- Jan 10, 2001
- 30,772
- 13
- 81
I dont normally post extremely personal things here, but i'm pretty worked up over this.
For well over a year, my Mom has been complaining of different gastrointestinal issues. We would all ask her to go to the doctor just to be safe, but she has a fear of doctors and their tendancy for bad news with my family. She had also witnessed my Grandparents fairly poor cancer treatment in the early 70s. Her sister also passed away from it many years before I was born.
So a few weeks ago it became unbearable for her, so she went. After some tests and such they sent her to get a colonoscopy. The results came in today, it's probably cancerous.
It's a mass about 12cm long. They attached a picture of it and it doesn't look nearly that long from the camera, but I'm not a doctor.
We visited them today and my Mom is handling it ok, but my Dad is a wreck. I'm going with them tomorrow for the ultrasound to determine if it's spread. I feel so freaking helpless right now and it's driving me crazy. She's blaming herself for not going to the doctor, my Dad is asking why they had to find anything, it's just terrible.
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EDIT - 9/29:
Well, things are looking pretty grim. We have difinitive diagnosis that the colon cancer is at least stage 3, and meetings with the surgeon and Oncologist that lead us to believe spread to at least her liver. We won't know until the Biopsy, but the urgency in the Oncologist's demands leads me to believe he is very concerned. He has ordered a whole host of tests to be done ASAP, 6 to be completed by next Wednesday. We've begun to investigate homeopathic remedies as well, something I would have laughed off 6 months ago.
She's also becoming very depressed. Her physician gave her a script for Xanax which has helped, but the change since her diagnosis makes me incredibly sad, she's whithering away so quickly.
------------------------------------------------
EDIT - 10/9:
It's been a busy few weeks. On Wednesday we visited the oncologist to discuss her test results. The cancer has metastized to the liver, but no where else. There is also no other cancer sites throughout the body. The doctor said that the tests were about the best results we could have hoped for, short of benign growths in the liver. He has decided to start her on chemotherapy ASAP, followed by surgery to remove all the tumors (3 total, 1 in colon, 2 in liver) at once.
Today she got her Port-o-cath installed to prep for chemo, with her first treatment starting Monday.
------------------------------------------------
EDIT - 2/11/10
Today was the day of surgery. Everyone got there at 7:30, my Mom was prepped and we stayed with her until they wheeled here away (11:30am, scheduled for 9:30am :/). We then spent 8 tense hours waiting, occassionally updates flowed from the OR, but not enough, of course. We finally got to see her at 7:15pm. She was groggy, but fiesty, which was a good sign for us.
The surgery included: a permanent colostomy (she is angry about this one, but the alternative was a coffin, so she dealt), the remove of her rectum and about 4" of lower intestine, a few lymph nodes removed, complete removal of the left lobe of the liver, and radio ablastation of a small spot on the right side of her liver. Both sets of doctors said that things went perfectly with no complications. Speaking of doctors, there were two liver docs, two colorectal docs, plus a resident for each one of those, along with anestesiologist <sp?>, his nurse, and the nurse for each doctor, plus the standard nurses. It was a full house.
Overall, I am happy she is still here and still being somewhat difficult. She told one of the docs that if he killed her she would come back to haunt him..
Now it's time for recovery. We have heard 5-7 days in the hospital so far.
For well over a year, my Mom has been complaining of different gastrointestinal issues. We would all ask her to go to the doctor just to be safe, but she has a fear of doctors and their tendancy for bad news with my family. She had also witnessed my Grandparents fairly poor cancer treatment in the early 70s. Her sister also passed away from it many years before I was born.
So a few weeks ago it became unbearable for her, so she went. After some tests and such they sent her to get a colonoscopy. The results came in today, it's probably cancerous.
It's a mass about 12cm long. They attached a picture of it and it doesn't look nearly that long from the camera, but I'm not a doctor.We visited them today and my Mom is handling it ok, but my Dad is a wreck. I'm going with them tomorrow for the ultrasound to determine if it's spread. I feel so freaking helpless right now and it's driving me crazy. She's blaming herself for not going to the doctor, my Dad is asking why they had to find anything, it's just terrible.
------------------------------------------------
EDIT - 9/29:
Well, things are looking pretty grim. We have difinitive diagnosis that the colon cancer is at least stage 3, and meetings with the surgeon and Oncologist that lead us to believe spread to at least her liver
. We won't know until the Biopsy, but the urgency in the Oncologist's demands leads me to believe he is very concerned. He has ordered a whole host of tests to be done ASAP, 6 to be completed by next Wednesday. We've begun to investigate homeopathic remedies as well, something I would have laughed off 6 months ago. She's also becoming very depressed. Her physician gave her a script for Xanax which has helped, but the change since her diagnosis makes me incredibly sad, she's whithering away so quickly.
------------------------------------------------
EDIT - 10/9:
It's been a busy few weeks. On Wednesday we visited the oncologist to discuss her test results. The cancer has metastized to the liver, but no where else. There is also no other cancer sites throughout the body. The doctor said that the tests were about the best results we could have hoped for, short of benign growths in the liver. He has decided to start her on chemotherapy ASAP, followed by surgery to remove all the tumors (3 total, 1 in colon, 2 in liver) at once.
Today she got her Port-o-cath installed to prep for chemo, with her first treatment starting Monday.
------------------------------------------------
EDIT - 2/11/10
Today was the day of surgery. Everyone got there at 7:30, my Mom was prepped and we stayed with her until they wheeled here away (11:30am, scheduled for 9:30am :/). We then spent 8 tense hours waiting, occassionally updates flowed from the OR, but not enough, of course. We finally got to see her at 7:15pm. She was groggy, but fiesty, which was a good sign for us.
The surgery included: a permanent colostomy (she is angry about this one, but the alternative was a coffin, so she dealt), the remove of her rectum and about 4" of lower intestine, a few lymph nodes removed, complete removal of the left lobe of the liver, and radio ablastation of a small spot on the right side of her liver. Both sets of doctors said that things went perfectly with no complications. Speaking of doctors, there were two liver docs, two colorectal docs, plus a resident for each one of those, along with anestesiologist <sp?>, his nurse, and the nurse for each doctor, plus the standard nurses. It was a full house
.Overall, I am happy she is still here and still being somewhat difficult. She told one of the docs that if he killed her she would come back to haunt him.
. Now it's time for recovery. We have heard 5-7 days in the hospital so far.
Last edited:
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