pamela

Hi Eriq,

I am really sad that you had to find this site. You have come to the right place. There are so many caring members here that will support you and you may find you have a lot in common with some. You have sure been put through the wringer. I am hoping any new treatment you have will be easier on you. Please come here often to ask questions, vent, or just to get some support. We are one big family. Take care.

-Pam

Dear Eli,
My daughter, Lauren is on Gem/Cis and 5-FU. She has been since early September. She also gets dexamethasone in her i.v. Lauren got really bad headaches when she first started chemo. We finally figured out it was the Zofran that gave her bad headaches. She now just takes compazine for nausea and it really works. Also, the nurses recommended caffeine and tylenol or caffeine and hydrocodone for headaches. That really helped as well. Lauren would get anxious at night too. She started taking an ativan before bed every night and she sleeps great. She has had no problem with her heart rate. I hope this might help. I know everyone is different and respons to medication differently. Take care and good luck.

-Pam

Dear Maria,

I am so glad you have found a natural way to help with your nausea. That is so great! I can’t imagine how awful it must be to feel sick all of the time. I thank God every day that Lauren is able to control her nausea for the most part with compazine and ativan. She can function normally when she takes compazine and only takes the ativan at night. Take care Maria.

Love, -Pam

Dear Tom,

I wish you the best of luck in finding something to help with Ben’s pain and confusion. I hope he will be able to start his chemo again. I think that is what helps my Lauren feel so good. I will pray for both of you. I hope Ben feels well enough to enjoy the holidays. Take care.

Love, -Pam

Lainy- I sit and try to think of what could have caused Lauren’s CC. She does wear make-up, but so do most women. As for sushi-Lauren would never touch the stuff. We live 1-2 miles from an old landfill. So I worried about that. It would have been more of a concern if we had well water like some houses in our allotment, but we have had city water from a nearby town ever since we’ve lived here (almost 16 years). Lauren had febrile seizures, seizures with fevers when she was small, and she took phenobarbitol for around 5 years. She always wonders if that has something to do with it. I don’t think we will ever know. Also, I would like to add a Happy Hanukkah to you and any other Jewish members.

Janine- Lauren only had pain in her upper right side and back. She also got full really fast. No jaundice, and her liver function test was only slightly elevated. We thought it was her gall bladder. Never heard of CC before this.
Her main tumor is the size of a cantelope!! You can’t tell from looking at her. Where is it hiding?

Love to you both, -Pam

Dear Janet,

Welcome to the site. I am sorry to hear your husband was diagnosed with CC. I have read about others with bleeding in their esophagus. I am sure Marion, Lainy, Gavin, or Percy, our moderators, will be able to give you more information or direct you in the right path. I understand that you are feeling scared and overwhelmed. I, too have felt that way. My daughter, Lauren has CC. She is only 25. My daughter is definitely the strong one in our family. My husband and I have breakdowns frequently. It is just so heartbreaking. I hope you continue to visit this site. You did an excellent job writing your first post! There are so many caring, supportive individuals here. Take care and God bless you, your husband, and family. If you would care to read my blog I write for Lauren you can hit the word “website” in green next to my post.

Love, -Pam

Dear Janine,

I just finished reading your entire blog. It is amazing. You are a very gifted writer. It is so crazy, the many similarities you have with Lauren. Two that I can think of right off the bat are:

1. We didn’t think Lauren’s IV was working properly before she had her biopsy. It seemed to drip for a while and then no drip. They took her back to do the biopsy and gave her drugs that were supposed to relax her and make her not feel the procedure. She felt them pressing really hard when they were doing the ultrasound and it really hurt. When they did the actual biopsy, she said it felt like they were ripping a big chunk out of her liver with no anesthesia. She was in tears when she got back to recovery and said she will NEVER go through that pain again.

2. Lauren had lost around 40 lbs. before she was diagnosed. Since she started chemo, she has gained back approximately 20 lbs. She has been blessed in that she doesn’t have much nausea. Just a little from time to time. She is quite upset that she is gaining weight though. She is eating normally. We have been visiting Panera quite frequently and we thought it might be the broccoli cheese soup that is packing on the pounds. Maybe it is not being as active. She had a factory job before CC where she was running up and down stairs and lugging a lot of clothes around. For people that this offends, I am sorry. If you have been overweight your whole life, you would understand how exciting it is to lose weight. She would have much rather found an easier way to do it though.

Just wanted to let you know that you are not alone and there are others out there dealing with cancer that are similar to you. God bless you, Janine. I hope you find a treatment plan that will shrink all of your cancer. Take care.

Love, -Pam