New to this, need guidance

Glad to know there are others out there, few though you may be...

My 61 yo mother diagosed with CaGB this month.  GB, part of Liver, and some lymph nodes ressected, but some cancer still in her.

Need info on stages...what are signs of the timeline remaining?  Am trying to make most of each day, but want to know what you've experienced. 

Right now, we just have pain in the back and side still, and this could be leftover from her surgery...don't know.  Sometimes she is energized, and others completely pooped. 

We meet with her oncologist next week.  Will take your experience with gemzar to the appt.

Kathy

Kathy,

I am sorry that you are amongst us.  I am beginning to think that it is not so rare afterall and that organ cancers are becoming an epidemic. 

It is good that your mom had some resectioning.  There is hope.  My mom was diagnosed 8 months ago and was nota candidate for surgery.  She went through 6 months of Gemzar and did ok until now.  She is losing her fight and I am now just saying goodbye. 

Everyone is different and they do not seem to know much in terms of time, etc.  i know there are people who have lived for years with resectioning and Chemo.

Do not give up, and do not take what one doctors says to be the only option.  Get many opinions and find the right fit for your mom.

 Also, I highly recommend the drug Emend after treatment.

Good luck,

Sherry

On 12/28/2007 Kathy2tok wrote:

Glad to know there are others out there, few though you may be...

My 61 yo mother diagosed with CaGB this month.  GB, part of Liver, and some lymph nodes ressected, but some cancer still in her.

Need info on stages...what are signs of the timeline remaining?  Am trying to make most of each day, but want to know what you've experienced. 

Right now, we just have pain in the back and side still, and this could be leftover from her surgery...don't know.  Sometimes she is energized, and others completely pooped. 

We meet with her oncologist next week.  Will take your experience with gemzar to the appt.

Kathy

Dear Kathy,

I am so sorry to hear about your Mom.  I feel so bad for you.  I was just there 6 months ago.  We heard my Mom had gallbladder cancer on May 29 and she passed on Dec 22.

The back and the side pain are not from the surgery.  My Mom had those for probably a year.  She went to a doctor, he sent her to a Chiropractor, it didn't get better.  Finally they did an ultrasound on the gallbladder, said she had stones and went to remove it and found the cancer, with a tumor the size of a grapefruit on her liver.  We went to MDAnderson.  No one really told us the truth until her oncologist in her hometown told us at stage 4 with it metastatized there was no hope.  We did chemo for 4 months and it made her miserable.

My advice is to ask the doctors the hard questions.  They won't tell you unless you ask.  Make each day count with her.  The last 6 months of my Mom's life have given me the best memories from her. 

Feel free to ask me whatever you want.  The memories are still fresh..as is the pain of loosing her.  God Bless.  Eileen