iowagirl
Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Greg,
The last I heard from my oncologist, the plan was for me to have scans every 3-4 months until 3 years and at that time go to every 6 months. Then at 5 years, I would be stretched out to 1 year.
I can see why there “might” be some thought behind stopping at two years because at that point, my oncologist said that the odds go to the patient’s favor more that the CC will not return and stopping the scans would limit the radiation exposure.
But, the odds are far from perfect/100% at two years. He just gave us the idea that at that point, we could breathe a little easier, because the original cancer does not “hide” for several years and then reappear. What I gathered from that, is that if it hasn’t come back, then there were probably no circulating cancer cells remaining in my body. And…if it does come back after that time, then I guess it would be because whatever caused it to grow in the first place was still present and started a new cancer. I’m also guessing that two years post resection allows for a very slow growing CC cells to grow large enough to be seen.
I am having scans done this Thursday with results on Friday. I will be bringing up this topic with him, but personally, I am not comfortable with stopping scans at 2 years. I may talk to the oncologist about stretching to 6 months though.
I am also wondering if the discontinuing of scans at 2 years you have run into is an insurance or Medicare rule.
Julie T.
Matt, I was going to stay off the boards for a while until after scans this week, but something drew me back in…..and then I saw your post….so had to see what was up. Congratulations on Merck providing the Keytruda for free…..such fantastic news. And….equally fantastic is that you are not having any nasty side effects.
Julie T.
Annie, I am so sorry to hear about your dad’s passing. Looking back and second guessing decisions isn’t helpful or healthy. Nothing can change the past. For now, you must grieve, but eventually, you will be lifted up and be ready to live life again. This whole, awful experience will dim and when you think of your dad, it will be of good times and happy memories. Give it time and allow yourself this time to heal emotionally. You will ALWAYS miss your dad…..I know I do. Things will get better. Prayers for you and your family.
Julie T.
Wow Melinda……that’s just the best news for you and for us to read. Thank you for doing what you’re doing for yourself, but also for all the others of us out here.
Julie
Gavin, thank you for your post. One of the first things I ran across just before surgery, was an article that suggested that those who had taken an aspirin a day for a certain number of years before cancer diagnosis appeared to have less metastatic cancer. I don’t have the article any longer, but I know my surgeon said that most all CC was caused by inflammation…which was caused by something irritating the bile duct. Aspirin reduces inflammation, so that is probably the thought process, I’m guessing. I know that when I saw the article last year, I smiled inside…because I’d been taking a 325 mg aspirin a day for at least 5 years following a heart attack and then was dropped down to a 81 mg aspirin up until the day after the CT found the tumor. I had to be off the aspirin for the biopsy and just stayed off of it for the next 4 weeks, until I had my resection. Am hoping that these people are right and it helped keep the cancer cells from moving out of the liver into my blood stream. I think there may be a retrospective study that is what I had previously read a year ago. Glad to hear that the UK is going to do an actual clinical trial and with various dosages of aspirin.
Julie T.
Marion,
Thank you for posting the article about metforman in the gut and the development of Metformin DR which appears to not get into the blood stream as much as as such, also doesn’t potentially affect kidney function as much.
The chemo I had after surgery downgraded my kidney function. The creatinine is at 1.1-1.2…..so that’s not too bad…just slightly out of normal, but my GFR is 45-47 and as such, I was on Metforman for my type II diabetes in addition to the insulin I already have taken for years. But after taking it for two weeks, my GP ordered the blood tests and with the GFR that low, she didn’t want me to continue. We switched to Glipizide, which seems to be working on my blood sugars, but since it’s function is to cause the pancreas to kick out more insulijn, I wish there was something else. Maybe this new finding will provoke more research into better drugs that don’t exclude patients with kidney problems.
I’ll be printing out the article and taking with me to my GP and Mayo oncologist for their take on it.
Julie T.
Cathy,
I was shocked when I read your post. Not invincible Cathy.!!!!
I know you will face this with the same determination as when you were first diagnosed. Tomorrow’s meeting with the cancer doctors will start you on whatever treatment they have in mind for you. Right now, I imagine that you feel like a bubble burst……but once you start with a plan, I know you will handle this with the same grace as you have the past 6 and a half years.Will you be seeing Dr. Chapman?
We’re here for you and wish you the best.
Julie T.
Chollangiocarcinoma and Liver cancer , as well as probably other gastrointestinal cancers sometimes make their presence known by a spontaeious blood sugar low. For a couple months before my cancer was discovered, my blood sugars lowered significantly. I didn’t think too much about it because I was also dieting and losing weight and figured that my insulin resistance (Type II diabetes) was improving with the weight drop. Howev er, then a week before my cancer was found (intrahepatic) 5 cm tumor) I had a spontaneous low…down to 43. It didn’t seem to make sense, but I planned to see a diabetes educator aboutl reconfiguring my insulin amounts.
I discussed the possibility of using Metformin with my oncologist several months ago and he said the study I found was in diabetic patients who had been using Metformin showing less occurance of CC than those who didn’t use it. However, that says nothing about whether it would make a difference after CC is diagnosed. We still talked about using Metformin and my GP did prescribe it for me, but I only took it for one week. The side effects hit me pretty hard and when my blood labs came back, my GFR was too low. due to chemo side effexts. You should not start metformin if your GFR (kidney function) is 45 or less. Mine was 47 and just not worth taking the risk of more kidney damage.
My oncologist had said that since I had had surgery to remove the tumor and essentially was currently no evidence of disease, it might be interesting to see if the Metformin would make a difference…..to conduct my own little study of one. And…because of issues with my blood sugar since chemo, we hoped the Metformin might reign in the blood sugar and drop it better. Since I had to stop the Metformin….now I’m on a different drug in addttion to my insulin and this drug works differently than Metformin.
Don’t know if that answered your questions.
Kathy…use this time to rest and gain strength, both physically and mentally. The better your health, the better for you to stay in the trials once you get into one…..and you WILL!!! I am going to will that to happen for you and with super results….for those precious babies of yours, so their mommy is with them a lot longer.
Prayers for you.
Julie T.
Surfer, I’m sorry to hear how difficult things have become during your husband’s treatment. I’m sending prayers to ease his side effects from treatment.
Julie T.
Fantastic news and I’m so happy for you. We all know that CC can come back even in those early months after surgery, so every scan is important to get through and go beyond. I don’t remember being nervous for the first post resection scan, but then again, I didn’t know much back then about recurerence. You’re at MD Anderson and they will take good care of you and I know that you will also stay vigilant. Prayers for you that the next scan will be the same.
