pamela
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Lauren had to be taken back to the OR very early this morning. The doctors were watching her labs very closely and didn’t like what they saw, so they are checking her liver. They are leaning toward a blood flow problem that can be repaired. I will update as soon as I know anything.
I am praying that things will turn around for you, sweet Mary. All the best and try and keep your hope alive.
Tons of hugs,
-PamThank you everyone! Lauren had a fairly uneventful night in the ICU and is resting comfortably. As long as she has her cup of ice chips, she is happy!! I am trying not to hover as much this time and it is working very well!! She received platelets and plasma all night. She seems less druggy this time, not as irritable, and just more comfortable. The doctors are hoping she will go to a regular room later this afternoon. I will update as anything new happens!! Love to all.
Carrie- Lauren had many lymph nodes removed during her last surgery. She had some tissue removed this surgery as well. One of her lymph nodes that she had removed last surgery had CC in it. They never knew if she had it in her lymph nodes, but some were always swollen, making them suspicious.
Hi Everyone,
Tomorrow is the big day!! We will be leaving in a few hours for Michigan and Lauren will have her resection tomorrow. Dr. Sonnenday said it could be 3 hours or it could be 8 hours. He’s not sure what all it will entail until he gets in there. There might be some vena cava reconstruction which makes me nervous, but with all your prayers I’m sure things will turn out great. We have been down such a long, difficult road like all of you and we are so excited to be given this opportunity. Dr. Sonnenday did tell us the last time we saw him that Lauren’s surgery would be first thing (7:30 am) and would be his only surgery that day. Mark, Gio, Kristen, Bruce, Grandma Tommie, Papa Ron, and Linda will all be there with me tomorrow as we hope and pray for Lauren. I will update you as soon as I know anything. Thank you all for your support.
Love,
-PamHi Mary,
I hope your last treatment went well and I will hope right along with you for a stent.
Sending love and hugs,
-PamHi Lainy,
I think Michelle’s husband goes to the same oncologist Lauren does at U of M. He doesn’t like to use PET scans for some reason. I remember Lauren asked for one once and he said no. She did have one when first diagnosed. He gave us a reason why he said no, but I can’t remember why. It must’ve been a good answer for us or we would have argued about it. I know he likes Cts and MRIs better. I will say that we think the world of him and he has helped Lauren so much. As with everything, different strokes for different folks.
Yippee Yahoo to you and your hubs, Dorien!!! I am so happy that things are looking better. Now, you go tell him to keep up the great work!!!! This is the stuff we love to hear around here.
Hugs,
-PamHi SIL,
I don’t think that is the case, especially in my daughter’s case. Her chemo was called palliative from the beginning, but they were trying to shrink the tumors. She did so well that she is having the second part of a two part resection on Wed. I think they use that term because they don’t want you to have false hope that it will cure you, but if it works it will make tumors shrink and make you feel better. It did make my daughter feel better and shrink her tumors.
-Pam
Hi Scheitrumc,
I agree that you need to choose a different place. This is exactly why we say to go to a major cancer center that treats many CC patients. Nobody should have to fight, argue, or push for things to get done. A good oncologist will listen to what you have to say and then explain why or why not that is a good idea. You and your wife will feel so much better when you are at the right place. I hope your wife is enjoying her Mother’s Day and her care will be better from now on. Bless you both.
Hugs,
-PamHi Tyler,
I am sorry to hear about your sister-in-law, but I would like to welcome you to this site. As for strict diets and herbal remedies, I don’t really agree with them. I think a well balanced diet is the best thing you can do for the person with cancer. If you choose to use an herbal supplement or strict diet, I would first ask her doctor if it was ok because some might interfere with chemo or be harmful. I know my daughter’s oncologist did not want us doing anything drastic or even slightly out of the ordinary in regards to diet, supplements, or herbs. As for the ascites drainings, I don’t have any experiences with that. I do know that most patients that have it drained do feel much better, but it usually comes back and needs repeat draining. You may ask as many questions as you like. We are all here to help! I wish your sister-in-law all the best.
Hugs,
-PamHi Carrie and Travis,
I just wanted to welcome you to this site, but so sorry you had to find us. My daughter, Lauren is the one with CC. She is 27 now and was diagnosed at age 25. As long as you are questioning things, I would keep on getting opinions until you are satisfied. We are in the minority, I think. We were confident and happy with the surgeon and oncologist we met from the get go. It probably didn’t hurt that my daughter and her husband work at the facility we go to and they knew the surgeon and how good he was from personal experiences. Lauren will be having the second part of a two part resection this coming Wed. and she was told she was inoperable at first also. She has been through many different chemos, Theraspheres, and was finally ready for surgery!! So, don’t give up hope and try and keep a positive outlook. This cancer is compared to a roller coaster often on this site. it is so true. Sometimes things look great and other times things can’t get much worse, but we are all here to help one another. I wish you and Travis all the best.
Hugs,
-PamI hope and pray for great news from both of you, Mary and Kris. Keep your chin up, Mary. Things will get better.
Hugs,
-PamHi Christine,
I would like to welcome you to this site, but I am so sorry you had to find us. My daughter, Lauren, was 25 when diagnosed with CC. She is now 27. She has had many chemos, Theraspheres, and one surgery. She will be having the second part of her resection this coming Wed. When she was first diagnosed, she had right upper quadrant pain, got full after eating just a small amount, back pain, and was also tired. She had a huge tumor on her left side, 17cm. x 19cm. and a few smaller tumors on the right side. They did Theraspheres on the right side about 9 months after being on chemo from the beginning. They really didn’t think the Theraspheres helped because spots still showed up on scans. It did work because on the first surgery when they went to take the smaller tumors out they were just dead spots! No active tumor in them at all. Her large tumor has shrunk to 11cm. x 8 cm. and is mostly dead with a small amount of activity in the middle. They are going to take out the whole left side. The tumor was wrapped around the vena cava before, but has pulled away since getting smaller. Her surgeon said he may still have to do reconstruction, but we are so happy she can have surgery. She was told she was inoperable when first diagnosed, but refused to believe that and continued with hope and determination that one day surgery would be possible. So, no matter how devastating things look in the beginning, miracles can occur from time to time. We are beyond grateful for Lauren’s wonderful physicians and her care. She still has lots of hurdles to jump, but she is on her way. I wish the same for your husband. Please ask any questions you may have. I am an open book. Much luck and love to you both.
-Pam
