I have questions about bone cancer & pregnancy

MaksLilHero

Hi my name is Kimberly. When I was 16 i got dx with leukemia, than later with brain cancer. a few yrs later i got dx with bone cancer as well. Now i'm pregnant & i need some help. some doc say to keep it w/ no treatment, some say to keep it with/ treatment, than some say to keep treatment not the baby. I need to know what i should do & the effects, plz help.
thx-kimberly

char1970

Hi Kim, congrats on your pregnancy. i too am a osteo sarcoma survivor- 8 1/2 yrs now. my treatment included chemo and limb slavage surgery. although i have not had kids since treatment i have heard of other successful pregnancies. Sounds like there are lots of questions to be asked. if you want to chat more email me here or at char1970@nycap.rr.com. wishing you and ur hubby the best.

charlene

AuthorUnknown

I hope that you have been able to make your decision already. It is not an easy one. You have to weigh out how aggressive your cancer is and whether you will be able to be a Mom to this child. If you postpone treatment, will you still be able to beat it after the baby is born? If not, is there a treatment you can start that would not injure the baby but would help you stall the disease until after the baby is born? Will the treatments necessarily hurt the baby? I will be extremely blunt. You cannot raise a baby if you are not alive, so no matter what you need to be able to keep yourself alive.

I know of a young lady who did treatment during pregnancy and the baby is fine. I also know of one who postponed treatment until after the baby was born. She is also fine. Each case is unique, including yours. I will pray that you make the best decision for you. Take Care, Shaorn

jerzfam

Hi Kimberly, I am praying for you and hoping you are well. I know whatever you decide will be the right thing. Ultimately, the decision has to be yours and your family's. One thing I will say is that quite often I am finding doctors' estimations are way off. I have friends that according to their drs. should have died years ago, and I myself should not be here either. I am really fortunate in that I am here and healthy to raise my 3 boys. I did have to go through agressive treatment to be able to get healthy, though. One of the many interesting things that happened to me while going through treatment was that during one session I was telling my husband that there was just no way I could get through another 96 hour chemo session and I wanted to give up. He was heartbroken, but knew I was suffering so and begged me to hang on and fight. That same day I was looking out my hospital room window and it was a very stormy, windy day. There was a very thin, gangly tree right outside the window and it was blowing and bowing furiously in the wind. As I looked at it I noticed that there was a hummingbird hanging on the tree as it bowed back and forth and rained very hard on the little bird. Underneath it, was a tiny nest! That little momma bird would not let go of her nest even when the tree bowed almost all the way to the ground. She was not going to let go of that branch no matter how wet she got, or how much of a beating she was taking by the wind. That was the clearest sign I could have gotten! I knew that if that momma bird could make it through the storm to take care of her babies, then I could make it through my storm to take care of mine. After I told my sister about the incident, and showed her the nest, she looked up the hummingbird in a book of animal meanings (I think Native American) and the hummingbird stands for HOPE! How much better of a message could I have asked for? (By the way, the hospital I was at is The City of Hope!!) The reason I am telling you this, Kim, is that I believe if you pray and reflect, you will find the answer in your heart. I don't know if it'll be as clear as mine, but I know it will be there somewhere. I wish you the very best and am praying for you and your family. Please let us know how you are doing. God bless you. -Cathy