jberg597
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Seamus,
My husband was on the pump of 5FU with a combo of radiation after 6 weeks of Gemzar and Oxlyplatin. At the time he was on the pump and even the chemo they were not treating tumors. They were using this for “wipe up” of any stray cancer cells. Everything seemed to work for awhile but unfortunately the cancer returned. Best of luck to your wife.
JoyceHi Charlene,
I am so sorry for the situation you are in. Reading your posts brings back to the surface memories I am trying to deal with. My husband died in May at the age of 50 after 18 months of agressive treatment. I have only one regret and that is that I would have not kept pretending that things were going to be okay. I spent a lot of time doing that because that is what I thought he wanted to hear. In my mind I needed to be “forever” the cheerleader. I wasn’t in denial because I was the one researching, questioning, and reading but I wanted to spare my husband all the nasty details. Although I spent almost every moment with my husband when he went on hospice, I still never talked of him not being here. I would advise you to take the cues from your husband. Be whatever he wants you to be, the cheerlearder, in denial, or both depending on the day. I wish you and your husband the best. Take care of yourself.
JoyceHi Nancy,
Sorry it took so long to get back to you but here are the answers to your questions: Yes, my husband’s cancer returned. I believe that it was because it had spread to the lymph nodes. They felt confident that they removed all “visible” cancer at the time of surgery. My husband’s resection was done at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. His surgeon, James Markman has taken a position at Stanford, I believe. Best of luck.
JoyceBob’s wife,
My heartfelt sympathy to you and your family. May you find peace in the love and support of others. My husband, age 51, lost his battle in May. Keeping extremely busy has been of some help to me. Falling in bed exhausted gets me through the night. Knowing our loved ones are no longer suffering brings me peace. You will find a way to get you through whatever is ahead. I pray the toughest days are behind you.
Take care,
JoyceHi Nancy,
I am sorry to hear about your friend. My husband went into surgery to remove what was thought to be a suspicious tumor. After they opened him up they discovered it to be bile duct cancer with some lymph node involvement. It was his surgeon’s decision to resect his liver, anyway. I think my husband’s age factored into the doctor’s decision (50) as well as a healthy right lobe of the liver. He told us that most surgeons would have closed my husband up once they discovered the spread to the lymph nodes. The surgeon was able to establish clear margins after surgery. The lymph nodes remained the problem. We were told it was not a question of “if” the cancer would return but “when” the cancer returned. But I truly believe this surgery extended the life of my husband. He was 4 days in the hospital and returned to work a couple of weeks later. There was abdominal pain that he experienced but it did not hold him back. Much was just the healing process from the surgery. For 1 1/2 years he continued to say that he felt some discomfort but he did not complain of pain. I know how anxious you both must be. All of us can relate to your fear and worry. Hope the best for your friend. Please keep us posted. Take care.
JoyceAndrea,
I am so sorry for your loss. I also lost my mother. Just 2 months ago. And before I had time to grieve for her, I lost my husband to this cancer 12 days later. I don’t think there is ever enough time with your loved one to prepare you for their death. Your mother sounds like a great worman. May you find peace in the comfort of your family and friends.
Take care,
JoyceCarolann,
My heart aches for you as you deal with the loss of your mother. Please know that all on this site share your sadness as another family member succumbs to this disease. My husband is the same age as your mother and I know the fear and sadness my own children are dealing with. May you soon find peace with loss.
JoyceThank you all for your kind words. I know all of you share our pain in one way or another. This morning my husband will have a G-tube inserted to try to get him some relief. I am praying this does the trick. I will let you know. God bless.
JoyceAlison,
So sorry for your loss. I agree that this is a horrible cancer. Be thankful your mom suffered little. I wish you peace in the days ahead and joys in the memories you shared together.
JoyceJules,
My husband has complained about that “gnawing pain” for months. He has repeatedly asked if it could be the cancer. He was told that the pain was probably related from the surgery of his resection 18 months ago and also constipation. Unfortunately, lastest scans do in fact revel the spreading of his cancer to the abdominal walls. Within a period of one month he has been hospitalized 3 times for abdominal obstruction, severe vomiting, and dehydration. With each hospital visit, he had relief from the pain. Constipation is a major contributor to the pain he suffered and pain medicine appears to be a major contributor to constipation. As of this week, he has decided he wants to stay home and we have begun hospice. Talking to your dad’s oncologist is a good idea but so is your advice in keeping his bowels regular.
JoyceDear Marion,
My thoughts and prayers are with you in the days and weeks ahead. I thank you so much for all that you contribute to this website. Your husband was very lucky to have such a loving and caring family. It saddens me though each time another family member is added to this list. I pray that we will see brighter days ahead with the awful disease.
JoyceSevere pain in the neck area is was what brought my husband to the emergency room before his diagnosis. Upon reading a head, neck, and chest x-ray and CT scan, it revealed a tumor on his liver. Three months later and after a liver resection, his pain was gone from his neck. Maybe it was “referred pain”. We were never told that, though. There was no evidence of mets anywhere else. That is not the case now. My husband’s recurrrance shows mets to his pelvic area and liver.
Hi Peter,
My husband is on his 2nd cycle of Xeloda and Avastin and does not experience sleeplessness. He does appear to stay up later than usual but is asleep around 11:00 pm (this is late for him). In fact, quite the opposite is true. He is having a harder time getting out of bed in the morning. He is also experiencing some stomach upset but rarely vomits. This seems to be a lot more tolerant on his body than his last chemo cocktail of Erbitux and Irrinotecan. Best of luck to you.
JoyceStacie and Rick,
All of us share in your sadness. Because of Mark, this site became a reality. He was so lucky to have such wonderful support from his family as you were lucky to have such a brave brother. God Bless you and comfort you in the days ahead.
Joyce
