Help.

Ginx525
Ginx525 Member Posts: 16
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
My mother has been diagnosed with rectal cancer. She is 75 in October and weighs 98 lbs. She has COPD and Congestive heart failure and is now on oxygen 24/7. She just had 4 stints put in her heart in February of this year and on July 8th, a little over a month ago, she had a heart attack. She is doing well after the heart attack but while she was in the hospital the doctors found the rectal cancer.

The doctors say she is not a candidate for surgery which I whole-heartedly agree with. The doctor however does want her to have some radiation with chemo. The "hope" is that the treatment will shrink the cancer enough that they can remove the cancer via the rectum.

I guess my question is what are your thoughts...what have you been through? Comments and suggestions are welcome.

Comments

  • John23
    John23 Member Posts: 2,122 Member
    #2
    Decisions


    Re:
    "She is 75 in October and weighs 98 lbs. "

    My Italian grandmother weighed less than 98 lbs, but she stood
    about 4'9"....and she was strong as an ox..

    You didn't mention how tall your mother is, so it's difficult
    to "compute".. If she's 6'5", I think there's gonna' be a problem
    regardless what they do.

    Re:
    "She has COPD and Congestive heart failure and is now on oxygen
    24/7. She just had 4 stints put in her heart in February of this
    year and on July 8th, a little over a month ago, she had a heart attack. "

    Ya'know... you really oughta' get granny some other opinions,
    and one from her cardio docs.. Both chemo and radiation can
    wear down a bull, and I would imagine could not do too well
    for a 98lb 75 year old gal with heart problems.

    She deserves other opinions, and from outside the association
    that her present docs are members of. A colorectal surgeon
    should be seen to give an opinion, since general surgeons aren't
    always up to the latest technology regarding colorectal surgery.

    There are new techniques and procedures that may allow her
    to avoid radiation and harsh chemicals.... But you may not find
    that out, without other opinions.

    I hope you and ma both do well!

    John
  • zenmonk
    zenmonk Member Posts: 198
    #3
    treatment
    I never had radiation but the chemo worked for me. It shrank or killed the tumors so that I could become a candidate for surgery. Without chemo I would not be writing this.
  • Lovekitties
    Lovekitties Member Posts: 3,364 Member
    #4
    Suggestion
    I myself went the surgery route without chemo or rads so can't give you anything about that treatment.

    However, with your Mom's complex health issues, I would suggest that you try to get a team approach going for her care. We all expect one doc to talk to the other doc, after all they want each other's names, but they don't always take the time.

    The docs all need to get together at the same time to determine what she can and cannot stand in the way of treatment.

    Speaking of treatment... I think I read somewhere where they have experimented with cryosurgery (freezing the tumor)...don't know enough about it to say one way or the other, but it might be something to check out...maybe it could kill the tumor enough to shrink and then do the surgery they are suggesting.

    Please keep us posted on how things go and if you need us for anything, we usually keep turning up.

    Good Luck,

    Marie

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