Second surgery anyone?

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kellyh33
kellyh33 Member Posts: 287
edited March 2014 in Ovarian Cancer #1
Hi ladies,
Mom had her initial surgery Sept 3rd and it was unsuccessful due to the location of the tumor. It was pretty well contained but it was too close to the blood supply to tell where the tumor started and the blood line ended.
Today Mom had her fifth round of chemo. After four rounds her CA-125 number is 4,056 which is a huge drop compared to 14,301 from when she was diagnosed. The doctor indicated there is a chance the tumor could shrink enough for them to try surgery again.
Does anyone have experience with this?
The disappointing news is Mom did not put on any weight. She is still 87 lbs but at least she didn't lose any. She is on a saline solution still for the next two weeks. The doctor changed her anti nausea pill on Thursday. The new one seems to be working a lot better so perhaps we'll see a weight gain Nov 15 when she goes for her next chemo.
I find it odd that when Mom had her surgery they drained 2 litres of fluid from her stomach. The doctor told us it would be back by morning. Well nearly two months later Mom's stomach is still flat. I am hoping that is a good sign.
Sorry to be rambling but I constantly think/worry about this. It is good to get my thoughts on paper.
Kelly

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  • Hissy_Fitz
    Hissy_Fitz Member Posts: 1,834
    #2
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    The chemo usually keeps the
    The chemo usually keeps the ascites from coming back. I had 3 liters drained just before de-bulking surgery and it never came back. Without the chemo, it does come back very quickly.

    Chemo does often shrink tumors, so a second surgery is definitely a possibility.

    Hoping for the best for you and your mom.

    Carlene
  • kellyh33
    kellyh33 Member Posts: 287
    #3
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    Anyone else?
    I thought i would bump this back to the top to see if anyone else had any insight.
  • Mwee
    Mwee Member Posts: 1,338
    #4
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    kellyh33 said:

    Anyone else?
    I thought i would bump this back to the top to see if anyone else had any insight.

    second surgery
    My onco/surgeon has criterias before preforming a second surgery and your Mom's doctors could tell you what they expect to accomplish.
    Maria
  • kellyh33
    kellyh33 Member Posts: 287
    #5
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    Hissy_Fitz said:

    The chemo usually keeps the
    The chemo usually keeps the ascites from coming back. I had 3 liters drained just before de-bulking surgery and it never came back. Without the chemo, it does come back very quickly.

    Chemo does often shrink tumors, so a second surgery is definitely a possibility.

    Hoping for the best for you and your mom.

    Carlene

    Ascites
    Hi Carlene,
    I can always count on you for information and it is greatly appreciated.
    Mom's tumours have not shrunk but they have not grown either. Mom did go nearly two months without chemo and the ascites did not come back. I am looking at that a positive sign.
    I hate that i spend so much time thinking about and worrying about this damn disease.
  • Hissy_Fitz
    Hissy_Fitz Member Posts: 1,834
    #6
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    kellyh33 said:

    Ascites
    Hi Carlene,
    I can always count on you for information and it is greatly appreciated.
    Mom's tumours have not shrunk but they have not grown either. Mom did go nearly two months without chemo and the ascites did not come back. I am looking at that a positive sign.
    I hate that i spend so much time thinking about and worrying about this damn disease.

    The lack of ascites is
    The lack of ascites is definitely a good sign. No tumor growth is also something to celebrate.

    There are a few doctors who will perform risky de-bulking surgeries, but most are pretty middle-of-the road. I have to agree....an operation that removes the cancer, but kills the patient, is not a successful surgery.

    Is she going to get more chemo?
  • kellyh33
    kellyh33 Member Posts: 287
    #7
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    Hissy_Fitz said:

    The lack of ascites is
    The lack of ascites is definitely a good sign. No tumor growth is also something to celebrate.

    There are a few doctors who will perform risky de-bulking surgeries, but most are pretty middle-of-the road. I have to agree....an operation that removes the cancer, but kills the patient, is not a successful surgery.

    Is she going to get more chemo?

    Yup
    Mom goes for her 7th treatment December 6th. Hoping her CA 125 numbers continue to drop. My sister thinks mom should ask about trying a different type of chemo to see if it will shrink the tumour.
  • Barbara53
    Barbara53 Member Posts: 652
    #8
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    kellyh33 said:

    Yup
    Mom goes for her 7th treatment December 6th. Hoping her CA 125 numbers continue to drop. My sister thinks mom should ask about trying a different type of chemo to see if it will shrink the tumour.

    changing chemos
    It's my understanding that medical "standards of practice" strongly discourage interrupting or changing chemo unless there is a negative "medical event" like stroke or cardiac stuff. The oncology team won't want to back off the current regimen until it's done, and then your Mom's body will need a rest before any new chemos might be tried. In between, she might be give other drugs that hold back the cancer by altering hormones (tamoxifen) or blood flow to small capillaries (avastin). Still lots of options, so don't get discouraged.

    In two years, my mom has been through all this and more, but at least we had a good clean surgery to start with. Hope your mom's numbers continue to go down. My mom's never got to normal, but did go quite low for a while.

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