cancer is back

angiedryden
angiedryden Member Posts: 58
edited September 2011 in Ovarian Cancer #1
My mom went to the oncologist today got pet scan and blood work back. Cancer has returned to lining of the stomach, liver and also lower cavity of one lung. She will start back on chemo same combo as before carbo/taxol. Also will be in a research study but won't know whether she is getting the real medicine or a placebo. Anyone out there with stage 4 Ovarian that had theirs return in these places? Mom was diagnosed in March 2010 with Stage 4 Ovarian which at the time had spread to the lining of the stomach. She is 71 yrs. old. Any info would be helpful. Thanks.

Comments

  • carolenk
    carolenk Member Posts: 907 Member
    #2
    Sorry to hear this news
    Sorry to hear this news about your mom. I haven't been in her situation but I have read that ovarian cancer grows more slowly in the elderly women. I know it isn't good to have metastatic lesions but it is possible to shrink them with chemo.

    Keep up with good nutrition and learn about the anti-inflammatory diet. That will help.

    Carolen
  • angiedryden
    angiedryden Member Posts: 58
    #3
    carolenk said:

    Sorry to hear this news
    Sorry to hear this news about your mom. I haven't been in her situation but I have read that ovarian cancer grows more slowly in the elderly women. I know it isn't good to have metastatic lesions but it is possible to shrink them with chemo.

    Keep up with good nutrition and learn about the anti-inflammatory diet. That will help.

    Carolen

    ty
    Thank you for the info...will look into the anti-inflammatory diet.
  • angiedryden
    angiedryden Member Posts: 58
    #4
    carolenk said:

    Sorry to hear this news
    Sorry to hear this news about your mom. I haven't been in her situation but I have read that ovarian cancer grows more slowly in the elderly women. I know it isn't good to have metastatic lesions but it is possible to shrink them with chemo.

    Keep up with good nutrition and learn about the anti-inflammatory diet. That will help.

    Carolen

    Thank you and i will look
    Thank you and i will look into the anti-inflammatory diet
  • mopar
    mopar Member Posts: 1,972 Member
    #5
    HUGS & PRAYERS
    Sorry to hear about your Mom. How did she respond to the intial treatment? As you can see by reading the posts here, there are all kinds of options. Please keep us up-to-date. In the meantime, sending lots of prayers and hugs to you and your Mother.

    Monika
  • angiedryden
    angiedryden Member Posts: 58
    #6
    mopar said:

    HUGS & PRAYERS
    Sorry to hear about your Mom. How did she respond to the intial treatment? As you can see by reading the posts here, there are all kinds of options. Please keep us up-to-date. In the meantime, sending lots of prayers and hugs to you and your Mother.

    Monika

    treatment
    Thank you Monika. She responded really well other then the usual side effects....cell count drop..weak...aches....numbness in hands and feet..and a few other things,but she said as long as she wasn't nauseated she could deal with it. Thank goodness for Zofran, she had no nausea.
  • lindaprocopio
    lindaprocopio Member Posts: 1,980 Member
    #7
    angiedryden said:

    treatment
    Thank you Monika. She responded really well other then the usual side effects....cell count drop..weak...aches....numbness in hands and feet..and a few other things,but she said as long as she wasn't nauseated she could deal with it. Thank goodness for Zofran, she had no nausea.

    I have mets to the liver & was prescribed omeprazole 20 mg daily
    To help keep inflammation down, I was prescribed omeprazole (like Prilosec) for the tumors that metasticized to my liver. With mets to any digestive organ, you need to bring a registered dietician or nutritionist on to your mother's team if you haven't yet. Every time I get blood labs we do a Comprehensive Panel and then my diet is reviewed and adjusted based on any deficiencies or problems the latest labs show, and of course on how my bowels and weight changes. It amazed me how quickly I got into pretty scary trouble this summer (dropping 14 pounds in 2 weeks) and how effective an adjustment in my diet was in re-gaining most of that weight loss within the NEXT 2 weeks. The same is true of bowel issues I had with IMRT pelvic radiation in 2009 and again this summer when I had radioembolism; I don't know what I would have done without the advice of the nutritionist as I was headed for malnutrition unable to absorb any of the good in the food I ate. It's an art to not overtax your compromised digestive organs and still eat to re-build your strength. If your oncologist dismisses the importance of this expertise, I would insist on the referral.

    God bless every caregiver. ((((Angie))))
  • LaundryQueen
    LaundryQueen Member Posts: 676
    #8
    lindaprocopio said:

    I have mets to the liver & was prescribed omeprazole 20 mg daily
    To help keep inflammation down, I was prescribed omeprazole (like Prilosec) for the tumors that metasticized to my liver. With mets to any digestive organ, you need to bring a registered dietician or nutritionist on to your mother's team if you haven't yet. Every time I get blood labs we do a Comprehensive Panel and then my diet is reviewed and adjusted based on any deficiencies or problems the latest labs show, and of course on how my bowels and weight changes. It amazed me how quickly I got into pretty scary trouble this summer (dropping 14 pounds in 2 weeks) and how effective an adjustment in my diet was in re-gaining most of that weight loss within the NEXT 2 weeks. The same is true of bowel issues I had with IMRT pelvic radiation in 2009 and again this summer when I had radioembolism; I don't know what I would have done without the advice of the nutritionist as I was headed for malnutrition unable to absorb any of the good in the food I ate. It's an art to not overtax your compromised digestive organs and still eat to re-build your strength. If your oncologist dismisses the importance of this expertise, I would insist on the referral.

    God bless every caregiver. ((((Angie))))

    Good nutrition is SO IMPORTANT!
    I agree that good nutrition is a key part of the survival process. I am not clear about the cancer being in the lining of the stomach--are you sure about that? That is really unusual. Something like Prilosec is a good idea if your mom had heartburn, gastritis or reflux. I had to take something like that after chemo and I never had problems with gastritis before I had cancer.

    I agree so much with Linda that you have be assertive about finding someone to attend to your mom's nutritional needs.

    LQ
  • angiedryden
    angiedryden Member Posts: 58
    #9
    LaundryQueen said:

    Good nutrition is SO IMPORTANT!
    I agree that good nutrition is a key part of the survival process. I am not clear about the cancer being in the lining of the stomach--are you sure about that? That is really unusual. Something like Prilosec is a good idea if your mom had heartburn, gastritis or reflux. I had to take something like that after chemo and I never had problems with gastritis before I had cancer.

    I agree so much with Linda that you have be assertive about finding someone to attend to your mom's nutritional needs.

    LQ

    LaundryQueen
    I am very sure of the cancer being in the lining of the stomach. When she had her surgery last April they had to remove a portion of the lining and replaced it with a mesh material.
    I will be informing my mom tomorrow about the nutritionist. I agree it is a good idea.
    Thanks
  • angiedryden
    angiedryden Member Posts: 58
    #10
    lindaprocopio said:

    I have mets to the liver & was prescribed omeprazole 20 mg daily
    To help keep inflammation down, I was prescribed omeprazole (like Prilosec) for the tumors that metasticized to my liver. With mets to any digestive organ, you need to bring a registered dietician or nutritionist on to your mother's team if you haven't yet. Every time I get blood labs we do a Comprehensive Panel and then my diet is reviewed and adjusted based on any deficiencies or problems the latest labs show, and of course on how my bowels and weight changes. It amazed me how quickly I got into pretty scary trouble this summer (dropping 14 pounds in 2 weeks) and how effective an adjustment in my diet was in re-gaining most of that weight loss within the NEXT 2 weeks. The same is true of bowel issues I had with IMRT pelvic radiation in 2009 and again this summer when I had radioembolism; I don't know what I would have done without the advice of the nutritionist as I was headed for malnutrition unable to absorb any of the good in the food I ate. It's an art to not overtax your compromised digestive organs and still eat to re-build your strength. If your oncologist dismisses the importance of this expertise, I would insist on the referral.

    God bless every caregiver. ((((Angie))))

    ty Linda
    Thank you so much for the information. She has very bad heartburn and uses prilosec. Also the bowel problems are constant. She was in the hospital last month for a obstruction which she has dealt with many times since her surgery last April. She takes miralax everyday to keep from being constipated. I am unaware of a nutritionist but I will be sure to let her know to suggest this on her next visit to her oncologist. Thank you again for the info. This site is so helpful.
  • angiedryden
    angiedryden Member Posts: 58
    #11
    angiedryden said:

    LaundryQueen
    I am very sure of the cancer being in the lining of the stomach. When she had her surgery last April they had to remove a portion of the lining and replaced it with a mesh material.
    I will be informing my mom tomorrow about the nutritionist. I agree it is a good idea.
    Thanks

    LQ
    I was wrong it is the lining of the abdomen. Lately I don't know my own name some days.
  • AnneBehymer
    AnneBehymer Member Posts: 738 Member
    #12
    angiedryden said:

    ty Linda
    Thank you so much for the information. She has very bad heartburn and uses prilosec. Also the bowel problems are constant. She was in the hospital last month for a obstruction which she has dealt with many times since her surgery last April. She takes miralax everyday to keep from being constipated. I am unaware of a nutritionist but I will be sure to let her know to suggest this on her next visit to her oncologist. Thank you again for the info. This site is so helpful.

    I had to go on Miralax two
    I had to go on Miralax two times a day to keep me going ask her doctor if that is ok for her. On really bad days it is two Miralax and one dose of Phillips MOM

    Anne
  • angiedryden
    angiedryden Member Posts: 58
    #13
    AnneBehymer said:

    I had to go on Miralax two
    I had to go on Miralax two times a day to keep me going ask her doctor if that is ok for her. On really bad days it is two Miralax and one dose of Phillips MOM

    Anne

    Miralax
    Her Oncologist is the one that put her on it. There just seems to be soooooooooooo many extra problems associated with this horrible cancer.

Discussion Boards