tess

Hi Beth, Wishing you and Dave the best at the appt. tomorrow.

-Tess

Hi Barbara, you don’t always have to travel to get the additional opinions. For my Dad we contacted several oncologists, who agreed to look at Dad’s records in determination of potential treatment options. Dad’s hospital sent CD’s of his imagery & all his doctor records FedEX to oncologists that we provided contact information for. Per this strategy, we were in correspondence with nearly a dozen specialists, and posed questions such as those referenced by Marion and Jamie- the essential question in our case was, what is the recommended course of treatment that you would propose and why? We followed up with them or they called back within just a couple days and the collective data was a key determination in Dad’s decision to pursue a treatment plan. We too believed that resection was the best option, and only one out of the 12 docs teams indicated that they’d attempt it.

These decisions are tough Barbara, definitely. Sending you best wishes….

Tess

Hey, I was just thinking about you and wondering how your Dad is doing. Sorry to read that he’s having a rough time right now. My Dad didn’t suffer from dementia, but within a couple months of the cc diagnosis, I noticed that he’d definitely have moments of confusion- I thought it was the pain meds- they seemed to go hand in hand in hand with those moments, which were not regular and did not progress significantly at all through his battle. The fatigue was always there for Dad, but chemo was likely a large contributor to that.

You guys are in my thoughts.

Tess

Dear Danielle, I have been reading your posts here and am inspired by your positive energy and optimism. You’re a reminder of the value of holding onto goals, faith, and the belief in miracles, even in the face of fear. Keep snuggling close to your hubby and know that you continue to be in our hearts and prayers.

Tess

That is wonderful news…. There is great power in prayer, we’ll continue to keep your father-in-law in our ours!

Best to you,
Tess

Hello Carolyn, and welcome. My condolences for the loss of your husband, I can imagine that your use of the word

Hi Rosy, you and your Dad are in our thoughts. It’s a difficult road and there are no easy answers to so many of the questions that surface along the way. You’ll make the right choices. My Dad had cc, he told us up front that he didn’t want to talk about stages, didn’t want to hear about a prognosis, the topic of potential death was off the table, and tears were not allowed to be shed in front of Dad. Behind the scenes however, Dad was tending to unfinished business. But that was just how our family handled it, and because we were peripheral to Dad’s fight, we respected that. It was his hope, belief and endurance that carried us all through his journey. While he lost his fight in March, his refusal to outwardly consider anything outside of winning the battle, absolutely gave him quality of life. It was his way of dealing. You may want to ask your Dad how much he wants to know, and simply honor such wishes from there. You likely won’t be able to hide the malignancy of the tumor much longer, and the docs will probably start painting a clearer picture in your meetings. And there’s no telling how this will unfold, every case is different, miracles happen everyday. It can be hard to get the whole family on the same page, regarding such levels of honesty, from my own recent experiences. Your Dad’s processing strategy may be different that what others in the fam would have chosen, and that’s ok too.

As an aside, at the time of Dad’s diagnosis he too was told that the tumor would not respond to chemo, and that radiation & resection were not options. We immediately went after lots of other opinions. Keep in mind that sometimes you can send your Dad’s records/CD of scans to other hospitals for second opinions- such that he doesn’t have to travel. There can be extreme variation in how comfortable various doctors are, in their willingness to treat cc, and second opinions may reveal this for you too. Your Dad may have very strong opinions too, about his options, with a better understanding of the big picture.

Wishing you strength Rosy.

Tess

Best of luck to you Jim, keep us posted!
-Tess