Mom diagnosed with cervical cancer

ccfighter said:

Prayers and positive energy

Prayers and positive energy for you mother.  Hang in there.  And many many well wishes for health, happiness and love in 2014.  Let us know how it goes.  Hugs.

Praise the Lord!! The stint went in!! Thank you so much for the prayers! They are working. She has last chemo treatment tomorrow 

ren12 said:

Thank you ccfighter!! They

Thank you ccfighter!! They did biopsy on them, but he said it will just confirm what he already knows. She has also been having a lot of pain from she thought was from a hemmroid. He tried to exam her there but had to stop because it was too painful. He said he would guess that was cancer too. The knots are pretty big on her side. She had me feel them before we left yesterday. My brother in law is gathering all her records erywhere she has been since being diagnosed. And my brother  will be here today and he is going to research the top cancer places in Illinois. (She has medicaid card, so not sure we can go out of state with that). My brother in law is going to put all her records in a pdf and email them to that place. This will all be done today since we do not have time on our hands. I am a teacher and my first day back to work since Christmas break and I am dreading it. I just want to be with my mom

Also he said he will add Avastin if needed but wanted to wait until last minute because it has some pretty bad side effects. Has anyone used it?

ccfighter said:

I know of ladies who have had

I know of ladies who have had avastin and experienced very little side efts from it.  The most dangerous possibility I believe is the increased chance of bleeding since it is designed to stop blood vessels from forming.  I have never had it.  Also check out clinicaltrials.gov and search cervical cancer or solid tumors for any clinical trials that may appeal to you.  I have had my eye on the adxs11-001 listeria vaccine trial.  Gog is doing a study on it.  I am glad that you will be seeking a second opinion.  I hope that your mother is comfortable.  Hugs.

I will check into that!! Thank you

NoTimeForCancer said:

Your mother sounds incredible

"Going to fight and beat this".  Wow.  Continue to support your mother as you are and know that there are many out here praying for you.

Dr did not get enough tissue for biopsy. She goes on Thursday for scan. We have her going to Jewish Barns Hospital in St Louis MO. They are supposed to get back with us Monday. Even her DR thought going there was a great idea. He said up to the date technology and lots of clinical trials there. 

I hear miracle stories all the time so I figure why cant she be one of them? She is not ready to give up at all. Thank you for all the prayers!! I know we have God on our side!! 

teg said:

The latest review of top rated gynecologic oncologists by US News has a list of physicians in Illonois. I don't know if it will be helpful, but I hope your mom finds a cure soon. You and your mom are in my prayers.

Thank you!! I will check those out!

ren12 said:

We were wondering the same

We were wondering the same thing about why she wasnt getting a scan. Actually thats what we thought she was getting yesterday. We are going to find out on Tuesday when she sees her regular doc. Her lumps are pretty big, much bigger than pea sized.

Her appointment with Jewish Barns Hospital in MO is the 29th. It cannont come soon enough!! Especially since her radiation is done and we have to wait for chemo again until results of biopsy. Which should be Tuesday. Theres just nothing figting this right now. 

Biopsy confirmed that lumps on belly are cancer. She had blood work and as long as it comes back ok she will start carbo/taxol on Thursday. He said side effects are flulike symptons, nauseau, fatigue and hair loss. She sleeps so much now I couldnt imagine how much more fatigue she can get. He said her hair will probably start falling out in about 17 days. My sister is wanting to cut hers off to make into a wig, but having a hard time finding a place to do that. Plenty of places to buy one but cant find a place to cut hers and make one. Any advice on the side effects? Thank you!

ccfighter said:

Oh, I'm sorry.  Not the news

Oh, I'm sorry.  Not the news we were hoping for.  I can't help with the hair into wig thing.  I had long hair, curly, down to the middle of my lower back.  I cut it off and sent it to locks of love in Florida.  I hated to think it would go to waste.  I never got a wig.  I just did hats and scarfs.   I expected my hair to fall out, my husband gave me a buzz cut.  I had three week cycles of carbo/taxol, and my hair was out before my sencnod infusion, so 17 days is about right.  Nobody told me though, that your hair falling out actually hurts.  My scalp was super sore before the hair was finally gone.  Once it was out, then my head was fine, but my scalp was really sore before the hair came out, which I was not expecting.  Taxol can cause some bone pain.  I found it pretty painful on. He first infusion.  They told my Tylenol or Advil would take care of it bur it didn't.  Not even percocets.  That lasted from the third to the sixth day after infusion and then was gone.  I brought it up with the chemo nurses and they told me to take L-Glutamine powder starting on day one through day 6.  I did this for the next cycle and had little pain.  I didn't even need tylenol or anything.  Other than that, I would describe the week of infusion as blah.  Constipation from all the meds is a huge problem and I strongly recommend staying on a stool softener beginning a day or so before infusion and for a week after.  I was always hungry, but eventually the carboplatin/cisplatin made things taste weird and I became very picky.  Finding something I enjoyed drinking was the hardest.  Water tastes just awful.  Hydration is important.  Drink anything and everything you can find that works for you.  I will say that I had anticipated my chemo experience to be much worse than it was.  I never vomited, I really wasn't even nauseous.  I was far more nauseated with cisplatin than carbo/taxol.  Don't worry too much if the white blood cells and Platlets fall.  Carboplatin is real good at that.  Many need neupogen or neulasta to keep the white blood cell count up.  That has it's own bizzar side effects, at least for me, although some are not phased by them.  The second week I was a little fatigued but mostly felt like my old self, and the third week I was my old self, full of energy and enjoying every moment.  Your mom will do great and the chemo will kick this cancers butt to the curb.  

 

Also, so,I don't know exactly where your mothers tumor are.  You say near the incision.  You may ask her oncologist about radiation for these tumors.  If they are more superficial, either cutaneous, muscle or peritoneum, then there are options for radiation that does not penetrate deep, I think called electron radiation.  I had this done in the area of my abdominal wall tumor (which looks like it was also in my incision) that was in my pelvis in an already irradiated area.  My original radiation was targeted to deeper tissue or my lymph node bed and vaginal cuff, and tissues surrounding where my uterus had been.  I was able to have additional radiation with electron radiation that only penetrated to the depth of my peritoneal lining, so the muscle, fat and skin was what was receiving the radiiation and not the deeper already radiatied tissue.  My resected tumor only had a clean margin of 1mm and I insisted on more radiation or further surgery for a wider margin.  My radiation was only for five days for this, not five weeks as I had previously.  No side effects.  Just a thought.

 

hugs to you and your mom.  I will continue to pray for healing, and a cure for this awful disease.  There is always hope.

I printed this off and gave it to her. Made her feel so much better! Once again, thank u so much!!