peggyp

Hi Byron,

Sorry to hear about what all you have been through lately. Glad to see you are back posting. Hawaii sounds like just what you need. I hope you and your wife will have a lovely time while there. My husband just had scans done, and his tumors have grown since October. His oncologist is trying to figure out what our next course of action will be. So, just hang in there and keep fighting the fight and I will keep you in my prayers. PeggyP

Hi Deb,

My husband John is currently on Xeloda and Avastin. He started with FOLFOX in April ’09 through August ’10 but had an adverse reaction to the oxaliplatin and had to stop. He had the sensory neuropathy that Marion mentioned and the oncologist told him that he would never fully recover from it. He still gets the tingling and numbness. After that, he went on gem/cis but had to discontinue that in October because it was causing damage to his left kidney. His right kidney was removed when he had a resection in August ’08. John has Stage IV ICC. We went to Georgetown in October to meet with a specialist who suggested the Xeloda. John has taken Avastin since May ’09. So far, the Xeloda hasn’t caused any major side effects. He tires very easily and says he has a stomachache, but he keeps going. After the first 2 cycles, the oncologist increased his dosage since he had tolerated it so well, but that caused his feet to get so sore that he could hardly walk. When he called the cancer center, they told him to stop taking it until he saw the doctor. He had 2 days left on that cycle. The oncologist went back to the original dosage which is manageable. John takes two pills in the morning and two at night for nine days, and then is off for five days; then, he starts over. He gets the Avastin every other week. That, also, causes him to fatique easily. Good luck on getting insurance to cover the Xeloda. Our hospital contacted the manufacturer because they said sometimes they would provide it for patients whose insurance didn’t cover it. They were told that they only provide it for breast or colon cancer patients. We were lucky in that the girl at the hospital found a pharmacy in Illinois that mails it directly to us and they charge it to our credit card. We live in Virginia. It’s bad enough to have to fight this disease and then you have to fight to get the chemo. I will pray that everything works out for you and that you are able to start your treatment on Wednesday. Best wishes, PeggyP

Hi Kris,

Great news about your tumor shrinking! Hope they can get the fluid sac taken care of. You are so full of spirit, so keep on staying positive and I’ll continue to keep you in my prayers. Hugs, PeggyP

Hi Shar,

Welcome to this site. I’m sorry to hear about your mom, but just as the others have stated, keep planning for the future. My husband was diagnosed 3 and a half years ago with Stage IV intrahepatic CC. He has maintained a positive attitude throughout and we live one day at a time. He sets goals and I’m so happy when those goals are met. He wanted to take our two grandchildren that we have custody of to Disney World and we did that in May 2010. He wanted to see our grandson who just turned 9 pitch his first baseball game and he got to see that last spring. He wanted to take the kids on their first airplane trip, so we flew to Wisconsin in August to visit his sister. He wanted to see Kaden quarterback his first football game and he saw that this past fall. He wanted to see Kali play high school basketball, and she made the JV team this year in 8th grade. She had a real good game Tuesday night and they play again tomorrow night. Kaden has his first game of the season on Saturday. John has been on chemo this week so he’s pretty wiped out at night, but he still makes himself go. I have been sick this week with some kind of virus, and I feel so guilty when I get sick and I think about everything that John has been through. I guess what I am trying to relay to you is do as much as you can with your mom while you can and those memories will remain with you forever. I lost both my mom and dad in 2010 and I think about them everyday. I hope your mom bounces back and that you will have lots of time together. Sending lots of well wishes your way, PeggyP

Hi Byron,

Sorry to hear about your latest scans but keep up the fight because John was diagnosed Stage IV over three years ago. He is on his third regimen of chemo cocktails and is having some side effects but he keeps on going. When he was on gem/cis, his counts were always low, and he always had to get a neulasta shot before he could get his next round. I know you are a positive-minded person, so just hang in there and I’m sure your doctors will come up with something that will have you back in the saddle soon. Sending lots of well wishes your way, PeggyP

Hi Bob,

Congratulations on being a 15-yr. CC survivor. I hope you have a very happy and healthy new year and many more years to come.

Hi Nick,

My husband’s tumor was the size of a softball when he had a resection over three years ago. Within six months he had multiple tumors appear. He has been on chemo since March 2009. He takes one day at a time and does as much as he can. He keeps a positive attitude and is an inspiration to me. Do all you can to win your fight with this terrible disease, because believe me, it is a fight. Sending well wishes your way, PeggyP

Hi Jeanne,

My husband had a resection over three years ago; he is Stage IV intrahepatic CC. He had a mass inside his liver the size of a softball. They removed over 70 percent of his liver, his right kidney, gallbladder, part of colon and part of stomach cavity. I don’t believe they knew what they were dealing with until after the surgery. Six months later he presented with multiple tumors in his liver. He has been on chemo since March ’09. He takes one day at a time and does as much as he can each day. He is on Xeloda and Avastin now and is starting to have some side effects from the Xeloda. The Gem/Cis that he had been on caused damage to his remaining kidney so they said he would not be able to take that again. He will have scans on January 3rd to see where we stand. We had hoped that he might qualify for a clinical trial but the specialist we saw said that his kidney function had to be at a certain level before he could even be considered for a trial. We have tried to create as many memories as possible since his diagnosis. John is a fighter and tries to be as positive as he can; I’m not as strong as he is. Tell your husband to fight with everything he’s got because I believe that attitude plays a big part in this fight. I hope that you and your husband will keep asking questions and looking for answers; and hopefully, there will be something that will help your husband in his fight. Wishing you both good days ahead, PeggyP

Dear Crystal,

I am so sorry to hear about the passing of your mom. Take comfort in knowing that she is now at peace and in a better place. She will continue to watch over you and she will always be in your heart. My husband was diagnosed over three years ago at age 55. We take one day at a time and he continues to fight this terrible disease. He amazes me with his courage and strength. I will keep you and your family in my prayers. Sending lots of hugs your way, PeggyP