Dear Friends,
We seek some guidance, encouranging outcomes or useful advice regarding the above chemo treatments. My hubby can choose to have irrinotecan or go onto the research programme and any one of the 3 will be chosen for him - just like a flip of a three sided coin.
My hubby and I have just returned from hospital having received a blood transfusion - 3 units of blood. Yesterday we were given results of 2 recent scans. Not good - cancer aggresively growing (larger on the liver and bigger in the rectal area. This is after recent radiotheraphy. (lLast session was first week in Jan).
The first chemo (oxaliplatin and capacitabine) 9 doses 1 dose every other week was stopped in August due to the hopeful possibility of a liver resection. This proved to be a 'no no' due to additonal small lesions on the liver found while in surgery, these had not shown up on the scan.
Then while still in hospital it was discovered that the tumor had returned proving the course of chemo had not been successful in the rectal area. Yes, it made the lesions shrink on the liver but little did we know the tumor at the bottom end was continuing to grow. The original operation to remove the tumor (took place March 07) which also involved hubby having a colostomy which cannot be reversed he is so strong and coping fantastically I love him so much and want us to get through this.
From here on we want to stop or manage the cancer from spreading further. Which treatment do we go for? We have been advised of the possible side effects and have documentation telling us about all the options.
What was also mentioned as an option was stopping the treatment - but as my husband said that would be like just throwing the hat in and we have come this far always trying our very hardest to be positive.
We are both 48 and met when we were both 16 and got married at 21. We have been blessed with 2 beautiful teenage children after a long hard wait. My hubby is self employed and he is still managing to do some work when feeling up to it. I work in a school every morning as well as supporting my hubby. He says he prefers to keep active as it takes his mind of the cancer and he can forget about the pain.
For pain relief he is on fentanyl 25mg patches, oxynorm 20 mg 3 times a day and solpadol 6 to 8 per day. As well as taking daily liquid zeolite, flax seed oil, noni juice, Coenzyme Q10 60 mg, grapeseed extract 50 mg, B-complex +Vit C high strength vitamin tablets and flax seed oil capsules and I'm still waiting for the essaic tea to arrive from Canada which I believe helps and thank you for the web address to order it from. He has lost about 28lb since first diagnosed last year. Of recent his appertite seems to be improving Thank God although I want him to eat more.
I would love to go to a healing mass with my hubby and children and perhaps a visit to a holy shrine and pray to God for a miracle we need one.
After coping so well to date we are on a bit of a downer. Can any one help with some encouragement and guidance regarding our next step on this journey. The children are just great and coping so well. Its just mum and dad (us) that are flagging at the moment. We were really hoping and praying for some light a the end of the tunnel yesterday, but not to be. Everything we are told seems to be negative of late.
Please help and God Bless to all on this journey.
Dolores
p.s. We are supposed to ring the hospital tomorrow as to our next step.
p.p.s I have read that irinotecan and panitumumab can be effective for controlling the cancer having read an email from this message board from Mary - All New To This Journey. - Fear is a reaction. Courage is a decision.