Adding you to my list of praryers.. I will also forward your wifes name on to my prayer network. Even though it appears that the worst is over for you, continued prayers never hurts.
One of the best things a doctor told me here was that in the battle against cancer, there is no good news and no bad news. Instead, you make progress, or you don't and try something different. I know that sounds silly, but it helps if you can mentally keep that distinction going in your mind when your getting results.
It sounds like you guys are on stand-by.. dont worry about those "We'll keep an eye on it" spots... the doctors always find something they want to watch.. I have one in my liver that showed up during my first bout of chemo that hasnt changed in 6 months. Remember... this is a war.. and dont get discouraged if a particular battle doesnt turn out exactly as you think it should. I've had several, that at the time, felt like the weight of the end of the world was upon me, and it passed, and we move forward.
Anyway, I'd like to share my journey with you, because it's been a difficult year in comparison to yours.. one which I'm glad your spouse was spared from.
Last April, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic Melanoma. (Skin Cancer that has spread to my spine and leg)
I have been going back and forth from home to MD Anderson in Houston for treatments.
My surgery consisted of full groin lymph node dissection (9 inch scar) and a wide area incision (13 inch scar) where the original mole was... right after surgery, my groin incision wouldnt heal, and it opened up. it took 3 months for it to eventually close over.
Then they did radiation to my leg incision and back. The radiation caused the incision in my groin to open up again, and still has not completely healed.
About two months after my surgery, a brain MRI showed some strange smears in my brain. They said they weren't tumor, but shouldnt be there. another month went by, another MRI showed the same thing. A PET scan showed that there was tumor in the base of my skull, 4 spots in my spine, breastbone,left femur and another lymph node in my leg. (this was one of those bad battle days). The doctors did a specialized stereotactic radiation treatment to the tumor in my skull, and to this day, my scans have all showed good signs of healing to the bone there.
they next started me on a chemo regimine called "Bio-Chemo" I've been told since that there is no stronger regimine of chemo except what they give you before a bone marrow transplant. It consisted of 5 chemo drugs all administered 24hours per day over a 5 day period. in-patient in ICU. fun fun fun. This was done one time per month for 4 rounds of treatments. These treatments kicked me to the curb. I had all of the horrific symptoms that chemo can throw at you, nausea, vomiting, loss of hair, loss of appetite, fever, chills, skin peeled from head to foot, swelling from head to foot, loss of memory. I lost 45lbs over a 4 month period, in general it was the worst experience of my life, so far! just about when I had recovered enough to feel remotely human again, it was time for another treatment.
This chemo got the tumor in my breastbone, and femur, but the scans before my 5th treatment showed some increase in the lymph node in my leg. since it wasnt being totally effective, they decided to STOP that horrid treatment and try something different. (this was both a good and bad battle day)
Next they put me on a med called Abraxaine. Good side, I can take this treatment locally from my oncologist at home. It has ZERO side effects for me, other than making some of my hair fall out again, not alot, but its still aggrevating. I also developed complete numbness of the soles of my feet and have tingling in my fingers. "Nothing to worry about... its the chemo" the docs tell me... its not THIER feet that are numb eh?
I took that chemo for a month, when an MRI of my spine showed that one spot was starting to bulge toward my cord. That got them talking about radiation to my spine. Last month, did 10 days worth of radiation treatments to my back. No big deal, except one of the spots was right where the junction of my stomach and esophagus are. The treatment hardened those tissues slightly, so now I have to take a medication to keep them from cramping horribly when I eat.
they also started me on an oral medication that is a tumor growth inhibitor.. blocks some enzime that the tumor cell needs to divide.. this has given me a lovely itchy rash from head to foot for the last week, but its subsiding, and I am back more toward normal now...
I've been going to work through the whole ordeal, not being able to do much, as walking from my recliner to the bathroom was a major accomplishment there for a while! for the last two month, I have been feeling great, hairs growing back, my appetite has returned, I have put on about 20lbs of my lost weight, and i'm able to drive again and do most activities that I want to do.
Like I said, I wanted to share my experience, so you could see that the battle goes on, sometimes the way you want, and sometimes not the way you want. You have to take each bit of news in context of the war, and not let it get to you too much. Trust your doctors, but dont be afraid to question them when they tell you something that sounds like they are rushing things. Remember that the patient is in control of thier treatment. NEVER let the doctors tell you different.
If you want to share a friend of mine's blog with your wife, she might find it uplifting. Julie Lyons, was diagnosed about the same time as me with melanoma, but she is stage 4 inoperable. She has it in her liver and breast. She is a real fighter, and has gone out and found treatments that MDA didnt even know about. She is getting ready to start a trial that is only the 2nd human patient its ever been used upon.
https://www.lyonsfamily.org
anyway, sorry for the novel, but I have found out that one of the most important things about putting your treatment in perspective is to hear about other people's ordeal in the battle against the disease. There is always someone out there with a story that will make you stop and go.. "boy i've had it lucky" when you hear it. I've heard several myself.
btw.. you sound like you are doing very well as her care-giver... kudo's for that. It can be just as hard for the care-giver as the patient.
later
Jerryb
aka
Gerald C. Boudreaux
Originally posted by flying_silverad
Last week, my wife Yvette received the results of an Ultrasound and mammogram that suggested that she has a 3cm lump on her left breast. She is scheduled for a "core biopsy" on the 10th. The MD said that there is a high probability (considering her family history) that it is malignant.
Any prayers or karma you can float this way would be deeply appreciated.
I don't have a whole lot of close friends to talk to so I hope its okay to post here once in a while.