• landr
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  • Registered: Mon, 25 Jun 2007
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Topic: Mom with CC

I'm sorry but someone posted a new introduction on top of mine and I still have a few questions.

synopsis:  Mom is 71  -  diagnosed two weeks ago with CC  -  diagnosed at Stage 4  -               6/26 she started chemo  -  Avastin and Gemzar and possibily in combo with 5fluorouracil. 

Also, at the CT scan that revealed the "liver spots" (which by biopsy and histopath confirmed CC) there were no other lesions seen in chest or abdomen.  However the oncologist has said she is at Stage 4 which to me denotes distant metastasis - Could she be at Stage 4 if both lobes have lesions but nowhere else?

Is there someone else out there that has experience with CC at Stage 4, at time of diagnosis?  Most postings indicate that they have caught this at an earlier stage so I am just wondering if anyone can help with information with this at this stage.

Is it too late for a second opinion since she started chemo?  The oncologist will not see mom until the fourth week of chemo is completed and this seems like a long time lag with this aggressive form of cancer.  This has me a little angry that she won't be more intimately involved in moms treatment.  I am led to believe by this that the Dr. is not completely familiar with what  CC is and how aggressive it is.  Either that or she knows how serious and this and this is the fourth quarter Hail Mary pass.

At this stage of the cancer has anyone seen any benefits from nutrition changes and/or supplements to   (1) help with the cancer fight  (2) to keep moms weight and strength up so she can fight the fight.

  • Sara
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  • Registered: Thu, 12 Jan 2006
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Re: Mom with CC

Landr

30-something caregiver
  • landr
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Re: Mom with CC

Dear Sara,
       Thank you for your encouragement and information I will try to pass on as much as possible to Mom - I feel any knowledge of more specific tx and lifestyle help will allow her to live each day as best as possible.  Thanks again - Rob and Lewanne

  • Registered: Wed, 06 Sep 2006
  • Posts: 107

Re: Mom with CC

My husband Joe was diagnosed with Stage 4 cc last July 2006.  He had two tumors in his liver and some wsmall ones in his lungs. He immediately changed his diet to vegan which is stricter than vegetarian because it also eliminates all dairy products.  We followed the h.acres.com diet which we found on line with lots of carrot juice, green powders. exercise etc.  He just passed his 11 month time this week.  He just finished doing three months of alternative therapy calle Insulin Potentiation Therapy which was very expensive and not covered by Medicare. He is 67.  The treatment did provide shrinkage of the tumors without side effects of normal chemo. He also had radio frequency ablation to zap the most active tumor in the liver and that wiped it out but it also w3as very painful for severl weeks afterward.  We are on our way back home to Chicago and he is getting stronger every day.  He nevr had any symptoms except a queezy stomach.  We re now counting on diet prayer and supplements to continue to shrink the tumors.  He opte dof rno regular chemo becasue he didn';t want to be sick all the time.
As everyone else has said, everyone is different but don't give up hope. No doctor can tell you how much time you have left  and attitude is very important.  We just live each day as a blessing.  Hope that helps some. This is a great website.  Mary Anne

  • Registered: Sat, 09 Dec 2006
  • Posts: 514

Re: Mom with CC

Hi Landr,
I actually posted a reply to your original message and I don't know if you saw it, so I'll copy and paste it here. Hope everything's going okay for you -
- Joyce

Dear Rob and Lewanne,
I feel so terrible for you - and your family.  I know how difficult this is for you. I'm very surprised that the oncologist is sugar-coating the information he's giving - that's unethical and I didn't think doctors did that anymore. Was anyone else there when the doctor said these things? I'm just asking because I know sometimes people (especially parents) try to hide the real facts from their families, so  perhaps your parents are aware of the prognosis but are trying to protect everyone else from that knowledge? Or maybe they just heard what they wanted to hear and they're in denial. If the doctor DID misrepresent things, that makes it very tough on you and I believe he should be up front with your mother and let her know EXACTLY what the situation is. It shouldn't be up to YOU to have that painful task. My mother was given a brutal and blunt assessment when she was diagnosed -- they told her she'd live maybe a year and she only lived for less than 2 months after -- and my mother was very depressed but it was better that she knew. Even then, she didn't make all her plans and get things cleared up before she died because she kept thinking she had more time (we all did) and of course we were all secretly hoping for a miracle. So, a little bit of denial is helpful and even necessary to keep your sanity, but people should be told that they may not have much time.

My mother was also stage 4 and to my understanding, Stage 4 always means there are metastases to distant parts of the body - lungs, bone, etc. So I would ask about that, too. Your mother's symptoms are alarming to me because they are very similar to my mother's during the last two weeks of her life, so I would urge you to hurry and prepare her for the worst. I know that sounds terrible, and I"m not saying that she won't hang on for a few more months or even a year, but the course of this disease is very unpredictable and can become aggressive very quickly. The swelling is very worrisome, especially if it's not getting better with water pills.

I wish you the very best and I hope you get that miracle that I was counting on for my mother that never showed up. Everyone here has a lot of information that you can't get anywhere else since doctors don't go into too much detail and it's a pretty rare disease. Ask any question and someone on this forum will try to steer you in the right direction.

Please remember that my mother's experience may be vastly different from yours, and don't lose heart.

Take care -
Joyce