hello all
i hope it's ok to post here and use the forums. I'm here on behalf of my mum who has just been diagnosed with bowel cancer which has spread to the liver. The doctors have said that they can't operate and so the only hope is chemo. She's a young 75 and very fit so this has come as a terrible blow. We have so many questions and we don't want to bother the hardworking Macmillan nurses every five minutes so I'm hopeful that this is a useful place to come.
She has a biopsy on friday on the liver then is meeting with the oncologist the ten days after. The process from diagnosis seems to have taken an age (the oncologist appointment will be 5 weeks after diagnosis) but I'm told this is normal?
Anyway thank you for having me and best of luck on your journeys
Richard
Hi Winter72
Welcome to the forum and a great idea to get some information and support !
Really sorry to hear about your mum but going straight to chemo can actually be a great plan when a spread has occurred. It is a systemic approach so not only targets the visible spread but potentially any lurking micro disease ! They hope to gain stability or shrinkage! Chemo worked incredibly well for my mum on what was a significant spread . She had five mets on her liver the first time round !
You have already worked out the system is slow at this stage but also be prepared for it to suddenly lunge forward when it has pulled all the information together and the treatment plan is agreed upon!
The staff take great care of them and meet up after each cycle to ensure it’s all tolerable and make any adjustments that’s required ! In a stage four setting that’s a very important aspect as it’s a marathon not a sprint and they want to get it right for the long haul . So I would prepare you mum to work with her team for a cycle or two at the beginning!
Chemo actually did turn things around for my mum and you will also see people on the forums for five and six years using chemotherapy in a maintenance setting !
It would be good for your mum to get familiar with her cell type to allow her to know the best agents for her to use !
Once you have gotten over the shock she will get into a routine .
Our helpline staff would also be able to answer any questions 0808 808 0000.
https://community.macmillan.org.uk/cancer_types/bowel-colon-rectum-cancer-forum
You might like to read this thread as your mum prepares herself for chemotherapy!
Its members tips on how to handle chemotherapy !
My mum continues to live a good life despite a difficult diagnosis! Hope she gets the sickness aspect under control ! It is very legitimate to raise this aspect with her team to get help for her !
Please feel free to ask anything you like and send your mum our very best wishes for successful treatment !
Court
Helpline Number 0808 808 0000
When we saw chemo was effective my mum decided to live with it as a chronic condition! They kept a close eye on her and treated when required but she had breaks from treatment too and got to regain her strength . We packed everything into those months . It might surprise you but we had many , many good times after the fear subsided a bit and we developed trust in her team !
Send you mum our very best wishes for successful treatment and I will look out to hear how she is getting on !
Take care ,
Court
Helpline Number 0808 808 0000
