lornadoone

Hi iowagirl, My boyfriend only had the one tumor and there was no arteries involved and the tumor was easily removed. It was only attached to the gall bladder but the gallbladder was not infected by the cancer. He did however have 1 lymph node affected so i think that along with the high recurrence was the deciding factor. It’s hard because you are already feeling beat up fom surgery and then you get even more beat up with chemo. He must have said over and over ” i don’t understand why i need chemo if the doctors say I am now “cancer free”. The doctors told him if he were their son or relative that they would highly suggest him taking the chemo. My bf like you has always been overly educated when it comes to the medical field. When he or a family member is sick he will go full force on getting the best treatment and asking questions and getting the treatment needed. In this case, i think it was just too much of a shock and quite frankly too scary so i took on the role of searching the internet in the hopes of educatung myself. I must say that this site has been a tremendous source of information. It is real people living this and i am learning from their experiences.
The chemo he is on is gemcitabine 3 weeks on and 1 week off, they also wanted to start him on Xoleda pill form 2 times a day one week on and 1 week off but due to the high stress level of my bf regarding the side effects they decided to wait after the 1 cycle of gem to see how he does before he starts the xoleda. His first treatment was 3/17 and other than some fatigue he did well. His white blood and platelets were too low on the folowing week so they did not give him chemo. Monday he will go back and hopefully his numbers have gone up but the only thing is he now has a cold. In the 15 years we have been together i do not recall him ever having a old. He is juicing 2 times a day and sticking to a high protein diet and i beleve that has helped him because although he has a cold he feels great otherwise.
Good luck to you and may God be with you to help you make the right decision. The fact remains that with or wihout the chemo this nasty cancer can make an appearance. You have to do what you feel is best for you.
BTW..he also takes a half xanax every now and then to take the edge off. The stress and anxiety alone can do you in.
Let e know what you decide.
Lorna

Hi Matt, Best of luck next week. I pray that your scans are clean and that you hear everything you need to give you some comfort. The anxiety and stress that comes along with this horrible disease must be over the top. My boyfriend Matt also had successful resection in January. However, he opted to take the chemo with the very strong recommendation of the surgeon and oncologist due to the high recurrence of this cancer. My boyfriend has also been a bit of a worrier especially regarding his health. I say a bit of a worrier but in all honesty he has major anxiety and in this situation it is warranted. I do believe that staying positive has so much to do with the healing process and i try to remind him everyday that everything will be ok and to stay positive. I know it is easy for me to say…right? God bless you and your family and please keep us posted.

Lorna