kris00j
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Kylie:
As far as i know, depending on the lymph nodes, resection is less of an option because of chances of cc spreading. If the surgeon is pretty sure he can get them all, it might be an option. I don’t know about stents.
But with responsiveness from therapy, they might not want to try. If they miss one cell it would be worse than leaving the cancer alone, according to my surgeon.
All the best. And remember she’s responding to treatment so that’s good news.What a great Christmas present! So what if its spent in the hospital? Next year you can make it even better!!
The pump delivers chemo directly to the tumor as long as there is only 1. But it was a big surgery. It is stitched into my abdominal wall. I think Dr. Kemeny is brilliant but as a person I do not like her. But there are many oncs there that specialize in hepatobiliary and gastro cancers. Dr. Fong should be able to tell you who he recommends for your father.
My trips to Sloan depend in what I’m doing. But it is a big commute. I take the train from Trenton. Hopefully you can see both docs in one day. I have only done that a couple of times but since I am inoperable I only meet with Dr. Fong every 6 months or so. And I do have another onc that I see when in treatment. He is closer and takes his orders from Dr. Kemeny. So that is an option too if your father is able to get treatment.
It sounds like Dr. S. wants to do the best for your dad. That’s important too. But you do need the best care also. I hope his bilirubin drops so you can have some options.Lovedad: I understand the frustration. I see Dr. Fong at mskcc. I love him even though he keeps giving me bad news. The only thing I can say is if your surgeon is highly rated, then good. BUT Sloan Kettering is not far from you and it might be worth a trip. I doubt you would have the same mskcc onc that I have because dr. Kemeny works with her pump, but there are so many research docs there I feel it’s the best place for me.
I remember how frustrating the first few months were. From Feb 2011 until April 2011 all we did was tests. Then I switched to Sloan Kettering. April was my surgery to insert pump and then nothing but problems until late June. Then we mostly got a plan in place, although it changes monthly.
Many of us have experienced your frustration and I pray you get some kind of plan in place. But don’t be afraid to look elsewhere.
There is also dr. Kato at ny Presbyterian who is supposed to be wonderful with “inoperables”. Good luck.Lainy:
I will probably have to have the other eye done, but we’ll see. It’s funny how blurry the left eye looks now, compared to the right eye!
And my friend that drove me to the doctor today is mid-60s. In the waiting room I overheard this woman talking about her 62 year old son and how she needed to find a wife for him. I almost said something…You mean Teddy’s “gift” hasn’t arrived yet?? I’m waiting to hear when he does!
I met with the doc today and he gave me the news… 20/30 vision 1 day post op! WOOT-WOOT!! My eye had some irritation because of some meds they used: it seems I have a slight allergic reaction. Of course. So my eye is a little inflamed. But I can’t ask for much more. He did do an extra cut and had to force something with forecepts (not sure) but all in all he’s happy.
And the best part is I don’t have to wear glasses for now! My vision is good enough!! YAY! He did say if I felt more comfortable wearing them it wouldn’t hurt me but why would I? I do have to stop tomorrow and get a light pair of sunglasses to wear for a while… with the redness in the eye and all that medication it looks kind of messy and yucky. Plus it will hide the “no makeup look”.
I would say it doesn’t matter, but since I’m back “on the prowl” (haha) I need to hide this “messy” eye for 2 weeks!
I can see clearer now! It’s not perfect yet, but… He had to cut something so my eye is all red but feels okay. Uncomfortable but not sore so I’m really looking forward to Saturday!
The big problem: no makeup! Haha!!! The only makeup I wear is on my eyes, too. But not for 2 weeks! Ugh!Haha! I go in at 9:30. Hopefully all goes well. I can’t wait to see “clearly” again! I’m not sure if theses are chemo or steroid induced. Doc just said “drug induced”. Mine grew really fast. I noticed vision problems around May or June and my vision in my right eye is horrible now. I can’t read anything anymore.
Thursday is my surgery for my cataract in my right eye. I can’t wait to be able to see clearly again! It’s been getting steadily worse especially over the past month. I’m getting to where I don’t want to drive at night because I can’t see very well. So Thursday can’t come soon enough!
Lainy:
I did not see that post. But that’s great! I’ll wait to hear about the new guy when he shows up!!I met with my radiologic onc today and he said he could not have asked for a better outcome. He explained about the PET scan. There were no numbers, just “mild uptake”. He said every active cell has mild uptake: from brain, stomach, etc…. so the cancer cells are not much more active than “normal” cells right now. So that’s a “YAY”!!! He agrees that I am not a candidate for surgery.
He also said that the cells will “wake up” one day and either start growing or spreading. But it’s unknown when. 6 months? 2 years? Only God knows that one. So we will start treating this as a chronic illness. One that I will live with. And one that we will watch closely.
I need to start looking for a job since nothing is going on until Feb., March, later or earlier… love this part of my life!! But I’m going to plan for nothing happening and me being able to work…
On a down note, Tom and I split up. It’s only been 4.5 months, but it seemed like longer. He was very supportive but he has issues I can’t help him with and lately he was trying to decide if he wanted to work on having a relationship. And with his issues I was having my own problems with the relationship. So that’s it. Quick and hopefully with all this good news lately a lot less painless. Still hard not to text him the good news this morning tho. He was a very important part of my life for a short time.
Other good news: COBRA extension was approved. So now I can breathe another sigh of relief! I don’t have to worry about how to cover my medical bills!! YAY!!Laing: I agree it’s good news. But still scary to be told by the doc that I will never be “cured”. He asked me if I understood that. I do. I just pray to stay healthy. If we can keep it from getting me sick, and/or spreading its a good thing. I will take that. I would LOVE to keep it at bay for at least 5 years. And who knows? The oblation MIGHT just kill the tumor and then I would just have to accept that it would return. Best outcome at present and one I will pray for.
Good news was tempered somewhat. Will probably never have a resection because of the lymph nodes. Dr. Fong is happy with the scan, tho. He said if it keeps dying that’s good. The tumor still shows activity, but it has slowed down.
He want to possibly talk oblation in Feb. or March. Easier surgery but means I will never be cancer free.
I keep saying I can live with cancer if I can stay healthy for a few years. Since I know how bad this cancer is… but it’s still scary to hear.
I could ask for more, but it’s still good news. It hasn’t spread any more and it hasn’t grown either.
