ritchie

Hello everyone and thank you for your notes. Right now we need all of the encouragement we can get. Right now, I’m at the point I can almost understand Ritchie being hesitant to do anything. I’m glad that his reaction to Gemzar didn’t shut down his breathing the way Nancy’s son’s was shut down. He has had some breathing problems, but not that extreme.

As far as his Bilirubin, it was within normal ranges before he started chemo. Since then, he has had a lot of blood tests, but they don’t show Bilirubin. Maybe I just don’t know how to find it. I’d type off all of the little letters, but a STORM is coming up. I’m going to have to get off of the computer.

He is on steroids.

Thanks!
Ann

Dear Ray,

My name is Ann. I am writing for Ritchie because he isn’t feeling well at the present time. Thanks for your note. It’s encouraging to hear that someone who has been where he is, is doing as well as you are. It appears that he has a long way to go, however. The oncologist has told him that he can’t take chemo any more because of his allergy to Gemzar. He now has a terrible rash with a lot if itching. He is to contact his surgeon, but the oncologist didn’t think they could do anything until he is better.
So for now, it’s itching, itching, itching. I worry about him and wish that there was something that I could do. Then the sad thing is that when that’s better there’s still a long road ahead.
You people who have been there are to be commended.

God bless you,
Ann

Dear Margaret,

Thanks for the post.

As shown by an ERCP, I had one fully operational duct, then I had radiation. Now my itching has greatly increased, and red blotches (as well as bruises) are forming on my skin. I’m afraid that the good bile duct has been destroyed.

Tomorrow, I am to see my oncologist. I’m going to ask what my options are, and plan to refuse further chemotherapy until some satisfaction can be given to me as to why things are going downhill so quickly. I’m going to ask for another MRI or another ERCP. Something, that will show why things don’t seem to be getting better at all. I think that I’m going to ask for a stint or something to decrease the itching. Right now, my quality of life has gone to pot, and I don’t believe its directly due to the CC.

I started out with one good bile duct and no evidence of cancer anywhere else. They said they couldn’t put in a stint during ERCP because I was throwing up.

Now I end up itching worse than ever (by the way you don’t happen to have anything good for itching do you?), increased nausea, weakness beyond belief etc. etc. etc. I don’t mean to complain, I have so very much to be thankful for, but I got on a roll there. Forgive me.

Perhaps I am wrong, but even before you wrote I was thinking that the radiation had destroyed the good bile duct. If so I’m “pissed”. Pardon my language. I know that it would have happened sooner or later anyway, but they said that it was slow growing. Go figure!

I’ll stop bugging you, but I want you to know how much your information helped me to think that I’m not completely “out of it.” That perhaps there’s more to the way that I’m feeling than my imagination.

Sincerely,
Ritchie

Thanks to Joolz822,
I appreciate your posting. It helps me to know that you did “feel human again,” at least for a while. I know that, with your situation, you can’t be feeling the greatest right now…Yet, you took time to write the note. Thanks! I pray God that you will find some good options.

Ritchie