second opinion

joenlisa500

Hi, thanks for all your replies, it is a great help to know so many others care. We have a call in to another oncologist, mom has an appointment with her family dr. today just for reassurance I guess. She is just getting over a flu of sorts and now seems we are all getting it. I found some info on sloan kettering web site and there was actually a case similar to my mom which they used the same approach, the woman was on the same med they just put her on and 18 months she was still fighting so that made me feel a little better. This approach to mucinous adenocarsinoma was a clinical trial a few years ago there. I still would like to have the copy of her pathology report looked over. I tried reading it, but it will take me a few more hours on the computer to figure it out. There were a lot of different stains and things done. From what I understand, just as Steve said in my previos post, mucinous adenocarcinomas are difficult to figure out, a lot of trial and error, She had the test done for colon and GI which is where the primary was thought to be and they were clean, that is why the leaned toward ovarian. He said we are going to try to attack the mucinous cancer now, hope this works....it did in atleast one case I found. The only difference was they also gave her celebrex along with xeloda, I am going to inquire about this when I talk to her Dr again. Well I will keep you posted as this battle begins again, we will keep fighting as long as there is a fight to have. I refuse to give up and I refuse to let her. She started her new pills yesterday, hopefully the side effects won't be too bad. She did great on the taxol/carbo treatments, they just quit working. Hope she does as good on this one. Continues to work which I feel is important, just can't get used to the fact that she has to slow down and take care of herself. She was so used to going, going, going, and being there for everybody else. Well thanks for listening, I will keep you updated.

You are all in my prayer,
Lisa

kangatoo

Hiya Lisa. So good to hear that you have gotten a bit more info on your mom's cancer. Researching some of the meds and their applications is sometimes usefull. Pretty well most of the meds--errrr--Icall them "poisons" that they give us do have the effect of really taking the spring out of one's dayly life. It is almost 2.00 am here in OZ now! Tiredness and fatigue are a big part of the chemo lifestyle--sometimes even after the chemo ceases. We hope that your mom gets thru this round of meds with minimal side-effects. Just keep in mind Lisa that everyone has different reactions even tho they might take the same medications--so one can never really be sure just what side-effects will occur.
Our very best and prayers to you both, kanga n Jen

shmurciakova

Hi again. I am glad to hear that you are figuring this all out. I have to admit, I am confused by it too! I have not heard of the type of cancer you are talking about. I think you will find that Xeloda is really no big deal compared to what your mom was on before. The reason they are giving her Celebrex is to ward off "hand and foot syndrome". Although Xeloda, unlike its IV counterpart 5-FU, targets only cancer cells rather than being one of those drugs that kills all cells, it still has some wierd effects. The worst effect being hand and foot syndrome. Unfortunately when I was on it I was not given an anti-inflammatory. I hike a lot and it was a real drag for me. I was unable to hike w/ a backpack because the added weight made my feet blister and peel, etc. etc. I was, however, able to walk quite a ways each day. I really think it will be much easier for your mother than before. A, She does not have to go to the hopital for treatment, B her hair will not fall out, C, Xeloda does not cause nausea, to name a few of the advantages. It is not a very nasty drug compared to others.
Let us know how she does, Susan