How are people with liver mets doing?
Comments
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Margie, have your oncologist refer you to a Radiation Oncologist & they can tell by the location of the met in your liver, if you are a candidate. I had 3 and none of them were in an area that was recommended to treat as it could disturb other vital organs.0 -
Garlickbread,
Like Syrmom said your onc has to refer you to a radiation specialist who can tell you if you are candidate or not. Most of us aren't though. This is a very serious and medical decision and can only be given by a professional. Good luck.
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I had two ablations done. They were done by an Interventional Radiologist. It depends on the number, location, and size. It's worth it because you get a chemo break.
:-) Penny
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thank you. I just called my RO but office is closed. I'll call her on monday
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Garlikbread - I don't think an RO does ablations or SIR-spheres, but I think she would do an SBRT (Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy) on the liver if she thought that would be appropriate treatment. If she thinks SBRT is not appropriate, maybe she could refer you to an IR (Interventional Radiologist) to discuss the other targeted treatments. Hope you don't mind my two cents.
:-) Penny
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Scans Tuesday evening. Doctor appointment the next day. May God's Will, not mine, be done. In the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, I pray. Amen.
:-) Penny
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penny thanks for the info.
Margie
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Penny my heartfelt prayers are with you on tuesday and the next day. May God's will be done , god is good , i trust he will give us good news. In Jesus name our Lord and Savior Amen. Big hug and lots and of prayers.
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I've missed so much...of course Tues will be a day of prayerful reflection, Penny!!! Since you're 3 hrs ahead, I'll start very early
. Hope your brother was a forestThanksgiving host! I didn't get a chance to wish you all Thanksgiving Joy...but hope you know you were part of our celebration of thanks!
Woody...4 hrs is speed chemo...LOL!!! Hope you're feeling good today! I had hercep/perj Wed & Tom and I were talking, talking, talking...all at once I said...why is this still going (perjeta). I rang for the nurse & she said she did it over 60 min...blah!!!! I said it's usually 20 min & one nurse did 10 (which scared me but was fine!). I didn't care except there was lots to do for Thanksgiving dinner
. Garlik...so sorry the buggers found your liver, but our sisters are right...many have been stable/NED for years...I'll be 2 years 12/21...and that's after I was told to quit my job & spend the last time I have with family. I'm interested to hear of your next tx...and praying for good response & long life for you, young lady
Chichi...such marvelous news!!!! I'm glad Navelbine is working for you, as it did for me & is doing for Penny (I have faith!). I can imagine the joy your family felt & praise God for His healing! I was nervous when my onc took me off...but it's still an option & hopefully, as he said...it did what it was supposed to do...stomp the buggers out!!!
Leah...I'm trying to remember your post (chemo brain) and I can't go back so I'm sending hope & love you're mending well...thinking fiber was on your list of no-goes. I agree w/Woody..I LOVE Fage yogurt w/blueberries & almonds-every day! If you eat a few organic prunes every day...it's like a miracle (hope you like them...I like almost everything so it's a natural for me).
Cheery..when I was dx w/liver mets, my onc said not to change anything I was doing...except not to drink alcohol, which I don't like so I didn't care. I know not drinking anything is probably a bit much, but I wouldn't imbibe too much...I tend to go overboard on being proactive with anything that can help us live longer...(my sisters get tired of me preaching...but I'm the HEALTHIEST sibling...and with stage 4 cancer!!). I say God knows I'm strong & can handle this disease...my siblings could never survive it. Off my soap box. Love to all
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Hello sweet RonnieKay,
I am guessing from the sound of it , you had a great thanksgivings ! Good for you , thanks be to God. You are always a rock to everything ne here, and i love the fact that you love food , and you love life , this is a great plus for you and probably and excellent and effective part of your treatment. I cannot but tell you to stay the course and always be so happy. We have a lot of thanking to do, Chichi has good results, hoping and praying we get the same for Penny and of course thanking God you have a break from chemo , i know it scares you but i think it will d you good and give your body time to repair itself. When and if it comes back God forbids you and we will criss that bridge then.
You are right we have been blessed with our wonderful soul mates, and you are right they didn't know what they were getting themselves into lollll. But I guess this is part of until death do us part. My believes in it deeply and he is always thankful , even though this time i feel it is taking its tall in him .
As you know i started this new regimen on the 11 of Nov. my onc did the CA and it was 40 after the first session he did another and it became 44, now before the "third" taxol since the second was totally cancelled my CA climbed to 49.5 . He had told me he will be checking it every three weeks , but the fact that one session was cancelled and before he does the next he checked again he wanted to know my CA level, but it worried me . If this could combination is not doing any good then i am in trouble. Did u have your CA rising before you hit the second session of your first cycle? Now i know simetimes it does that, and he told me not to worry and that it is not an indication before we finish the cycle . Still my mind is over working. Any toughts?
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Couldn't sleep past 5...so unusual for me! I must've heard you calling me, Woody! Are you talking about CA 2729? I get that & CEA tests every 3 weeks. They were at 300+ & 100 when dx w/mets. I'm sorry I don't remember how quickly they went down, butknow about a month after weekly chemo, the nurses were happy w/my tests. At that time, I was still in a fog and didn't quite grasp the TM importance. I don't think I paid any attention my first time around. Woody, it sounds like if you're in the 40s, you're not far out of normal range...and you're just in the beginning of txt! I do remember when mine fluctuated, I panicked and my onc said even though 37 is normal, she wouldn't care if it was higher, taking into account how I felt & all other tests (like liver enzymes)...I still worried, so I understand your concern. My onc said it is normal for TM's to zigzag...so I think that's what you're seeing! Prayers that the numbers will zag next time...and that this regimen will be the best! I have faith!
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Dear Woody:
My oncologist doesn't usually do TM markers so I can't give you any advice, but I've read that sometimes it goes up slightly as the tumor is dying. Other than that, I can pray for your peace of mind :-)
- Penny
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Thanks RonnieKay, it is CA15-3 my CEA is normal , my CA15-3 was at first not an indication, neaning at my first dx . On my second dx however it strated rising as it turned HER2+ . The normal here is 28. All enzymes are normal . So thank you for easing my mind a bit. I have faith too, so i will try to ignore this for the time being.
) keeping the good vibes. Kisses.0 -
Your prayers are more than enough Penny , you are always present in your prayers, may God bless you always. I like you TM were not performed before only after reoccurrence as they became an indication. It is true what you read, it goes up when they die in the blood. They also go up when a new chemo is used. Still at times they become unsettling. Waiting and praying for you on Tuesday.
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Thanks to you all for the congrats on my good news! My husband and I took a short trip to Galveston to try and relax by the beach and see some sights. I don't really understand...I thought my hubby would be over the moon about my results, but he barely said anything and was moody and non-talkative the entire trip, criticizing everything I did...almost like he was disappointed. It really ruined the trip for me. It's sad that I can't wait to go back to work where people are actually excited for me...just like all of you. I'm trying to keep my chin up, but there is no response from him. I've gotta just keep on keeping on and if he can't hang with me, then he can't hang with me.
Penny - Thanks for your prayers and congrats. I'm sending prayers for your scans Tuesday and results on Wednesday...I just know they will be good...God hears your prayers.
Woody - Thanks to you also and for the kind words...it means alot to me. I'm praying that the rise in your CA numbers are not serious...I'm not familiar with them. I believe my onc only does liver function tests. I will ask him tomorrow at my follow up and next chem session.
Leah - Thanks, to you too! and to RonnieKay (healthnut! lol!) I'm glad one of us is! I know I should cut down on the Coke I drink everyday, but it's the one addiction I don't want to give up!
Blessings and prayers to all..."talk" to you soon!
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Hi Woody
I'm not on PTH but some years ago, I did get tumour flare when I did Taxol as part of TCH. Iirc, my tumour markers doubled up after the first cycle of TCH. I think it was only after cycle 3 that the tumour markers started coming down. Hope yours is the same case and PTH does wonders for you.
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Chichimaine - He'll come around. It takes a while for them to process news, good and bad. And the fact that they can't save us, or do anything about the cancer, really throws them for a loop. Enjoy the good news yourself, in the meantime. Also, is it possible he's overwhelmed by anything else? Sometimes they worry about bills, insurance, etc, and don't want to add to our burden by discussing it with us.
:-) Penny
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Cheery,
Thnx for the info, i am taking it easy before panicking hehehe since he is not supposed to test for TM before the end of the first cycle of HPT. I guess he is over excited and expects a sudden miracle. I will wait and see what the next cycle will bring. Hugs
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Penny, i agree with you men are not talented in crisis situations unforynayely , some of them get it after a while aome never do .
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Thanks all for your encouraging words! The book Men Are From Mars and Women Are From Venus is true...we think so differently! But I'm hanging in there and definitely riding the wave of the good news. I went to the onc today and he told me he was amazed that the Navelbine shrunk all the tumors by half with only two courses. He gave me a big hug and said to keep hanging in there with the chemo and we will see if we can beat this darn thing!
Had chemo after doctor visit and it hit me harder than the others this time...guess it's building up in my body...really feeling fatigued and running low fever...just between 99. and 100.3, so nothing to worry about. They did warn me that Navelbine does cause low grade fevers and not to worry unless it gets over 101.5. Going to hit the sack earlier tonight and hope I feel better in the morning. Oh...almost forgot...has anyone else had leg aches with the Navelbine? Feels almost like growing pains.
Again, thanks to all of you for being here...you'll never know how much it means to have you all!
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Hi Chichi,
Men are from Mars and women from Venus it has always been the case hehehehe. Enjoy your ride of shrinking tumors and be happy. All chemos almost all of them, are cumulative as far as SEs do not worry but be aware that if the fatigue hinders your daily activity and you are unable to do small things and regular things you should inform your doctor so he can check your blood low white blood cells will cause the fever and the fatigue may be caused by anemia, so he can give you proper help. The foot pain may be neutropenia which is caused by may types of chemo if it is low it will stay low but if increases you may feel tingling in the tows growing pain in muscles and somtimes bones. Again if the pain grows and u feel some swelling inform your onc. These pains can be also caused by low blood counts . I hope nevalbine will continue shrinking these tumors to oblivion. I had my herceptin/ perjeta yesterday in which i napped again for 4 hours hehehehe. All my infusions are given to me me very slowly to avoid and watch anallergic reaction. So far so good. I am travelling today back home to lebanon , to spend the holiday's with my son and family, my husband will follow on the 23rd. I will have my second cycle entirely there. Holiday cheers to all of us ! Hugs.
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Bad news. More tumor growth. Waiting to hear back from oncologist to see what to try next. So much else to be thankful to God for - at least I feel ok. 🙏
- Penny
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I'm without words, Penny. I know on this journey, we've learned not to expect anything...to have hope and faith is about all we can control...and times like this, I just shake my head and wonder when this stupid disease will stop being so powerful. Ever faithful, you see the bright side~feeling good & loving life & its blessings! Remember bhd...12th chemo is doing the job! Lots of options...I hope the next one is the magic potion!! My arms are wrapped around you...XO
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Dear Penny, like RonniKay , i am speecless, i am so soory to hear this. But i know your faith and i know you will not give up as long as you have options and as long as you believe God is with you since the begining. Given all the treatments you have had and all the ups and downs you have been through, you are still here, alive and feeling well . You blessings are countless, your endurence is admirable and our prayers will be more fervent all the way with you. A big hug from me and may the hand of God pulls again aagain and again. Waiting to hear about what your onc will recommend next , keep us posted. Kisses.
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Oh, Penny, I'm so sorry to hear your news. I hope your new tx will be successful.
Hugs for you,
Leah
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Penny sorry to hear about yr progression. I had results of ct scan and it showed that the one liver lesion that was present has now grown from 6mm to15mm and I have several small new lesions. I have had one cycle of Halaven and on Friday I saw onc. She said that Tumor markers had gone up from 736 to 1020. I'm a bit concerned. Have any of you ladies had this happen and then go on to have good results. By the way the nausea,vomiting and tiredness is herendous with this chemo even at this early stage. I have a port put in (not a common procedure in the uk) instead of a Hickman line. I found it much better.
I wish all you ladies a happy pain free day. XX
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Mutherflush:
My oncologist doesn't do tumor markers too much but I've heard that a rise in them could indicate tumor dying off. Since you have new lesions, is your oncologist going to change your treatment, or is the Halaven your new line of treatment since finding the new lesions?
Keeping you in prayer,
Penny
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red wolf. Halaven is my new chemo. I have been booked for 6 cycles. Day 1 and day8 of a 21 day cycle.
Chichi marine. I had same symptoms with Navelbine. I also had severe stomach cramps but it kept me stable and enabled me to have a four month break from chemo.
We all have to keep the faith and hope that soon they will find something(like with AIDS virus) that if it doesn't cure we will be able to survive for years.
X
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dear all,
I have had a hard time since chemo on dec 1. very bad side effects from the chemo, and the neulasta. My scan showed liver mets shrinking/or stable but my ca 27/29 has gone up again(in the 400's now) I do not understand.
see doc on tuesday. I have so much fatigue. I am just so grateful the Lord lifts me up with friends, my wonderful husband/caregiver....and His Presence.
Fatigue, constipation and body aches...all over.......... are the worst this time..and cannot taste food...and not much appetite either.
I would appreciate your prayers and thoughts re the tumor markers...I will keep you Penny and Mutherflush ronniekay and all in prayer, I still can DO THAT PTL
becky
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Becky,
I am do sorry you feel so lousy and tired, my prayers are with you , may the Lord lift you up,mand help you through these hard times. I hope you feel better soon. Hugs.
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