peggyp

Hi Robert,

There is always hope; attitude plays a major role in fighting this disease. My husband, John, was diagnosed just over 3 years ago with Stage IV intrahepatic CC. He had no symptoms other than a small pain in his right side. He had a resection and his tumor was the size of a softball. They took 70 percent of his liver, right kidney, gallbladder, part of stomach, and part of colon during his surgery. The surgeon thought he was just going to be removing the large mass in his liver. Boy, was he surprised! Long story short, within seven months he had multiple tumors in the part of liver that was left. He has been on chemo treatments since March 2009. We take one day at a time and John continues to make himself do as much as he can each day. We are scheduled to see a specialist at Georgetown on October 17 as John’s scans in August showed the disease is progressing, but we aren’t ready to give up the fight. We also have two kids at home that we are raising (our grandchildren); a very active 8-yr. old boy and a soon-to-be 14 yr. old girl. Everything we do is centered around them. In fact, I believe they are what have kept John here this long besides the grace of God. He loves them so much and wants to make sure they get to experience things he feels they might not get to if he wasn’t here. So draw strength from your family and try to stay positive; and may God bless you and your family during this trying time. PeggyP

Sissy,

Just wanted to chime in and tell you not to give up. Keep pressing your doctors about other options. Just like Marions said, I’m sure they can try another chemo treatment that might have a different outcome. Stay strong and keep fighting. Sending good vibes your way, PeggyP

Dear Joe,

Attitude plays a big part in fighting this terrible cancer. My husband was diagnosed just over 3 years ago with Stage 4 intrahepatic CC. They told us if surgery didn’t take care of it, we had no other options. John had 70 percent of his liver removed, his right kidney, gallbladder, part of stomach, and part of his colon all at the same time. The surgeon thought he had gotten everything but at his 3-month scans, spots showed up on the part of liver that was left. They decided to wait until his next 3-month scans and by that time he had multiple tumors. The surgeon acted like there was nothing that could be done but John’s oncologist talked with other doctors around the country and they decided to treat him with the chemo they use on metastatic colon cancer. He tolerated this very well until his 17th treatment and then had a very adverse reaction. The oncologist is now treating him with gemzar/cisplatin/avastin. He just had scans on Monday and we go tomorrow to meet with the oncologist to find out the results. His August scans weren’t good and the oncologist said he would check to see if there were any trials that John qualified for. I’m anxious to find out the results. All I can say is don’t give up; stay strong for your mom and keep fighting. Sending good wishes your way, PeggyP

Hi Tommy,

I’m so glad your dad is feeling better and I hope he is able to get his treatment tomorrow. Don’t be alarmed if his counts are low; John’s counts usually drop too low and he has to get a shot and wait 14 days after that before he can get his next treatment. Surprisingly, last Monday, he was able to get treatment after having it the week before. They said he was borderline but couldn’t reach his oncologist, so they went ahead and gave it to him. Tomorrow morning we have to talk with his oncologist to see if he has come up with any other options for John. He had scans on Monday so I’m anxious to see if anything has changed since the ones he had in August. They were not good. This is a learning experience for all of us; so just hang in there, take it one day at a time and keep fighting. Good luck tomorrow, PeggyP

Dear Tommy,

My husband is on gemzar/cisplatin/avastin right now. He has never gotten sick from it but he does get very tired and weak. His blood counts and platelets drop very low so he usually has to get a shot called neulasta before he can receive his next treatment. He still gets up very early in the morning and does as much as he can but will rest when he needs to. Sometimes, he goes to bed around 6:30 but most nights around 8:00. He doesn’t like to take medicine but he has been taking the nausea medicine lately because he says the nurse told him it would be better to have it in his system just in case. Also, he usually has his worse days two or three days after chemo. He doesn’t sleep very well during this time so I might find him napping in another room if I go looking for him during the day. My husband is Stage IV intrahepatic CC and was diagnosed a little over 3 years ago. The first chemo treatments he was on, he had to wear a pump for 48 hours and he was very sensitive to cold. After an adverse reaction, they switched him to the gemzar/cisplatin/avastin. They told us that this was more toxic and he would have more side effects, but to be honest, he hasn’t had near the problems that he did with the other chemo. Hope this has helped you some and I hope that your dad will do well with his treatment. Let us know how he does. PeggyP

Dear Pgaska,

My sincerest condolences to you and your family during this difficult time. Your mom is at peace now and will not suffer anymore from this terrible disease. May God bless each of you, PeggyP

Dear Sajdyk,

My condolences to you and your family; may your mom’s journey be an inspiration to others. She is now at peace. With sympathy, PeggyP

Dear Kdhokie,

I, too, live in Virginia; my husband John has Stage 4 intrahepatic CC. He was diagnosed in July 2008 and operated on in August 2008 at UVA. His tumor was the size of a softball. Since then, he has developed multiple tumors and has been treated with chemo. Yesterday, we were told by his oncologist to get our affairs in order. John is 58 and next week we will celebrate our 36th anniversary. I can’t imagine my life without him. His oncologist did say that he was going to talk with some other doctors to see if there are any clinical trials that he may qualify for. I will pray that your mom will get along well with her treatment. Just continue to fight alongside her during this trying time. PeggyP