How are people with liver mets doing?

You know what else, Ann? If we could enter into any open clinical trial across the country, our docs would have to be more informed- right now they mostly only ever offer whatever is nearby. If we could take any of the trials offered at Memorial Sloan Kettering or UCSF or UCLA or Mayo Clinic or MD Anderson, and have them right in our own doctor's office, they might take need to dig a little deeper about what to recommend to their patients, ask around some more about what seems to be working..

Amen Cure-ious.

Z - we miss your posts, but understand if you need time away from BCO. You have expressed concern for so many others, especially with all the topics you have started these past few years. You have been through a lot lately and we care.Just know that.

I heard that Z will return soon, Zoom, Zoom!

Z is for Zorro, Zumba, and Zeitgeist. Come back, Z!!

Ann- that is an excellent point!! They keep telling us to consider our cancer as a chronic disease, and I do, because they could (and better) come up with a cure or long-long-long treatments within our lifetimes, But chronic diseases get treated locally by our own doctors, you shouldn't have to go all across the country to get treated for a chronic disease.

great news muddling through

Congrats, MuddlingThrough!

Thank you hartrish, JFL, and Liwi.

Hi Lisajo, I was thinking about you and hoping you were doing okay as I haven't seen you post in a while. I haven't been on those drugs but others have taken the combo with good results. I hope they help to shrink your liver and reduce the ascites. Have you ever thought about local therapy such as Y90 for your liver? You may want to check out the thread on local therapies.

Hi Lisajo6 - I am on carboGem (as I like to call it, sounds fancier, right? ) since February. I was diagnosed stage 4 in January with 2 liver mets. Started CarboGem in February and by end of April my PET scan couldn't detect cancer in my liver. I just had another PET scan this week, also clear. I hope that CarboGem works well for clearing your liver mets too!

I get Carbo and Gem together every 2 weeks. I feel bleh (a little tired, a little nauseous) the evening after chemo and the day after. After so many rounds of it, I have started to have some issues with neuropathy. My WBC counts are holding pretty well, but I think a lot of people have issues with that on CarboGem. The other issue I am having is rising liver enzymes. My oncologist seems a bit perplexed by that, as I don't think that's a typical side effect seen with CarboGem. I don't know that it is caused by the chemo, but the rising levels correlate with starting chemo.

Best of luck!

lisajo6: I have been on carbo/gemzar for 11 months for liver mets. Has worked well for me. Side effects: fatigue, constipation, some muscle aches for 1-2 days after infusion, low wbc (on neulasta). Has been overall easy to manage side effects. Pray it keeps working.

Prayers to you that this combo works well for you.

Thriving mama. I'm wondering about what I R would say in your situation. When you are NED can anything be seen? If nothing can be seen, I dont see how a local treatment could be done. If it says NEAD, that's even more confusing. I too, would be very curious to hear an answer to both of those questions.

Lisajo6,

Someone posted earlier this summer - maybe Zarkova? - about using a bolster pillow and some yoga positions to help drain the fluid. Maybe more regular contributors to this forum remember more about it?

Use the search function to look up acsites, too, maybe you can find some good information from those who've had it.

Are they giving you premeds with your chemo? I was on Carbo & Etoposide for a few months and got steroids (Dexamethazone) and Zofran beforehand. I know some people don't take the steroids, but I haven't had problems with it. Keep taking your nausea meds for a few days after chemo, too. Constipation? Drink a ton of water, prune juice and take Senecot. It's a gentle stool softener. I always start these a couple of days before my chemo and it helped tremendously. You are probably doing all these things already.

I wish you all the best, hope you find some comfort soon...I know, it's scary. You are in the right place (here), there are so many knowledgeable metsters with sound advice.

HI Lisajo it's not the end. But you could do a sonogram and the report will tell you the level of ascites you have, moderate or more than that...It definitely could be drained, it's a procedure, so maybe maybe he wants to avoid that, BUT it depends how much it's bothering you, and it should not get out of hand, that's why a ultrasound would be helpful. Yes, it could be from belly mets, but a lot of ppl with liver mets get it, and it could be managed. So if you have to get a 2nd opinion about it.

Also, ginger helps with nausea. And yes, Zarovka wrote extensively of how she used the bolster pillow and it helped!

Worried about Zar, hope you are ok and wil hear from you soon!

lisajo6, I have/had mild ascites on my last MRI and CT Scan. I thought it may be gastro issues from the Taxol but not sure. Belly was bloated, uncomfortable. Taxol failed now onto A/C chemo. Belly seems better so it may be that the A/C is working. Tumor marker down and LFT tests down as well. Chemo works on rapidly dividing cells, like hair and intestines. Chemo definitely affects your gastrointestinal tract. Hope you find some relief, I know how it feels-Jill.