iowagirl
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Irish Mac,
Yes, it is, depending on what is going on with the body and meds.
If on chemo, there is usually also steroids given at the same time which causes blood sugar to rise a LOT.
With cancer, the body is sick and as such, the blood sugars may also rise, as they do when you have a cold or some other illness.
However, if there is a tumor IN the liver itself, that might cause the blood sugars to go down as it interferes with the glucose/sugar released from the liver. You can have a sudden, low blood sugar event for no apparent reason.
It is very important to have someone managing your diabetes/blood sugar treatment while hou have active cancer or cancer treatment.
Juli T.
Hazel,
The use of chemo after resection is a topic of much controversy. Since there is no definitive study to show that chemo can actually kill CC cancer cells, the use of adjuvant chemo (post resection) comes into question. Some doctors push for adjuvant chemo for CC resection patients and others do not. With most doctors here in the US , it is left to the patient to decide.
I had a resection for a 5 cm intrahepatic CC tumor also in my left lobe, Feb 2014, 20 months ago. I did 6 rounds of Gem/Cis chemo after that, which is the type of chemo most often used. It did some damage to my kidneys and left me with some neuropathy and possibly “some” hearing damage as well as some cognitive function damage regarding word retrieval. In Nov, 2015, my scans detected a 1.5 cm tumor had grown in an area adjacent to the previously resected area of the left liver lobe. That was resected on Dec 7th, this year. We don’t know if this was a rogue cell, or one of more to come. But, the doctors do tell me that they believe it was there at the time of the resection, but too small to be seen. While I would have rather not had any recurrence of the CC, the doctors seem to be optimistic right now that there is a chance that this may not come back again. And….if it does come back and is again operable, my surgeon said he would operate again.
So, the question is, whether the chemo was “worth” it. I would still do it over again, knowing what I know now, because I didn’t ever want to wonder, “What if.” It may be that there were other cells that were either killed off by the chemo or at least beaten back. We just don’t know how truly effective the chemo really is.
So, that is probably why you have run into the situation where the medical people are refusing to give chemo. There are going to be doctors who believe the chemo can potentially do too much damage without evidence that it does any good. Other doctors will actually insist that you do chemo after getting a resection. (as my doctors did the first resection) It may be difference in England, but that has been my experience here.
I hope that Helen can help you straighten things out for your daughter. Give your daughtere my best and tell her that I am pushing for her for the best.
Julie T.
IrishMac
I just had a 1-1.5 cm tumor resected and they considered that still small. 20 months ago, I had a 5 cm tumor resected and that was borderline large. Bigger than that, and you get into the very large/huge catagory from what I’ve been able to tell. Anyone else have some stats on this?
Julie T.
Sandie ,
Tony is right. Along with the chemo, Gem/Cis, they do give bags of steroids which do send blood sugar through the roof sometimes. Mine would often go up over 400-450. I took 45 units of short actiing insulin by accident one time right after getting chemo and the steroids (instead of my long acting 45 units of Lantis) and it only brought it down half way. Normally, it would have dropped it into a dangerous low. The steroids are always something to be carefull about with diabetes.
My blood sugar levels also would start to drop 2-3 days post chemo. However, for those days, the blood sugar was far too high. I wasn’t warned about this prior to getting chemo and my GP who monitors my blood sugar wasn’t advised, so I did not have a plan in place to offset that huge rise in blood sugar.
I just had the opportunity to meet with Mayo Clinic diabetes managers and they were surprised that someone had not overseen my diabetes and blood sugar during the chemo. They said that it should be actively managed during that time to keep the numbers from going up so much.
As Tony suggested, I would imagine that might possibly include some insulin as a more natural way to keep the numbers down.
Julie T.
Catherine, Thank you for that really great explanation of your mom’s ICC history and treatment. I’m keeping that in my info file…..you never know when you’ll need it.
Irene…..Good luck to you with the SIRT treatment. We’re all pullling for it to be successful. Please let us know how you are doing.
Merry Christmas to you both…..take time to be grateful….take time to enjoy.
Julie T.
Jim,
I want to add my welcome to the group. I am aso an intrahepatic CC patient. While I don’t have anything to add to the really great info that has already been posted, I wanted to wish you, your wife and family a very happy Christmas down in Floriday and will pray for the time to be only enjoyment and no time out for hospital trips.
Julie T.
Dear Surfer, I’m so sorry for the loss of your husband. I Know you must be devastated, esp after fighting so hard against the CC. Julie T.
Melinda…..Yup…..the last I did before leaving the hospital was 15 laps. Now, the nurses’ station isn’t that big….but after surgery, it all “feels” big.
) I’m home now.. Had a really good night’s sleep in the hotel last night (wonderful bed and room) and breakfast this morning at the hotel. We stopped a couple times on the 3 hour drive home, to get out and walk for a little bit. Fortunately, pain meds were timed well and covered the trip home. I slept most of the way….am still tired (pain medication is the reason), but I will give in to the sleep.Julie
Yes,, I am going to take it easy, though I have to walk at intervals. I’m looking forward to my Lazy Boy recliner and good bed, though the Marriott bed last night at the hotel was great. More pain in the one incision today. I would bet that it will take a week for that to even start to settle down. It was hard to get up from bed this morning and I needed some help from hubby….because my side of the bed is the side of my diaphram that is swollen and painful. Home…3 hours away….but am looking forward to it….and a home cooked meal from a friend is waiting there. Yup…totally taking it easy.
Julie
I was dismissed from the hospital at 6:30 tonighjt. After getting my bags in the car, we went to Famous Dave’s BBQ for supper with a cousin. It seems so surreal to be out to dinner after having major surgery the day before….so hard to believe that you can do that and go back to the real world like nothing happened.
Well, almost like nothing happened. I walked a little too much today…trying to prove that I could “do it”. I”m very tired and the place that is swollen and hurt is hurting more. But, it will probably be better tomorrow.
More info about the surgery that might help some others in the future. From about 6-7 months after the surgery to the current time, I noticed various little twinges and tweeks that hurt in my diaphram area. It turned out that I had a large amount of adhesions from my previous liver surgery 20 months ago. Yesterday, the surgeon spent 45 minutes cutting away the adhesions to get to the liver to even see it, let alone start cutting on it.
I pushed it today….doing more walking than i was probably ready for, but to be talking about dismissing so early, it seemed like it had been a week since surgery yesterday and I should be doing more. So,that one place that hurts more….well, hurts more. I’m incredibly tired tonight but incredibly happy to be going home. We are staying in Rochester tonight at our hotel and will drive on home tomorrow.
The good news is that I am going home….and a skillful surgeon has given me more time and I’ve been given the gift of more time with my family and loved ones.
Thank you al for your continued support. Life is good.
Julie T.
Had supper at 6:30 p.m.,, had two walks tonight, catheter removed at 11 pm. and get this, I “may” be dismissed to go home…TOMORROW…..Still have to be instructed about Levequin for blood thinning to ward off clots, and must use the bathroom, but the surgery team wrote on my room board that the discharge date anticipated is tomorrow (Tuesday, Dec
. Now, that could change…my nurse thought maybe Wednesday might be the real date….but Still….that is 48 hours post surgery. Wow!!! I have no pain in the incisions except for one. A miscle in the area may have gotten pushed around more there. Still, I’ve had other surgeries in my life and this one has bveen the leas painful of all. Right now, my worst discomfort lying here in bed….is super dryness in my throat that is only relievced by drinking sips of water every several minutes, which explains me still being up at 2 a.m.. The dryness is a side effect o he anesthesia and the soreness from intubation during surgery. It will go away….but sin’t making me very comfortable to sleep. But, I NEED to get some sleep because the surgeon will be making rounds in the morning about 8 a.m.. Just wanted everything one to know I appreciae your comments and good wishes and prayers. They worked….and I’m doing well,,,..physically and emotionally, though I did have quite a few tears in the hour or two before surgery. My worst fear was the surgeon finding somerthing more than the one tumor…..but that was it….nothing more appeared on the intraabdominal ultrasound or his “look around once he was inside”. Night all.Julie T.
