pamela

Hi Breakaway,
In regards to your question about my daughter’s ultrasound- someone other than her doctor read the report and I have the report that says that there is a mass in her liver. Yet I guess her family doctor didn’t think it was important enough to let us know. That is why she has switched her regular family doctor. Who knows what difference this would have made in being diagnosed 5 months earlier. We assumed nothing was found on the ultrasound, therefore no call. No news is good news kind of thing. Looking back, who would ever think a healthy 25 year old would get bile duct cancer? It would be a million to one shot. We learned our lesson in to never wait for the doctor to call. Call them and bug them until you get an answer!

Dear Breakaway,

Welcome to the site. I will tell you my daughter’s symptoms. She started out having a pain in her upper right abdominal area. She also had a great deal of back pain. She worked at a uniform company and was constantly lifting heavy loads and running up and down stairs. She thought that is why her back hurt. She lost around 40 lbs. from around March to August. She could only eat a few bites of food and she was full. She thought she had gall bladder problems. She had an ultrasound in April and her doctor never bothered to call us with any results so we figured she was fine. She knew something was wrong. She had a gut feeling. So she went to a different doctor and the second he looked at her ultrasound he knew something was seriously wrong. He sent her to a gastroenterologist and ordered a CT scan. She had a huge tumor in her liver. The gastroenterologist wanted to send her to Cleveland Clinic. We chose University of Michigan Hospitals. She has had an MRI, PET scan, and liver biopsy. Diagnosed with CC Aug. 29,2011. She is only 25. She has had 8 rounds of chemo and had tumor shrinkage after 4 chemo treatments. She is having another MRI tomorrow. I would tell you to demand a scan to see if there is anything wrong. Early detection is crucial with this disease. Don’t take no for an answer. You seem to feel something isn’t right so you must be your own advocate. Please demand a scan. Take care.Hoping for the best.

-Pam

I never had the honor of knowing Kris, but from what I have read she was very loved on this site. She had such hope and that is what my daughter who is suffering with this disease has as well. My daughter’s hope will never die either. God bless you on this very difficult day. I know Kris is smiling down on you from heaven. Even in life she seemed like such a beautiful angel.

All the best to you,
-Pam

Hi Randi,

Thanks for the kind words about Lauren. I think you make a good point in that you need to choose what will make you comfortable so you can live your life. I don’t think it was such a big deal for Lauren because people stared at her all the time when she had hair and they stare at her when she doesn’t have hair. I always tell her it is because she is pretty and they are admiring her beauty. You make a good point when you said wigs were hot. That is another reason Lauren would not wear a wig. She gets really hot just wearing a hat! Randi, I cannot believe you have been dealt such a rotten hand in getting not one, but three different types of cancer. That is just not fair and I am sorry you have had to go through so much. You are an inspiration in that you keep on fighting no matter what is put in front of you. Wow. Take care and stay strong.

Love, -Pam

Karen, I am sorry that you had a hard time at Christmas. Look to the future and happy times with your dear son. It must be so hard for you at this time. Just know that you have people here that care about you and are here to listen to your feelings whenever you feel like talking. I will pray that life gets easier for you.

Love, -Pam

Hi Lostsoul,

My Lauren is only 25. So she is close to your age. She had really long, thick hair before chemo. She got it cut in a bob and donated it to Locks of Love. When the bob started getting too thin, she got a pixie cut. The pixie cut then got too thin so she had her boyfriend cut it really short, not shave it. I don’t think you need to shave it. Just cut it really short. Lauren is not embarrassed at all to be almost bald. It is her badge of courage. Personally, Lauren does not care for wigs. She thinks they look fake and can spot one a mile away. That is not to say you won’t feel better in one. It is a personal choice. That is the beauty of it. But since you asked for opinions, we give two votes to cutting your hair really short and leaving it the natural color. You can find a lot of really cute hats and scarves too. That is Lauren’s new thing. Slouchy yarn hats. As for your scalp bothering you, Lauren has an itchy scalp all of the time. She is constantly scratching. On the plus side, she can now get ready in like 20 minutes. She combs her hair with a little spray to hold it down and she is good to go. She still wears full makeup when she goes out and looks beautiful. You can check out picture of her on her caring bridge site. http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/laurenkunklier I hoped we have helped in some way. Take care and be proud of the fighter you are against this disease.

Love, -Pam