peggyp

Hi Derin,

Sounds like a good weekend ahead for you. Hope you have fun at the party. It’s funny but John’s onc never told him not to drink. He acted like wine or beer was fine–just don’t overindulge. Bet the kids were excited about catching the fish. Kaden loves to fish; in fact, he would stay out all day long if he could. You have been so strong and upbeat through your journey with CC and hopefully everything will look great on your scans. I hope you will continue to post as I have enjoyed reading what you have written. Hugs, PeggyP

Hi Les,

Sorry to hear about Sarah, but you have come to the right place for support and information. My husband, John. has Stage IV ICC. He was diagnosed in August ’08. Up until that time. he had been very healthy; ran 4-5 miles at least 3 days a week and worked out at Gold’s Gym. His first symptom was a nagging little pain in his right side. He had a resection and the surgeon ended up removing his gallbladder, over 70 percent of his liver, right kidney, part of colon, and part of stomach cavity. In March ’09 he presented with multiple tumors in his liver. He has been on three different chemo cocktails and just had a chemoembolization done four weeks ago. Gem/Cis was affecting his kidney function so he had to stop that. Just as the others have said, Sarah is in good hands, so stay strong and positive as I believe attitude plays a big part in fighting this cancer. Sending well wishes your way, PeggyP

Hi Jeff,

Welcome to the family! Your introduction was interesting and I look forward to your future posts. You’re right about the medical costs–outrageous. I know we have spent over $50,000 out of pocket so far, and the bills keep coming. My husband is the one with ICC, and I would like to keep him around, so I guess we will continue to pay for as long as we can. And, we’re not rich by any means. Keep your positive attitude because I believe that plays a big part in fighting this beast. Sending well wishes your way, PeggyP

Hi Summergirl,

My husband has ICC and started out with Folfox. Then he was on Gem/Cis and then Xeloda. Four weeks ago he had a chemoembolization. He never really complained with the itching but I have read where other people had the itching. John was only jaundiced once and that was after he had his resection. That was in August ’08. So, there are other options out there. Sending well wishes to your mom and welcome to you, PrggyP

Hi Lisa,

The first chemo that John was on was Folfox for two cycles and then Avastin was added for ten more cycles. He had significant response so Folfox was discontinued and he only had Avastin every other week until his scans showed progression. He was put back on Folfox with Avastin but near the end of his sixth cycle had severe back pain. At the beginning of his seventh cycle, he started shaking with chills and they had to stop and kept putting heated blankets on him. They attributed this as an adverse reaction to the oxaliplatin. The side effects that John had were: sensitivity to cold, tingling in hands and feet, and fatigue. Since then, I have been told that the Avastin causes a lot of fatigue. Actually, we thought that he did very well with the Folfox until he had to quit. He was on this from April ’09 until the end of August ’10. Hope this helps, PeggyP

Duzalot,

Sounds like great news to me! Hope your stepmum will be up and about in a few days. I know you must be so relieved. Sending lots of good wishes your way, PeggyP

Hi Fatema,

My husband has had a cough ever since he has been on chemo. Sometimes, it’s more noticeable than at other times. His last chemo that he took was Xeloda and I remember that he did seem to cough more then. I’m glad that your mom was able to have the Y90; John wasn’t a candidate for it because he had too much leakage into his stomach cavity. He did have the chemoembolization done about four weeks ago and we will return to UVA Thursday for him to have an MRI and find out the results of his procedure. Keeping you and your mom in my prayers, PeggyP