Just diagnosed. Mom is in stage four!!!

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  • cowgirl
    cowgirl Member Posts: 777
    edited August 2006
    566,
    You are just going to have to pace yourself, and yes whatever she can figure out to get her to where she needs to go is fine. It is my experience, mothers lean on one kid too much. But that is my experience with my mom, just know if you take care of yourself first it will get easier to deal with your mom.
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  • jessmom97
    jessmom97 Member Posts: 2
    edited August 2006

    thank you for the info. I guess I thought that the chemo would cause more fatigue than the radiation. That is probably why she is so tired and her mood is down some.

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  • cowgirl
    cowgirl Member Posts: 777
    edited August 2006

    Jess this is the bad stage, we all hit a wall and want to get off the treatment merry go round. It does get better, once she gets past this part.

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  • didda566
    didda566 Member Posts: 102
    edited August 2006

    I went to see Mom's onc. He said that her lungs are now almost entirely clear of cancer. Not that I am being pessimistic, but if the cancer recurs, will it recur in the exact same spots? Or does it just manifest at random? Does what I asked just make sense? What I am rambling about is whether these spots that have disappeared are weaker than areas where there was no cancer.

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  • didda566
    didda566 Member Posts: 102
    edited August 2006
    MOm is bored!
    She finally talked Dad into getting her a new(er) car. She hasn't driven since she broke her leg in March. (Has it really been that long?)
    Her car will be around next week, and still, I am taking her to all of her appointments! She enjoys me driving her around. I told her she was my own little Miss Daisy.
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  • didda566
    didda566 Member Posts: 102
    edited September 2006
    I am back to school. Dad is going to take Mom to her appointments now. I will miss being in the thick of things, but won't miss the driving back and forth everyday!
    Mom is still going for the pamidronate every four weeks, blood tests (for her warfarin) every week and next month, she goes for another set of chest scans and onc visit.
    When will they check on the two spots on her bones? How long do they wait between checks?
    I want so badly to hear more good news.
    It has been six months now. Six months of the two years the doctor initially said. I don't think of the stats much, but when I do, I think that 25% of the time is gone already.
    Mom looks healthy, still enjoys life, there is no way she cannot beat this crap!
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  • mkl48
    mkl48 Member Posts: 350
    edited September 2006

    I am happy for you she is responding. Not being rude, but how old is your mom? Being older can help in doing better.Beth

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  • didda566
    didda566 Member Posts: 102
    edited September 2006

    Mom turned 60 in January. I am hoping that it puts her in the old age category.

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  • didda566
    didda566 Member Posts: 102
    edited September 2006
    Mom is now walking with a cane. Her leg is 70% healed - well,the break anyway.
    I am so pleased with the way she is handling herself. She doesn't stop living.
    She had a bit of a time this summer. She has the mastectomy, which promptly got infected. NOONE forewarned me of this! Wiping excretions that drained from her incision was not part of my plans in any shape, but HEy! She is my mom!
    Cancer sucks. It ate its way through a lump in my Grandmother's breast right into her chest and the doctors could do nothing about it because she was well into her 90's. Heck, they couldn't even manage her pain properly in the end.
    And worse thing is, when Grammy died, I didnt' even really register it. Mom was forefront in my mind.
    Five months later, I am realizing that this beast stole my Grandmother and is attacking my Mom.
    My daughter just found out that her Granny has cancer. They learned about Terry Fox and his Marathon of Hope. She made the connection because Fox had a "wooden" (her words) leg and Mom broke her leg.
    Now, when she is eating her fruits and vegetables says that cancer won't get her because she is eating healthy.
    How do you explain this to a five year old?
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  • didda566
    didda566 Member Posts: 102
    edited November 2006
    I haven't been on here for a while. I feel like I should apologize, but I know you all are happy to see positives. We are all getting back into everyday life again. Mom still has cancer, don't get me wrong, but her attitude and the fact that the cancer has all but disappeared from her lungs is making it easy to forget for a moment about the disease and focus on the family. (Still don't know about the bone cancer. They haven't checked it at all.)
    Mom is taking 5mg of warfarin daily, as well as the tamoxifen. She goes every four weeks to pamidronate and every two to three months has to go see her oncologist. But the time between is like February 2006, when we didn't know (although it is better, as Mom is not hiding her cancer, alone).
    It is so amazing to see Mom's leg healing again. Our spirits are lifted by her improvement. I no longer worry incessantly about losing her. I can sit and laugh with her. It feels good. We are going on a shopping trip next week-end. And with Christmas craft fairs starting to crop up, we are heading to one tomorrow.
    Dare I say it? Our lives are "normal" again. We are not focused on whether or not Mom will walk. One breast is the norm now. She forgets to take her cane and limps along. She is Mom again, not some sick person everyone should feel sorry for. (trust me, that is what she had to deal with with her friends and neighbors. She rarely sees some of her friends now, as they, I guess, didn't know how to "act".) We are that same family again.
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  • KariLynn
    KariLynn Member Posts: 1,079
    edited November 2006

    I'm glad things are going well. Enjoy the holidays!!!

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  • didda566
    didda566 Member Posts: 102
    edited January 2007
    Mom is on tamoxifen, on warfarin, and on pamidronate. Her oncologist sees her every two months. She just had her third chest scan (for her lungs) and everything seems the same as the last (so they are happy). Unfortunately, Mom has developed a sore arm. They initially found bone cancer in her spine and her leg (where it broke). They took x-rays of her arm LAST WEEK! I am going crazy waiting. They haven't did a bone scan since they diagnosed her with cancer. It will be a year in March.
    q: When do they normally do a follow up bone scan?
    q: How long does it take for one set of arm scans to come back?
    Can anyone help me answer these questions?
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  • LuAnnH
    LuAnnH Member Posts: 8,847
    edited January 2007
    My onc has been doing scans every 3 months to make sure my tx is working. I am on Arimidex and Zometa (similar to pamidronate). If this scan comes back with no progression we will be putting off scans for 4 or 5 months unless something warrants a new scan. Usually scan results take a couple of days in the US to get back to the onc. I am not sure in Canada how long it takes. I take it your mom has problems with blood clots since she is on warfarin. Hope this helps.

    LuAnn
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  • didda566
    didda566 Member Posts: 102
    edited January 2007

    She has been having regular chest scans, but no bone scans. The doc said it takes more time for the bone cancer to start to show improvement, but it is going on a year and we have heard nothing. I am just wondering if this was normal.

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  • LuAnnH
    LuAnnH Member Posts: 8,847
    edited January 2007
    Well they don't really tell if there is improvement from a bone scan. The reason being is once the bone is detroyed the cancer usually affects it so the bone cannot rebuild itself. What they can tell is if there is any new spots. My scans continue to show the same spots even though the cancer may or maynot be active. I believe a PET scan can tell if it is cancer. As long as there is nothing new showing up in the bone they feel as if you are stable.

    LuAnn
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  • KariLynn
    KariLynn Member Posts: 1,079
    edited January 2007
    Healing bone shows up the same as affected bone on the scan. Can't really tell much from it.

    X-rays and scans should be back to the doctor the next day - give them a call.
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  • didda566
    didda566 Member Posts: 102
    edited March 2007
    Mom went to the onc this past week. The arm shows no cancer. He finally is sending her for more tests. Bone scan and Cat scan. (Cat is head, right?)
    It has been one year now, since her diagnosis. NO celebrations, except the ones in my heart. I am unbelievably glad nothing new has developed.
    Mom and I will be spending extra time together this year, as I will be on maternity leave. We are expecting number 3 This September. I cannot wait.
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  • LuAnnH
    LuAnnH Member Posts: 8,847
    edited March 2007
    That is wonderful news. A CAT or CT Scan is a 3D imaging of the body they normally due to monitor your cancer's activity in your body. They do not normally scan the brain or head unless there is symptoms of brain metatisis. I hope she gets good results and congrats on the baby!

    LuAnn
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