MOM. stage 4 recurring mets to liver/lungs

SallyP222
SallyP222 Member Posts: 3
edited September 2012 in Colorectal Cancer #1
First off, we reside in Ottawa Ontario Canada..so any advice would be appreciated.
My mother is 54. She was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in September 2010 with mets to the liver. She had undergone a right hemicolectomy on her colon that fall as she had to go into emergency due to the risk of blockage/busting her appendix. After that she had been on chemo, had another surgery on her liver in spring of 2011 where they took out a great deal of her liver. She went on chemo after that but it made her too sick..so sick she was close to death from it. We went on alternative therapy after that in which she needed to take a break from that as well in the fall of 2011.. she started up again shortly and in the summer of 2012 they needed to perform another liver surgery..the mets were close to the hepatic vein so it was very risky. Ever since then she has never really felt better. She has been through hell and its worse than ever now. She had been passing blood clots and mucus from her anus and has been losing weight FAST. shes ended up in emergency so many times but with no suprise, they have been fairly useless. She had a sigmoid scope last week to see what was going on- they couldn't even complete that because blood would start squirting out everywhere and now we know its due to a blockage above a massive ulcer in the rectal area of her colon. The CT scan told us that the cancer came back..in her colon, liver and lungs. We don't know what to do. She needs the operation on her colon ASAP (its very life threatening)..she is getting worse

any advice for her... survivors? doctors?

Comments

  • thingy45
    thingy45 Member Posts: 632 Member
    Sally, so sorry
    Sally so sorry to hear about your Mom.
    I am also in Canada, I am in Edmonton. Unfortunately I cannot help you here, but maybe someone else on the board is able to give you advice.
    I can only offer you support and my prayers.I also had three blockages and with a left hemocolectomy I am currently NED (No Evidence of Decease).
    Hugs, Marjan
  • Lovekitties
    Lovekitties Member Posts: 3,364 Member
    So sorry
    So sorry that your mom is in this serious condition.

    As you say it sounds as if an operation is called for to stop the bleeding and get her health under control enough to consider what next to do for the other issues.

    Is the doctor not wanting to do the operation? Is it that he feels her overall health would compromise her ability to recover from it?

    About the only recommendation I have is that you could request a second opinion from a colorectal surgeon who is not associated with her current doctor.

    Praying for your mom.

    Marie who loves kitties
  • smokeyjoe
    smokeyjoe Member Posts: 1,425 Member

    So sorry
    So sorry that your mom is in this serious condition.

    As you say it sounds as if an operation is called for to stop the bleeding and get her health under control enough to consider what next to do for the other issues.

    Is the doctor not wanting to do the operation? Is it that he feels her overall health would compromise her ability to recover from it?

    About the only recommendation I have is that you could request a second opinion from a colorectal surgeon who is not associated with her current doctor.

    Praying for your mom.

    Marie who loves kitties

    I don't have any advice...I
    I don't have any advice...I live in Ont. too. Are doctors suggesting more chemo. to shrink the tumors first??
  • steveandnat
    steveandnat Member Posts: 886
    Get more advise
    See if your mom can get more advise from other onc just to make sure. Can your mom take any chemo? Praying for your mom and family. Jeff
  • steved
    steved Member Posts: 834 Member
    Looking for what?
    First of al welcome to this group- you and your mum have been through a huge amount and I hope this group can at least share some support and advise for you. I am not sure what you are looking for at the moment as clearly your mums situation is very serious and you know she needs more treatment. I suspect you need to sit down with her and her team and discuss what the options are including the role of surgery. You clearly feel really out of control and scared about what this all means and it is through answering your questions and providing a direction of treatment that you will manage those feelings.
    In truth you need to also look after yourself at this time so you can best support your mum. Find some one you can talk to about your worries but don't expect answers as no one will really have those except her team.

    I don't think people. Here will be able to give you the clinical answers your mom needs at this time but they can give a lot of advise about coping with your situation and a lot of care and support from people who are in or have been in the same situation. It isn't easy but many here live successfully with cancer or with people with cancer and with good quality of life. Perhaps that too needs to be a focus for you and your mum-thinking about how you can find some pleasure and quality in your lives despite what is going on.

    Sorry, no definite answers but lots of concern and understanding- I too have recurrence of cancer with disabling symptoms. Perhaps tell us some more of the situation and let us know what happens forward from here,,

    Steve