My mom has just been diagnosed with PPC.

Jewlie
Jewlie Member Posts: 9
in Ovarian Cancer #1
I live in NC and my parents are from Mo. My mom just retired a little over a year ago and she has been looking foward to enjoying life without having to work. She has been ill for the last few months and we all thought it was from a lap band surgery she had about 3 years ago. My parents have been traveling back and forth between home and my house. My mom got her a doctor here in my town and eventually she was admitted to the hospital in March because she had a bowel abstruction from scar tissue. She was better for a little bit and then everything started all over again but much worse this time. She has finally been diagnosed with PPC! She just had her debulking surgery tuesday and starts chemo next week. We are trying very hard to be possitive!!!!! Her surgeon has informed her that if chemo doesn't work then there is nothing else they can do for her. I'm just finding this hard to believe!!!!!

Comments

  • stella65
    stella65 Member Posts: 152
    #2
    So sorry
    Hi Jewlie, It's tough isn't it, active mum seeming fit and healthy and then wham, you are hit with the worst news! I must say though that we were told there are several chemo options to try and if one doesn't work they try another. My mum had her surgery and then 5 rounds of chemo, she has had her CA125 and scan done and has been told all looks good, we know the chemo just holds the cancer back and we do not know when it could take off again but for now we consider things are going really well, mum looks well and is as active as she ever was so please keep your positive head on and encourage your mum to do the same, you will soon reaslise that you need to live life and try to put the big C in the background, it doesn't deserve our time and energy! I hope once your mum has had her chemo and feeling better you will be able to see where I am coming from, much love to you and your mum, just be there for her X
  • Tina Brown
    Tina Brown Member Posts: 1,036 Member
    #3
    Sorry to meet via a cancer
    Sorry to meet via a cancer forum. I have PPC and yes the diagnosis is very scary and gloomy. I was diagnosed Nov 2009 and have just finished myt 2nd round of chemo. The chemo does indeed hold off the cancer and in my case held it off for 8 months last year before I had to have some more. I finished my second lot in March this year and up to now I am really well and symptom free.

    It has been tough for me to come to terms with what I've got, but there is nothing I or anyone can do about it so I am learning to live with it. I look at my cancer as a chronic condition or disease that will always need to be treated with chemo. I will have months off it inbetween and will enjoy a good quality of life.

    I do have my down days but generally speaking I have learnt to live with it.

    Pleasekeep posting so we all know how she is getting on.

    Love Tina xx
  • Mum2bellaandwilliam
    Mum2bellaandwilliam Member Posts: 412
    #4
    Tina Brown said:

    Sorry to meet via a cancer
    Sorry to meet via a cancer forum. I have PPC and yes the diagnosis is very scary and gloomy. I was diagnosed Nov 2009 and have just finished myt 2nd round of chemo. The chemo does indeed hold off the cancer and in my case held it off for 8 months last year before I had to have some more. I finished my second lot in March this year and up to now I am really well and symptom free.

    It has been tough for me to come to terms with what I've got, but there is nothing I or anyone can do about it so I am learning to live with it. I look at my cancer as a chronic condition or disease that will always need to be treated with chemo. I will have months off it inbetween and will enjoy a good quality of life.

    I do have my down days but generally speaking I have learnt to live with it.

    Pleasekeep posting so we all know how she is getting on.

    Love Tina xx

    Hi , sorry to have to meet
    Hi , sorry to have to meet you on here.
    My mum also has PPC , and it sucks, the first few months were hell , I trawled the internet for anything I could find, in the hope there was something somewhere in the world to help my mum.I went to hell and back!
    I have accepted what is happening now ,I cannot change it , I cannot cure it , so we have to live with and enjoy every single day, life is precious, it takes something like this to make you really appreciate simple things.
    Good luck to your mum and take good care of yourself , its a hell of a ride.

    xxx Liz xxx
  • eward
    eward Member Posts: 210
    #5
    Mum2bellaandwilliam said:

    Hi , sorry to have to meet
    Hi , sorry to have to meet you on here.
    My mum also has PPC , and it sucks, the first few months were hell , I trawled the internet for anything I could find, in the hope there was something somewhere in the world to help my mum.I went to hell and back!
    I have accepted what is happening now ,I cannot change it , I cannot cure it , so we have to live with and enjoy every single day, life is precious, it takes something like this to make you really appreciate simple things.
    Good luck to your mum and take good care of yourself , its a hell of a ride.

    xxx Liz xxx

    same
    I feel the same as Liz. We can't waste a single moment anymore.
  • Jewlie
    Jewlie Member Posts: 9
    #6
    eward said:

    same
    I feel the same as Liz. We can't waste a single moment anymore.

    Thank you all so much!!!
    My mother is still in the hospital! She started her first round of chemo last Tuesday! The chemo has made her very nausiated and tired. I talked to her this morning and she said she may get to come home the end of this week if she can eat and keep it down. She only takes a big enough bite to taste the food and quits! I wish she would just make herself eat but she says nothing taste good and tosses her fork down on the tray! The chemo drugs she had last week are Oxaliplatin and Fluorouracil! She has been complaining of pains in her abdoman also and is on morphine for it and she's been having the pains even before chemo started. I noticed she is swollen and retaining fluid as well! Her legs are huge and when she went to put on a pair of her pj bottoms, they were to tight on her. I asked her doctor about this and she said it was the cancer!
    She is so angry as well!!!!! I can't say anything anymore without her yelling at me or telling me I have no idea what she is going through. I know I don't but I'm trying very hard to be there for her. I'm just hoping and praying that the chemo will eventually help to put her in remission and she will have some good days to enjoy at home. At this point I wonder if she will ever get to come home.
  • Jewlie
    Jewlie Member Posts: 9
    #7
    Jewlie said:

    Thank you all so much!!!
    My mother is still in the hospital! She started her first round of chemo last Tuesday! The chemo has made her very nausiated and tired. I talked to her this morning and she said she may get to come home the end of this week if she can eat and keep it down. She only takes a big enough bite to taste the food and quits! I wish she would just make herself eat but she says nothing taste good and tosses her fork down on the tray! The chemo drugs she had last week are Oxaliplatin and Fluorouracil! She has been complaining of pains in her abdoman also and is on morphine for it and she's been having the pains even before chemo started. I noticed she is swollen and retaining fluid as well! Her legs are huge and when she went to put on a pair of her pj bottoms, they were to tight on her. I asked her doctor about this and she said it was the cancer!
    She is so angry as well!!!!! I can't say anything anymore without her yelling at me or telling me I have no idea what she is going through. I know I don't but I'm trying very hard to be there for her. I'm just hoping and praying that the chemo will eventually help to put her in remission and she will have some good days to enjoy at home. At this point I wonder if she will ever get to come home.

    Just an update!!!!
    I brought my mom some home cooked food yesterday and she was able to eat most of it. It was pretty simple, mashed potatoes, fresh green beans, and a small strip of chicken breast. She said it still tasted a bit funny but was much better then the hospitals food. Her doctor told her she may get to come home on Friday!!!! Yay!! I hope once she gets to come home this will lift her spirits up!
    They took away her morphine pump yesterday to get her ready to come home soon. She seems to be doing ok and didn't seem to be in any pain. She is still very tired but I'm hoping on time that will go away as well.
  • Mum2bellaandwilliam
    Mum2bellaandwilliam Member Posts: 412
    #8
    Jewlie said:

    Just an update!!!!
    I brought my mom some home cooked food yesterday and she was able to eat most of it. It was pretty simple, mashed potatoes, fresh green beans, and a small strip of chicken breast. She said it still tasted a bit funny but was much better then the hospitals food. Her doctor told her she may get to come home on Friday!!!! Yay!! I hope once she gets to come home this will lift her spirits up!
    They took away her morphine pump yesterday to get her ready to come home soon. She seems to be doing ok and didn't seem to be in any pain. She is still very tired but I'm hoping on time that will go away as well.

    Is mum home?
    I hope you got to bring your mum home today, there is nothing worse than having them in hospital , it will hopefully lift her mood to.

    XXX Liz XXX
  • Jewlie
    Jewlie Member Posts: 9
    #9
    Mum2bellaandwilliam said:

    Is mum home?
    I hope you got to bring your mum home today, there is nothing worse than having them in hospital , it will hopefully lift her mood to.

    XXX Liz XXX

    Hi Liz!!!! Thank you so
    Hi Liz!!!! Thank you so much! Yes my mom was able to come home on July 15th and it made all the difference in the world!!!! The chemo has made her a little sick on some days but most of the time she is ok. She is retaining fluid in her hands and feet and has been taking Lasix for that. She is very low on iron and will go tomorrow to have an iron injection to help with this. If her hemoglobin drops then she may also need a transfusion but we will have to see what they say tomorrow when she goes in to see them.
  • Jewlie
    Jewlie Member Posts: 9
    #10
    Jewlie said:

    Hi Liz!!!! Thank you so
    Hi Liz!!!! Thank you so much! Yes my mom was able to come home on July 15th and it made all the difference in the world!!!! The chemo has made her a little sick on some days but most of the time she is ok. She is retaining fluid in her hands and feet and has been taking Lasix for that. She is very low on iron and will go tomorrow to have an iron injection to help with this. If her hemoglobin drops then she may also need a transfusion but we will have to see what they say tomorrow when she goes in to see them.

    Updating on my mom!
    Just thought I would give an update on my mom's progress! Monday of last week she had x-rays and a CT scan done and we got the results of those test last Wednesday. Her Oncologist told us that there is no visible signs of the cancer anywhere!!! Yay!!!! We are headed in the right direction and the chemo so far is working. Tomorrow we meet with her surgeon and she will have a full exam then. My mom has come a long way since she was first diagnosed and for now, things are finally looking up for her and us. My creativity is back and I have started working again making jewelry and lampwork beads. I'm going to make her a special bracelet and incorporate a locket of mine from when I was a child and other sentimental items. I have some beach pebbles that have been collected from trips to the beach that I will drill holes in and add those as well. I think she will love it!!!!
  • Jewlie
    Jewlie Member Posts: 9
    #11
    Jewlie said:

    Hi Liz!!!! Thank you so
    Hi Liz!!!! Thank you so much! Yes my mom was able to come home on July 15th and it made all the difference in the world!!!! The chemo has made her a little sick on some days but most of the time she is ok. She is retaining fluid in her hands and feet and has been taking Lasix for that. She is very low on iron and will go tomorrow to have an iron injection to help with this. If her hemoglobin drops then she may also need a transfusion but we will have to see what they say tomorrow when she goes in to see them.

    Updating on my mom!
    Just thought I would give an update on my mom's progress! Monday of last week she had x-rays and a CT scan done and we got the results of those test last Wednesday. Her Oncologist told us that there is no visible signs of the cancer anywhere!!! Yay!!!! We are headed in the right direction and the chemo so far is working. Tomorrow we meet with her surgeon and she will have a full exam then. My mom has come a long way since she was first diagnosed and for now, things are finally looking up for her and us. My creativity is back and I have started working again making jewelry and lampwork beads. I'm going to make her a special bracelet and incorporate a locket of mine from when I was a child and other sentimental items. I have some beach pebbles that have been collected from trips to the beach that I will drill holes in and add those as well. I think she will love it!!!!
  • Tethys41
    Tethys41 Member Posts: 1,382 Member
    #12
    Jewlie said:

    Updating on my mom!
    Just thought I would give an update on my mom's progress! Monday of last week she had x-rays and a CT scan done and we got the results of those test last Wednesday. Her Oncologist told us that there is no visible signs of the cancer anywhere!!! Yay!!!! We are headed in the right direction and the chemo so far is working. Tomorrow we meet with her surgeon and she will have a full exam then. My mom has come a long way since she was first diagnosed and for now, things are finally looking up for her and us. My creativity is back and I have started working again making jewelry and lampwork beads. I'm going to make her a special bracelet and incorporate a locket of mine from when I was a child and other sentimental items. I have some beach pebbles that have been collected from trips to the beach that I will drill holes in and add those as well. I think she will love it!!!!

    Books and resources
    Jewlie,
    One of the hardest things to overcome with your mom's diagnosis is the feeling of hopelessness. But studies show that feeling hopeless makes recovery that much harder. My advice to you would be to find a naturopath who specializes in treating cancer patients, if one is available in your area. There are so many things outside of allopathic medicine that can help your mom with her treatment and recovery from the treatment.
    I would also recommend the following books:

    Anticancer: A New Way of Life by David Servan-Schreiber
    The Cancer Fighting Kitchen Cookbook by Rebecca Katz
    You Can't Afford the Luxury of a Negative Thought (The Life 101 Series) by Peter McWilliams
    Cancer: 50 Essential Things to Do: Third Edition by Greg Anderson

    There are so many books out there and so little time to wade through them all. I found these to be the best resources for me.
    Take care
  • carolenk
    carolenk Member Posts: 907 Member
    #13
    Tethys41 said:

    Books and resources
    Jewlie,
    One of the hardest things to overcome with your mom's diagnosis is the feeling of hopelessness. But studies show that feeling hopeless makes recovery that much harder. My advice to you would be to find a naturopath who specializes in treating cancer patients, if one is available in your area. There are so many things outside of allopathic medicine that can help your mom with her treatment and recovery from the treatment.
    I would also recommend the following books:

    Anticancer: A New Way of Life by David Servan-Schreiber
    The Cancer Fighting Kitchen Cookbook by Rebecca Katz
    You Can't Afford the Luxury of a Negative Thought (The Life 101 Series) by Peter McWilliams
    Cancer: 50 Essential Things to Do: Third Edition by Greg Anderson

    There are so many books out there and so little time to wade through them all. I found these to be the best resources for me.
    Take care

    I'm very happy to hear the
    I'm very happy to hear the good news that your mom turned the corner & has improved so much. The goal now is to prolong the remission as long as possible. I don't know if you have already been to the PPC discussion board on this site. You will learn more about the condition from those survivors.

    (((hugs)))

    Carolen
  • Jewlie
    Jewlie Member Posts: 9
    #14
    carolenk said:

    I'm very happy to hear the
    I'm very happy to hear the good news that your mom turned the corner & has improved so much. The goal now is to prolong the remission as long as possible. I don't know if you have already been to the PPC discussion board on this site. You will learn more about the condition from those survivors.

    (((hugs)))

    Carolen

    She's back in the hospital!
    My mom is back in the hospital! She finished her chemo in December and was doing well and now she's having abdominal pains and can't keep anything down. The ex-ray is showing a partial bowel abstruction and we are still waiting on the results from her CT scan she had today.
  • whiterose
    whiterose Member Posts: 89
    #15
    Jewlie said:

    She's back in the hospital!
    My mom is back in the hospital! She finished her chemo in December and was doing well and now she's having abdominal pains and can't keep anything down. The ex-ray is showing a partial bowel abstruction and we are still waiting on the results from her CT scan she had today.

    Sorry
    I'm sorry to hear about your mom. I pray that everything is okay. She sounds like a fighter and you do too. Keep being there for her, it's so important. Let us know how things are going.....
  • Mum2bellaandwilliam
    Mum2bellaandwilliam Member Posts: 412
    #16
    whiterose said:

    Sorry
    I'm sorry to hear about your mom. I pray that everything is okay. She sounds like a fighter and you do too. Keep being there for her, it's so important. Let us know how things are going.....

    So sorry Hun, it sucks
    So sorry Hun, it sucks beyond all belief. I hope your mum feels better soon and they get her sorted out quick.
    We lost my mum on the 21 st December , pneumonia got her in the end she couldn't fight it off, bless her she gave it her all, she's my hero ,my rock , my best friend and now my angel. I miss her so much.
    Keep us updated on your mums progress xxxx (( hugs)) to you all xxxx

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