Well this sure is a terrible desease isn't it?
Dec 1, 2000, my Dad died after a long degradating battle with stroke
related demensia.
February 2001 my Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was removed
surgically and she received radiation. Then they removed her lymph
nodes and pronounced her clean. The following October she started
having pain in her back. Nobody would do anything. They even insinuated
that she was making it up for attention because she had recently lost
my Father. This went on for a few months with me, her, my co-workers -
calling her doctor. They finally did an MRI and guess what? The cancer
had metastised into her spine. After a 12 hour surgery reconstructing
her spine, she was good as new (ha!) and started chemotherapy. She
lived until July 2002 when it got into her brain. She lasted five days
and that was it. She was 69 years old.
So...
In May of 2003, my husband was diagnosed with Stage 4 nonsurgical
cancer of unknown primary. He had four tumors one on each side of his
neck, one under his collarbone and one in the aortal cavity. The forth
one made it inoperable. He started aggressive chemo right away. In
February he started losing his hands and feet - neuropathy from the
chemo but, his oncologist put him into the hospital for a stroke that
turned out to be a hemmoraging brain tumor. This was surgically removed
and he then went through a round of whole brain radiation. That was
bad.
He fired his original oncologist got a new one and started back on
chemo.
After the brain tumor he also had to stop working. He is 48 years old
and was a mailman.
The chemo works for awhile and then stops and in the meantime the
cancer has spread to other places including his liver.
Now they have him on 5FU and a new drug called erbatux (?) It is an
antibody that attacks tumors with certain properties. It was developed
for colon cancer but the tumor from his brain had the right
characteristics so they are trying it anyway cause they are at a dead
end.
I had him gone by now. I bought a black dress.
He is still hanging in there.
He really isn't doing too bad either. Considering everything.
They recently put him back on steroids. Took him off before the brain
surgery. So I can't tell if the treatments are working or if the
steroids are responsible for bit of appetite and energy.
I stopped working in August to be with him because his oncologist told
me that it was time. Not!
We did a scan on Tuesday. Will get the results on Monday AM.
Sorry I go on and on....
Thanks to anyone who made it to the end.
Hang in there all...Peace on Earth