal. There it is Marion, the whole enchilada. I hope someone can put off a stent as I have , as that is often the site of further life threatening problems (not always though…I know a 20 year liver transplant patient with a metal stent that has been in place for more than ten years ) so stents are not always problematic. He is doing incredibly well also and he is one of my hero’s . Thank you all again, Pat
Dear Anne, what you have shared is amazing. If 20% of patients can be helped is huge considering only 10% of patients are operable when diagnosed. Please continue as I don’t understand why more research is not done in more countries. You have gone around every blockade you have encountered with this disease and moved ahead and made progress and found answers. Your determination is inspiring, and I hope your results are as incredible as your spirit. I wish Your husband and You the best outcome possible, Thank You, Pat
Here it is September 21st already, the day eleven years ago an ultrasound discovered a soft tissue tumor in my left hepatic duct just before the point where left meets right. Wait 6 weeks to see a Gastrointestinal specialist, wait 3 weeks for ERCP then wait 5 days for results/recommendation, then make appointment to see surgeon, it was 4 months before anything was actually done, a liver resection removing 60% of my liver (left side) January 26 of 2006 I was home in 5 days, healed well, had no further complications, went back to work in ten weeks, and have managed to have a normal life since. I have restriction issues in the duct as it builds scar tissue at the point the bile duct was sutured together. My primary care doctor helped me find that an anti inflammitory drug that opens the restricted bile duct enough to keep things working. I am healthy and able to do anything a man my age can do. I am pleased to share that another year has gone by without any difficulty other than taking a pill every day. I suppose it doesn’t get better than this. Sometimes things do work out well, just not often enough. I try to show every day I am grateful to be here by helping others and giving more than I take as a rule. Stay active, be smart about what you put in and on your body, and don’t think about cancer all the time. Try to stay busy enough to not have time to even think about it. I guess that is my story, I had many good breaks through it all and I hope the stars align for someone else soon. God bless, Pat
Michelle, I am sorry, I read your reply before your incredible story, and you are spot on, you are alive and living, you have so much to live for, and your strong outlook is everything, I was very lucky in so many ways. I believe positive karma is a huge part of our outcome. We don’t lay down and let it happen, when necessary I will take chemo or anything they advise. I am not afraid of the future, but only hopeful. All along I have dealt with this unsure but hopeful. My outcome has been by far better than most, but there are those here who have had great success with chemo, and other treatments. We must evolve and learn from those who had success. I have always wrote value every day and use your survival instinct to guide you every day. I hope your battle continues to be a winning fight, Pat
Thank you Lainy, Gregg, and Michelle for your replies, Lainy, time passes quickly, hope you remain cancer free for many more. Gregg, just remain positive and live life, I retired at 54 and I believe it is the best thing that I ever did as it helps you remain stress free. Michelle, a moderator of a local cancer support group I attended cited a statistic that over 50% of all cancer survivors experience some level of insomnia, and let me tell you, insomnia can destroy you. Making your bed a place You love to go, spend money on it and make it look inviting and comfortable, as a survivor it will be the best investment You can make. Being well rested helps the body more than any other requirement so never forget 1/3rd of your survival is spent sleeping, so make it as enjoyable as you can. Thank You all again and keep going, Pat
Congratulations Derin, 5 years can sneak right by you, and that is good, according to the medical community, you are considered ‘cured’ at 5 years. Every year, month, or day is a priceless gift, may you continue to be able to do the things you love and live life fully every day. May your good fortune continue, Pat
Thank You Marion, There are free educational, medically correct online classes on this website to help us understand cancer you must understand cell physiology and how cells work and live. There is so much here on this website to read and see and review that you could spend weeks or months here researching all this site offers. Knowledge is power, so take what you want, I hope it helps you as it has me, Thank you again Marion for all you do here and all the Moderators, you have made this somewhere I come every day to learn something new, god bless you all, Pat
