janetinfl
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I forgot to tell you that so far there is no lymph node involvement. I did ask that question once. Pete had to take many test to see if the cancer hadn’t spread to be eligible for the trial. He is now off the trial because his platlets fell 2 times.
The big question is if the tumor has shown no sign of growth or has shrunk. He will have an mri in 3 weeks to answer that question. The catscan he had wasn’t good enough to answer that question.
I wish you all a Merry Christmas and that 2012 is good to you. Lets hope our loved ones are here to enjoy another Christmas. We will do our best to enjoy the holidays with our son, pregnant wife, and 4 year old grandson. They live in North Carolina and will join us tomorrow. Our nearest goal is to travel to North Carolina in April to greet our first granddaughter.
Thank you all for your replies. You have all given me lots to look into. My medical knowledge can fit on my little finger. I am trying to learn all that I can and this site has been a godsent for me.
I now have more questions to ask. I definately need to get smarter and try to understand all these medical terms. I usually go with a list of questions and leave with more questions.
Last Thursday we met with a Dr. Sella who is a radiologist. He talked at length about a type of radiology that goes through the leg and targets the cancer cells on the liver. He even talked of targeting the cancer in the portal vein to relieve some of Pete symtoms. He told us Pete has a large tumor on the right side of the liver and a smaller one that is sitting on the boundary line of the 2 lobes. First he will do a test drive to see that the poison he targets the tumor with doesn’t decide to leak out somewhere else. If the trial test drive works, then another day he would do the deed. I don’t remember the medical term he used to describe this procedure.
Friday we talked with the oncologist. At this point in time he said he would give Pete the traditional chemo and when it quits working then the next thing to do is the radiation. But he said he would consult with Sella. I like the idea of different docs having a “pow wow” and deciding what is the best thing to do because my husband and I know zero.
But the big question I have is why he isn’t a candidate for a transplant? Is it because of medicare or because he isn’t strong enough to withstand all the treatments needed before a transplant is necessary. I also want to tell them I am aware of Dr. Chapman and the trials he and the Mayo completed. I just want some answers.
Thank you again for all your replies. I feel the pain you all have gone through and the hope you give to others. You don’t know how many times I have read threads and just cried my eyes out. One big lesson I have learned is that you can’t give up. One must fight the good fight. I myself must learn all that I can so that someday I can tell myself I never gave up on my best friend of 44 years. Thank you again for all your advice.
Cathy, I think I read your post about a transplant with portal vein involvement. The surgeon named Dr. Lee at the Mayo said once cancer invades the portal vein that they can never be sure it is all out. He is the one that told us to make the most of each day we have. I don’t remember much else he said because I just fell apart. I had thought the reason for the appointment was to discuss alternatives. Dr. Lee also said my husband looked really good.
Pete had a catscan after 6 weeks on the trial. They couldn’t get a good reading because his kidney functions weren’t up to a certain level to put somthing in his cocktail before chemo. So in another 3 weeks he will have a MRI to see what the chemo has done. Right now they are guessing the trial did some good because all his numbers look so good.
I think I read somewhere that Medicare doesn’t cover transplants for people that have cc. Does anyone know about that?
