Have been with my partner for 4 years and last year she was diagnosed with colon cancer. I supported her through colostomy operation and life-changing circumstances that brings. But her cancer had spread through lymph nodes to her liver. She is now undergoing chemotherapy, hair loss etc etc and I am finding it difficult to cope. I am basically her carer and have to deal with her tiredness, mood swings, but that's not really a problem. My first wife died of breast cancer that spread to her liver, and I know the outlook for liver cancer patients isn't generally very good. Anybody know what the outlook is likely to be? She is midway though a six session chemo programme, and her tumour marker blood tests have shown a drop from 35 to 13, so that seems good, but I really don't know where we are going.
Hi Andrew279144
Sorry to hear about your partner and the deal like has dealt you both - especially after losing your first wife too.
From what you have said I am assuming you are talking about colon cancer spread to liver rather than a primary liver cancer - we could certainly look up statistics that would give us an indication of how many people survive for how long but perhaps the question is how might that help because how to know if one person is in one set or the other.
My wife's cancer is very different but she was very clear she did not want a prognosis - I really struggled with that but years down the line I found out how right she was. She said if I had really wanted to know she would have let the oncologist tell me but then how would I cope with have that information.
What really helped me was doing a living with less stress course. Helped me focus on the here and now rather than some bleak future world I could not control. It also helped me when life decided it is time to throw another curve ball our way.
Sounds really good that the chemo appears to be working.
<<hugs>>
Steve
Hi,
Perhaps one of the key things I learnt on the living with less stress course is that nobody really knows what the future holds. Many chemo treatments cause the sort of symptoms you mention but it can help to consider if it is doing this to the rest of me what must if feel like for the cancer cells - go get them.
When Janice's hair started to grow back at first it had quite a curl - that she quite liked but then it settled down and is back to it's normal straight form.
<<hugs>>
Steve
