Totainsgrl
12-10-2004, 03:10 PM
Hi all!
It's been a few days since I've been on, but Mom came home so I've been helping the family.
We went to the onc for the first time since surgery and he said that Mom seems more debilitated than he had expected. Therefore, he said that she would not be a candidate for chemo since her hemoglobin is 7 and her platelets 20000. And the radiation onc most likely won't try anything until those levels rise.
That being said, he wanted to do a bone marrow biopsy to see why her body isn't producing platelets. He gave her a drug much like Procrit for the hemoglobin. So, I pushed for a PET scan as well. He didn't want to, then on second thought, ordered it. I want to see the big picture of what we have left to fight. My mom is insisting that she fight until her death because she won't give up and let Cancer get her. She's strong. Wow, is she ever strong.
We asked her what she wanted to do and she said "everything we can until I say otherwise". So, we're going with it.
He talks of doing Herceptin a while if we find more mets in the body. The brain piece is still being discussed but they are pushing for WBR. Since it is one tumor that has been 99% resected, I want them to do more localized focal radiation and not WBR. They said that if the cancer didn't kill her, the brain necrosis would. Either way, we're looking at 6 months. I don't know how they can tell since her last full body scan in August was clear. Could the mets be out of control so soon?
I don't think I believe them. I think that we have options here, and they are just giving up too early. They did this before when the situation was grave and she popped back. She's completely coherent, but the Decadron just makes her look bad and it raises her sugar to the point she gets tired. But seeing her at home is night and day compared to what the docs see.
I'm not being naive, and I know that this could be it. But, as long as she is willing to fight, I'm going to be her biggest advocate. Then, after she is gone, whenever that may be, I will begin my fight for all Breast Cancer patients and Survivors.
It's been a few days since I've been on, but Mom came home so I've been helping the family.
We went to the onc for the first time since surgery and he said that Mom seems more debilitated than he had expected. Therefore, he said that she would not be a candidate for chemo since her hemoglobin is 7 and her platelets 20000. And the radiation onc most likely won't try anything until those levels rise.
That being said, he wanted to do a bone marrow biopsy to see why her body isn't producing platelets. He gave her a drug much like Procrit for the hemoglobin. So, I pushed for a PET scan as well. He didn't want to, then on second thought, ordered it. I want to see the big picture of what we have left to fight. My mom is insisting that she fight until her death because she won't give up and let Cancer get her. She's strong. Wow, is she ever strong.
We asked her what she wanted to do and she said "everything we can until I say otherwise". So, we're going with it.
He talks of doing Herceptin a while if we find more mets in the body. The brain piece is still being discussed but they are pushing for WBR. Since it is one tumor that has been 99% resected, I want them to do more localized focal radiation and not WBR. They said that if the cancer didn't kill her, the brain necrosis would. Either way, we're looking at 6 months. I don't know how they can tell since her last full body scan in August was clear. Could the mets be out of control so soon?
I don't think I believe them. I think that we have options here, and they are just giving up too early. They did this before when the situation was grave and she popped back. She's completely coherent, but the Decadron just makes her look bad and it raises her sugar to the point she gets tired. But seeing her at home is night and day compared to what the docs see.
I'm not being naive, and I know that this could be it. But, as long as she is willing to fight, I'm going to be her biggest advocate. Then, after she is gone, whenever that may be, I will begin my fight for all Breast Cancer patients and Survivors.