Gallbladder Cancer - 2012 (Any Stage)

hillaryjoRN said:

just wondered how everyone
just wondered how everyone is doing??
mom just finished up with radiation today! she is looking forward to the month off she has before starting with 4-6 months of Genzar. so far so good, she tolerated the radiation and xeloda great with just alittle nausea and fatigue!
thinking of you all on this journey! Hillary

Your Mom
Hi Hillary
I was on Xeloda for 6 mos. Watch your Mom's feet in particular. My feet got really HOT and they peeled very badly. The chemo settles in the feet and hands thats what causes it. It felt good to soak them in a bucket of cold water. There were days when I had a hard time walking. Gina

Jean160 said:

Hello to my posting family
I was just reading posts from the stage IV GB site as well as here. So many of you have great positive attitudes and I agree we have to seek out physicians that give us hope and encouragement. Yeah, yeah, yeah, the statistics ..... so I wish someone would quote statistics from the last 5 years instead of bringing up the old ones. I really wish I would see some GB studies using targeted therapy from gene mapping. It is certainly going that way with other cancers (ie breast, lymphoma, etc). So close I hope.

Cheryl, it was refreshing to read that you are an avid birder. So am I. We have recently taken this up again as our kids have gotten older. It has been as easier activity for me given this last nasty year (2011) with chemo. We used to go for really long hikes- even backpacking down the Grand Canyon in summer of 2010. Right now I just like the feel of a casual walk with lovely bird sounds (grateful that cisplatin did not damage my hearing as it could have been a side effect (yeah..didn't happen). I had a scan today (yuck... I hate waiting for results). I have had an allergic reaction to the dye so I have to take a big dose of prednisone beforehand which I hate. But your birding hobby cheers me up. If all goes well, we are planning a birding trip to Canada next spring for a warbler migration. Maybe you know of good spots? God Bless to everyone and take care. Jean

Eye inflammation after chemo
Hi,

My mom was diagnosed with Stage 3a GBC last month. She is currently on gemcitabine/carboplatin. After 1st cycle, she developed an eye inflammation (looks like conjunctivitis). Ophthalmologist says this is unrelated to chemo and had given Flouorometholone solution. Inflammation had slightly reduced during the 2 weeks rest period, but has come back after the 2nd dose yesterday.

Wondering if someone else has experienced this.

westie66 said:

Gallbladder Cancer
Yup, I agree with Lourdes!
Cheryl

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maudsie said:

hi hillaryJo
Hi HillaryJo -- I just thought I'd chime in here I've posted intermittently through the past couple of years. I am getting near my 4th anniversary since my diagnosis, I had the EXACT same treatment your mom is getting (starting with Xeloda and the radiation) then moving on to Gemzar for some months. And here I am today, feeling great, no recurrence. Keep the faith, and keep posting!
Maudsie

4 years out, maudsie, is Awesome!
Whoo Hoo Maudsie! Congratulations on coming up on 4 years. That is awesome....... I love hearing that news.

I just had my 3rd scan since chemo was over (last chemo was Sept 2011)....... so far so good. I am still waiting to hear from the University Hospital where I had my 2nd surgery as their tumor board will also look at the scan films. But the local radiologist read it as clean. CEAs and CA 19-9 are not elevated. I think if I were out 4 years I would start feeling more confident.

For jmcmatt- regarding conjunctivitis. I don’t know specifically about chemo causing conjunctivits, but chemo does lower one’s WBCs and those cells help fight off infection. It may be that your mother is more susceptible to infection after chemo, especially if there is still inflammation there. I know I had phlebitis (inflammation of the veins), a couple of times after chemo which was not fun. I did not have a port, but had the chemo in my arm veins which really irritated them. My veins are fine now, but if I ever needed chemo again; I am going to request a port.

maudsie said:

hi hillaryJo
Hi HillaryJo -- I just thought I'd chime in here I've posted intermittently through the past couple of years. I am getting near my 4th anniversary since my diagnosis, I had the EXACT same treatment your mom is getting (starting with Xeloda and the radiation) then moving on to Gemzar for some months. And here I am today, feeling great, no recurrence. Keep the faith, and keep posting!
Maudsie

Maudsie! Congrats!! Can't
Maudsie! Congrats!! Can't wait till mom is 4 years cancer free! She'll get there! Thanks for the encouragement.. . It means a lot to her and me!! God bless! Hillary

Stage 4 gallbladder cancer - inoperable
Hi there,

My name is Sarah and my Mum has recently been diagnosed with Stage 4 gallbladder cancer. I lost my Dad 2 years ago to cancer and I'm just devastated with this news. We have been told her cancer is inoperable. She is scheduled to start chemotherapy on July 17th. The oncologist has told us that it is palliative chemotherapy and that the median survival is 8-11 months. I'm trying to stay hopeful and positive that she will live well beyond this. I was so glad to find this site and the survivor's stories. It scares me though as it seems that most of the survivor's had some kind of surgery, yet they have told my Mum that is not an option. Any advice anyone can give would be greatly appreciated. I'm so scared right now. My Mum is 67 and until recently was in her best health ever! She had lost 35lbs - ran in two 10km races, was ballroom dancing and/or running on a very regular basis, eating healthy, everything - and now this... God bless everyone here. Thank you for a ray of hope...

Sarah

Help from Survivors
My mom has recently been diagnosed with stage 4 gallbladder cancer, mets in liver, inoperable (June 18 2012). She is 71 years old and up until her diagnosis was a vibrant healthy and young looking woman who was very active.

Her health has basically taken a nose dive in the last 4 weeks, weight loss, extreme fatigue, night sweats, pain and tremors.

We are waiting for the results of a few more tests before we can start chemo. I am looking for help and suggestions from the survivors as to what they did to help them through night sweats and tremors.

Also what did you eat? And any vitamins ect that helped.

We live in Hamilton, Ontario.

If you want to respond privately please email me at melindaroberts7@hotmail.com

Thank you everyone..and keep well..Melinda

Lily50 said:

Deb's Question
Hi Deb,

I have to ask you the question of what type of surgeon was he? The survivors that I know of all had their surgery done by Hepatobiliary surgeons all across the US. They have had experience with Gallbladder patients and know what to do to help us.

I was very persistent with my surgeon and even though he told me NO twice for whatever reason the third time I saw him I received a YES. I think they sometimes need to know that you are a fighter and are willing to go the distance. I was told that I was very lucky as my surgeon was actually the pioneer for this type of surgery.

If you aren't happy with the answers that you are receiving then start looking for doctors who will help you. They are out there you just need to find them. Stay strong! I will look for their names and try and post them tomorrow.

Take Care
Lily

GallBladder Stage 4..
My mom has been sick for a couple of months now. Rapid weight lost, appetite loss, and on & off severe stomach and back pain. She had already seen her Dr. and a GI specialist which then scheduled an appointment for her in two weeks for a colonoscopy and endoscopy. Within a couple of days, we had to take her to LAC-USC county hospital's emergency room. The doctors noticed her heart rate was irregular, incredible high and focused on this other than her pain. She was admitted that night for observation and was diagnosed having as A-Fib ( affibrillation) and acid reflux.

Her appointment with her GI went well. He stated The images for her colonoscopy showed no abnormalities, just a little inflamed; no cancer. Because the results didn't explain her symptoms he referred her to a cardiologist (for the A- Fib) and a endocrinologist because of her results of her blood works.

When she went to the endocrinologist, he said her thyroid was normal. But her liver test was high. And her cardiologist mentioned she did not have an A-Fib, but has occasional arrhythmia. Since both specialists were unable to diagnosis her GI doctor made an appointment to get a CT Scan within 2 weeks.

She didn't even reach one week where on July 4 we had to take her to the ER at Huntington Memorial Pasadena. They did an ultrasound in her abdominal area and concluded that her Gall Bladder had to be removed. They admitted her and did another ultrasound. Early that morning a surgeon entered the room and announced they found masses (tumors) in her liver and suggested that they be removed. My mother did another ultrasound and CT to locate the tumors.

The surgeon came in the next morning that they detected the masses in several areas in her body and was not able to operate. They wanted a biopsy to determine if it is cancer. They confirmed that she had gallbladder cancer. It had spread throughout her lymph nodes in her back and neck and stomach outer lining. Surgery was not an option.

The first oncologist had given her 3 months without chemo and 6 months with chemo. This Thursday is going to be her first chemo treatment (Gemzar & Cisiplatin). We got a 2nd option and choose him to treat our mother since he was more experienced, and compassionate. We felt he expressed more concerned and effort in treating our mother.
Although because it was stage 4 and that Gallbladder is such a rare cancer, the outcome of it all remained the same. But will try to make ordeal less painstaking.

My mom is a beautiful 57 year old woman who was very strong and maintained her health. She always took good care of herself. In her lifetime she has never gotten seriously ill. For this to be called cancer it was a shocker all to us.

If anyone out there has been diagnosed with this same cancer, please respond with your experiences & thoughts. My family wants to be aware of what we may encounter. Any suggestions, tips or any kind of help will be very much appreciated. You can also e-mail me @ evelynchan2004@yahoo.com or my sister @ casia2468@aol.com. Thank you

tammylayne said:

Update on Westie66 - Cheryl
I am a friend of Cheryl's, and she has asked me to give everyone an update. About 2 months ago Cheryl's colon perforated. She was in ICU for about 3 weeks, and we did not think she was going to make it.

She has beaten all odds, surprised us all, and although still in the hospital, things are looking up. She is now able to get around with a walker, has regained use of her arms, and we are all hoping for a full recovery. She will hopefully be moving to a different hospital where they will be able to rehabilitate her to the point where she can come home.

She says ho to everyone, and I am hoping she will be posting on here again sometime next month.

For anyone wanting more information, please contact me at tammylayne@hotmail.com

Prayers and positive thoughts
Please pass along my family's prayers and positive thoughts to Cheryl. I know everyone here is rooting for her!

Thank you for updating us!

Charmi

hillaryjoRN said:

Good News! Mom had a repeat
Good News! Mom had a repeat CT scan the other day (4 months post op) and it was NORMAL!! thank you GOD!! we took her to the ER cuz she was having alot of stomach pain and nausea, so they did a repeat CT and labs which were all normal! They are guessing her pain and nausea is related to the Gemzar or she possibly caught a virus, We thought it was strange that on her week off of chemo she felt the worst even though her counts were OK. Did anyone else feel really nauseous and flu like from Gemzar? or have pain? and what did you do to help? thanks! Hillary

Yeah!
Excellent news, Hillary!

Mom didn't do gemzar...but post-treatment, she did have some stomach problems which turned out to be related to the radiation. After a few weeks, they subsided. Did your mom have radiation? Maybe that could be the cause of her symptoms. (?)

Hoping and praying for continued good news!

Charmi