Anyone know a lot about cancer?

[LightPhoenix]

Umbran summed it up pretty well.

First off, I'm not a doctor, though cancer is one of my areas of study as a biochemist.

Do you happen to know the exact type of cancer she has? There are many different types of cancers, all with different mortality rates. That can be important.

I don't like being a downer, but you have to understand that, from what I understand from your post, it sounds the cancer has metastasized. In fact, it sounds to me like it had metastasized three years ago. Once a cancer has done that, treatment becomes infinitely more difficult. I don't know any specifics of your mother's condition, and I don't know what stage it's at, so I'm not going to try and predict anything. Hopefully she will get better, but you should be prepared for the possibility that she might not.

I only know from heresay, but I understand that chemotherapy is pretty rough. Some others here probably have better advice on that front.

My prayers are with your mom, regardless.

 

[megamania]

As above posts have already said- our thoughts go out to you and her. The malign cells sound like they have spread too far to be effectively treated. But the mind is a powerful thing. She may beat the odds and I hope she does.


As far as Chemo and my experience. My sodium / Copper injection came in three groups of 8 for a total of 24 treatments. These came every two weeks.

One's reactions to treatment can vary. My hair thinned a bit but I kept most all of it. I continued to work full time for the most part during the treatments. The first few treatments didn't bother me but later near the end I would become very tired. This could have been my diabetesis that was quickly developing at this point.

Radiation didn't bother me much. It made my chest look like I was in the sun too much and a bit dried out. As a side effect of the radiation treatments, my stomach was beamed and killed off all of my immunities to the 20+ illnesses we begin to build a tolerence to at birth. So everytime a stomach bug hit the factory I was the first to get it and the worst then before it left it would mutate slightly and I would get it again.

Hang in there and make the most of your time with her and loved ones.

 

[Umbran]

One's reactions to treatment can vary.

*nod*. Chemotherapy is, as a broad description, injecting a poison into your system. The hope is that the poison will kill the abnormal cells before they kill you. Luckily, as our knowledge of cancer grows, our ability to make the chemicals more specific to the cancerous cells grows.

People's reactions to any given treatment can vary a great deal, and there are many different forms of chemotherapy treatment. I've a friend currently under chemo for breast cancer that got past her mastectomy. And other than the fact that she wears a wig right now, you'd not know she was so ill. I dearly hope that's your Mom's experience.

 

[Fiery James]

Cancer sucks.

Rough news, man, and sorry to hear that.

The entire FDP gang is sending positive thoughts your way, and we hope the situation works out as best it can.

- James

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

words like 'my prayers are with you' and good luck are not enough, but you have mine.

Thanks for all the good vibes. I'll take 'em!

I am surprised they didn't do Chemo and I hope they did a hysterectomy.

Well, she had a hystorectomy years ago for other reasons.

Chemo was initally discarded because her oncologist said that there weren't any types of chemo that worked well against her type of cancer.

That's why the sudden "let's try chemo" is very depressing for me. I think they're (the doctors) grasping at straws. And she has some very good doctors--it's just that each patient (and each cancer, it seems) is unique.

My ex-parents in law both died from cancer. For each it was cancer #3 that did it. Both had colon cancer at the start.

My ex-grandmother in law died from cancer, but we don't know what type since she didn't get treatment. She felt like she should be with her daughter who had already died of cancer.

My grandfather had colon cancer and did Chemo. He listened to all the tales of woe we had with my ex-parents-in-law and decided he wanted chemo even if it wasn't needed. Chemo was rough and he hasn't been the same afterwards, but he has been around for 6 more years than we thought.

I'm glad your grandpa has gotten some more time via chemo. Enjoy visiting with him as long as you can!

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

I've lost 3 family members to cancer in the last 5 years. Other than that it has been to heart attacks.

I'm sorry to hear that, Treebore. I've got some heart disease in the family history (again, my mom's side of the family--I'm starting to wonder what was in the water/air/food supply of Cedar Rapids, Iowa in the 1920s & 30s....)

I have a feeling, Nobeard, that your mother has been seriously understating the severity of her condition to you.

Is she the kind of mom who would lie to you to save you from...whatever it is she would think she would be sparing you from?

If so its time for you to make absolutely sure as to the severity of her condition. It sure sounds like she is in stage 4, which isn't good. If these are somehow wierd benign cancers that matastisize like malignant cancers, then she is OK. Maybe. But it sounds to me like she is "whitewashing" things a good bit for you.

No, I really don't think she has been understating the severity at all. While she may want to spare her children some emotional pain, it think she finds it a bit theraputic to talk about it, so we all get the news (good or bad).

I was there for the second cancer surgery (the worst one; where they took out 20 feet of intestines) and talked to the doctors myself. And she lives with my sister, so I get the "unvarnished truth" from my sister--and it matches what my mother tells me. Or what my mother tells me is worse that my sister's version; I guess my sister's hearing is a little more optimistic.

I didn't think to ask about the stage yet. Thanks for bringing it up; I will see what she has been told about that.

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

My wife is in the process of fighting breast cancer (she's expected to be fine). She has had chemotherapy and is currently going through radiation.

Unfortunately, there are no simple answers.

To confuse the issue even more, all cancers are different and are therefore treated differently.

My hopes and thoughts go out to you and your mom, Barendd.

Good luck!

Good luck to your wife! I hope she continues to win the fight!

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

Umbram, thanks for the refresher course + information.

The original "chronic cancer" (as I remember it explained, anyway) diagnosis was that it would re-appear in the same place--or so the doctors thought. And it did. They did not expect it to spread/metastisize--that's was my first question when I heard the word chronic.

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

Umbran summed it up pretty well.

First off, I'm not a doctor, though cancer is one of my areas of study as a biochemist.

Do you happen to know the exact type of cancer she has? There are many different types of cancers, all with different mortality rates. That can be important.

I don't like being a downer, but you have to understand that, from what I understand from your post, it sounds the cancer has metastasized. In fact, it sounds to me like it had metastasized three years ago. Once a cancer has done that, treatment becomes infinitely more difficult. I don't know any specifics of your mother's condition, and I don't know what stage it's at, so I'm not going to try and predict anything. Hopefully she will get better, but you should be prepared for the possibility that she might not.

I only know from heresay, but I understand that chemotherapy is pretty rough. Some others here probably have better advice on that front.

My prayers are with your mom, regardless.

Thanks for your prayers. They are appreciated.

And thanks for the brutal honesty. I prefer that to deluding myself that everything will be o.k. when signs are that it won't.

I will get some specifc information again soon. I've been told before, but did not write it all down and can't remember; maybe it's those long Latin words--my eyes just glaze over when I hear them.

Thanks for the input. I will post some more specific data in a bit.

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

As above posts have already said- our thoughts go out to you and her. The malign cells sound like they have spread too far to be effectively treated. But the mind is a powerful thing. She may beat the odds and I hope she does.


As far as Chemo and my experience. My sodium / Copper injection came in three groups of 8 for a total of 24 treatments. These came every two weeks.

One's reactions to treatment can vary. My hair thinned a bit but I kept most all of it. I continued to work full time for the most part during the treatments. The first few treatments didn't bother me but later near the end I would become very tired. This could have been my diabetesis that was quickly developing at this point.

Radiation didn't bother me much. It made my chest look like I was in the sun too much and a bit dried out. As a side effect of the radiation treatments, my stomach was beamed and killed off all of my immunities to the 20+ illnesses we begin to build a tolerence to at birth. So everytime a stomach bug hit the factory I was the first to get it and the worst then before it left it would mutate slightly and I would get it again.

Hang in there and make the most of your time with her and loved ones.

Interesting information, megamania. Thanks for sharing your experience.

We find out tomorrow what sort of chemotherapy they have in mind. I know she's not a candidate for Gleevec, but I think they're mentioned a Gemzar and Taxitere combo.