Hi All,
My mum received a diagnosis of stomach cancer yesterday, this is being discussed with specialists today and she will get a call tomorrow to discuss the diagnosis in more detail, which I'm guessing will cover the "staging" of the cancer and what "type" it is?
The diagnosis comes following a gastroscopy and CT scan with contrast after having various gastro issues since January this year, a biopsy was taken during the gastroscopy.
The CT scan was done from neck to pelvis, so I have already asked her to make sure she asks if there are any other areas of concern from that initial imaging.
Mum has just turned 65, and has a list of pre-existing conditions as long as my arm...type 1 diabetic for 55 years, recent (within last 12 months) blood clot due to immobility following broken arms, a minor (no lasting effects) stroke in October are just a few.
My worry is that they will deem her not strong enough for surgery, which was not even mentioned in her initial diagnosis yesterday, only chemo via tablet and IV.
The cancer appears to be in the upper part of the stomach from what information her and my dad could recall, which after spending all night in a stomach cancer google hole, I believe means full removal of the stomach if surgery is to take place.
We're all reeling from the diagnosis, but I wanted to reach out to this community from the outset to get as much support for her (and us) as soon as possible.
Forgive me if I ask stupid questions over the next few weeks/months/years.
Many Thanks
Hi Punkie and welcome to our community though sorry to hear about what you are going through.
Almost everyone agrees getting from diagnosis to the discussion around treatment can be really difficult when we feel something is happening it can feel easier.
Google can be a great tool but it can also lack a lot of common sense and people often love sharing stories of when things went wrong much more often that good news so need to be used with a degree of care - trusted sites like Macmillan and cancer research uk are well researched and regularly reviewed since lots of research is going on all the time.
A potential issue with scans is that they pick up all kinds of anomalies, nobody is a textbook model and what is often more useful is a series of scans to see how things are changing - or not, old scar tissue being a common thing that is usually not any concern at all.
You might find it helpful to look at your feelings when someone has cancer because you are so right - if you get support for you then you are likely to be better placed to support your mum.
I for one would much rather have you ask a question than worry - well done for reaching out early I wish I had been quicker.
<<hugs>>
Steve
