Stomach Cancer Treamtnet Process

Tammy76
Tammy76 Member Posts: 2
in Stomach Cancer #1

Hi - My dad was diagnosed with stomach cancer last month. He went to the urgent care for kideny stones and found he had a mass in his stomach. It was determined to be cancerous. From what I have been told it is lymphoma and in the latter parts of stage 2. I am presuming due to the size of the mass in his stomach they can not operate till it shrinks. Currently he is on chemo. He goes in for his 2nd round tomorrow and will continue this process every 3 weeks. He is still yet to get a PET scan. One was finally scheduled for this Friday. So now I have a few questions....

Is it typical to not get a PET scan right away?

How long does it take to get the results of a PET scan?

It is typical to do chemo first in order to shrink the mass before removal?

Is a second opinoin definitely needed?

 

Thank you for your time.

 

 

 

Comments

  • Buckeyefan
    Buckeyefan Member Posts: 1
    #2
    TREATMENT

    Tammy,

            I was 47 years old when I was diaginosed with stomach cancer. This was 18 months ago back in March of 2014 I had 90% of my stomach removed. Prior to this I went through 3 cycles of chemo before my surgery. This is normal some people need radiation as well but not in all cases. If your father is going to get A PET scan thats great because most insurances do not cover the cost. I was lucky my insurance did cover the cost due to the wording my Doctor selected why I need to get it done. My family and I waited for the results of the test for any information good or bad but was eventually told by my Doctor there was no change in my tumor and it looked like nothing had spread to other organs. Thank God! I've been in remission but I truely am not worry free at this point. I currently get blood work every 3 monts done along with a B12 injection every 30 days since B12 is produced in our stomachs and with no stomach no B12. I had no idea I had Cancer not sick, feeling bad or anything issues. Flashing back I SMOKED for about 18 years heavy smoker too (2 packs a day) I quit almost 9 years ago but not soon enough I believe this was the cause of my Cancer!!!!!!!! EVERYONE WHO'S READS THIS DON'T SMOKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (or quit) I have no family history of Cancer which makes me wonder how, what and why me.

     

            LIFE after treatment I feel so lucky that the Cancer was caught very early and hopefully I go on to Live a long Life. I was able to lose over 40 pounds but believe it or not I have gain back 10 pounds so far. I need to get back on track with a proper diet. I definitely feel more tired easily but I do continue to live somewhat a normal life. Eating is different due to I was such a over eater that all could think was I'm going to strave not true at all, keep the liquids flowning. Please tell your Father life will go on but will need to change his mind set and habits. I wanted to share some good news because this usually doesn't happen. I was very lucky I had a great team of Doctor's at Rush University in Chicago!!!! I say a prayer for you and your Family GOD BLESS.

     

     

  • MoonDancer
    MoonDancer Member Posts: 1
    #3
    Buckeyefan said:

    TREATMENT

    Tammy,

            I was 47 years old when I was diaginosed with stomach cancer. This was 18 months ago back in March of 2014 I had 90% of my stomach removed. Prior to this I went through 3 cycles of chemo before my surgery. This is normal some people need radiation as well but not in all cases. If your father is going to get A PET scan thats great because most insurances do not cover the cost. I was lucky my insurance did cover the cost due to the wording my Doctor selected why I need to get it done. My family and I waited for the results of the test for any information good or bad but was eventually told by my Doctor there was no change in my tumor and it looked like nothing had spread to other organs. Thank God! I've been in remission but I truely am not worry free at this point. I currently get blood work every 3 monts done along with a B12 injection every 30 days since B12 is produced in our stomachs and with no stomach no B12. I had no idea I had Cancer not sick, feeling bad or anything issues. Flashing back I SMOKED for about 18 years heavy smoker too (2 packs a day) I quit almost 9 years ago but not soon enough I believe this was the cause of my Cancer!!!!!!!! EVERYONE WHO'S READS THIS DON'T SMOKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (or quit) I have no family history of Cancer which makes me wonder how, what and why me.

     

            LIFE after treatment I feel so lucky that the Cancer was caught very early and hopefully I go on to Live a long Life. I was able to lose over 40 pounds but believe it or not I have gain back 10 pounds so far. I need to get back on track with a proper diet. I definitely feel more tired easily but I do continue to live somewhat a normal life. Eating is different due to I was such a over eater that all could think was I'm going to strave not true at all, keep the liquids flowning. Please tell your Father life will go on but will need to change his mind set and habits. I wanted to share some good news because this usually doesn't happen. I was very lucky I had a great team of Doctor's at Rush University in Chicago!!!! I say a prayer for you and your Family GOD BLESS.

     

     

    @Buckeyefan

    Hi there Buckeyefan,

     

    My father-in-law was diagnosed with stage 4 gastric cancer in August of last year.  He had a total gastrectomy 10 days later and then chemo and radiation.  Fortunately, they cannot find any signs of the cancer at this point and we are about 9 months from diagnosis.  What my father-in-law finds most troubling at this point is constant pain in his chest (what I would consider to be above where his stomach was) as well as frequent hiccups and spitting up of a foamy saliva.   He has been unable to eat because of the severity of these symptoms and has been put on TPN.  We know TPN is not meant for long-term use and that we must find a way to get him to be able to start eating food again.  He just spent over 3 weeks in the hospital and they were baffled.  Could not find what was wrong and basically placed him on about 15-20 meds that he must take around the clock to control the symptoms (which sometimes work and sometimes don't).  Wondering if you would have any advice or thoughts to share or if you experienced these symptoms as well (hiccups, spitting up, nausea, etc).  If you have anything you can share, I would be very appreciative.  Feeling like the doctors are no help and are only industry in putting him on more drugs and so I am turning to the people who know the most about this disease, people that have or have had it. 

    Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide!

    Sarah

  • Gary'swife
    Gary'swife Member Posts: 5
    #4
    MoonDancer said:

    @Buckeyefan

    Hi there Buckeyefan,

     

    My father-in-law was diagnosed with stage 4 gastric cancer in August of last year.  He had a total gastrectomy 10 days later and then chemo and radiation.  Fortunately, they cannot find any signs of the cancer at this point and we are about 9 months from diagnosis.  What my father-in-law finds most troubling at this point is constant pain in his chest (what I would consider to be above where his stomach was) as well as frequent hiccups and spitting up of a foamy saliva.   He has been unable to eat because of the severity of these symptoms and has been put on TPN.  We know TPN is not meant for long-term use and that we must find a way to get him to be able to start eating food again.  He just spent over 3 weeks in the hospital and they were baffled.  Could not find what was wrong and basically placed him on about 15-20 meds that he must take around the clock to control the symptoms (which sometimes work and sometimes don't).  Wondering if you would have any advice or thoughts to share or if you experienced these symptoms as well (hiccups, spitting up, nausea, etc).  If you have anything you can share, I would be very appreciative.  Feeling like the doctors are no help and are only industry in putting him on more drugs and so I am turning to the people who know the most about this disease, people that have or have had it. 

    Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide!

    Sarah

    Eating After Gastrectomy

    Sarah,

    My thoughts are with you and your father-in-law as he struggles with eating again after a total gastrectomy. My husband struggled with eating after he had a total gastrectomy, and he too was on TPN for a while.

    After he finally was back to eating almost normally, we put together a website with every tip and trick we learned about eating again and dealing with various digestive challenges. I hope you will find at least a few things on our site that will be helpful for your father-in-law.

    See our Stomach Cancer Survivor's Guide here: http://www.stomachcancersurvivorsguide.org.

    Wishing the best for your father-in-law.

    Anne

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