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HIPEC wasn’t possible, now what?

DrBoogie
DrBoogie CSN Member Posts: 1
in Peritoneal Cancer #1

Hi folks,

New member here.  I had  full hysterectomy in January, and the pathologist report indicated the cancer originated in my appendix (which was also removed).

I had 13 FOLFIX treatments and 1 FOLFIRI, then went in for debulking and HIPEC on Nov 14. When they opened me up, there was too much “plaque” and my PCI was 22 so they aborted the procedure, after removing my plaque-covered gall bladder.  I am crushed, as it seemed that was my best hope for returning to some semblance of normal life. (I am only 61, had to retire due to chemo, had expected a long healthy life since my parents are alive and well at 91 and 96 years old.) I have to wait 2 more weeks for my post surgery appointment and am reading up on end stages of peritoneal carcinomatosis. Is there no treatment other than more chemo? (Assuming the genetic study of my gall bladder doesn’t reveal any options for a targeted therapy?) I want to spend the last of my days going camping, kayaking, traveling, sewing, and other things I had looked forward to in retirement. The thought of returning to the 2 week cycle of chemo, and the fatigue it brings, just makes me start crying all over again.

I am SO MAD at this sneaky, nasty disease. My June scan showed shrinkage of tumors, my pre-surgery scan at end of October showed “stable” tumor load. Why didn’t all that plaque in my abdomen show up on scans?

Does anyone out there have any good news or rays of hope for me?

Thanks for listening/reading,

DrBoogie

 

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