i wanted to post a bit of good news about my dad who is 74 and fighting stomach cancer. for those who don't know..here is the backstory.
my dad wasn't feeling well just about a yr ago. he thought he was just tired and having chronic, but mild, flu-like symptoms. he waited til july to seek medical attention. at that time he was told it was stomach cancer. he had surgery 8/1 to remove 40% of his stomach along w/ all the cancer that was in it. however, the colon, lymph nodes and especially the liver were already diseased. the liver had and still does have, about 25-30 tumors on it.
univ of wisconsin told us that chemo was his only option at that point. we went for 2nd (mayo) and 3rd (univ of chicago) opinions. which were the same. so we took the challenge. in october my dad started up w/ chemo. xeloda pills and oxaliplatin drip. it was brutal. he got very weak and slept almost all day. he lost alot of weight too. on nov 21st i posted on this board and had all but given up hope. but...the wonderful people on this board rallied around me and told me to never give up. to keep fighting this disease w/ and for my dad.
my dad had to stop chemo in the 1st week of dec. he needed a big break. he had a ct done on dec. 27th. it showed that the chemo was working. it knocked out the tumor in the colon and shrunk many of the tumors in the liver and lymph nodes. my dad still has not gone back to chemo yet. he started feeling well enough to do some traveling w/ my mother. my hubby and my brother-in-law also took him on a trip to las vegas. he is still tired, a bit weak and still needs naps during the day. but he is still here with us.
on monday he had another ct scan. it has shown that the liver is still responding to the chemo...even though he has had none since the 1st week of dec. there has been some more shrinkage in the liver and the lymph nodes. they called it residual side affects from the chemo. doesn't always happen for every patient.
i hope that this story will help someone just starting w/ this process. i hope that you all know to "never give up". keep fighting! stay strong. this is a tough journey to be on. but hang in there! we are all here with you, fighting this together!
i want to thank everyone who has left a kind word or friendly response to my posts. it really helps..more that you could ever know. i will keep everyone and their families in my thoughts and prayers. peace, kris