Metastasis

Hi Irisgal and a very warm welcome to the online community which I hope you'll find is both an informative and supportive place to be.

I've had chemo, although not for the same type of cancer, so can't help with your question about how much chemo will help you. However, I noticed that your post hadn't had any replies yet so responding to you will 'bump' it back to the top of the discussion list where it'll be easier to spot.

While you're waiting for replies, it would be great if you could pop something about your diagnosis and treatment so far into your profile as it really helps others when replying to you and also when looking for someone on a similar pathway. It also means that you don't have to keep repeating yourself. To do this click on your username and then select 'Profile'. You can amend it at any time and if you're not sure what to write you can take a look at mine by clicking on my username.

x

Morning Irisgal, it seems like we have similar stories. I had a T2 adenocarcinoma of my gallbladder in 2016, it had spread to one lymph node in the gallbladder bed and so I had the liver resection surgery too.  I went on to have adjuvant chemotherapy once I was recovered enough from the liver resection.

I had 16 rounds of gemcitibine and cisplatin, more commonly known as GemCis. It was explained to me that although there is no specific chemotherapy for gallbladder cancer it had been shown that this treatment has shrunk other tumours within the bile duct areas and therefore it was a chance for it to shrink any remaining gallbladder tumours (of which I didn't have any to be honest) and also to kill off any remaining gallbladder cancer cells.

My story is different again because I also had thyroid cancer and then developed ovarian cancer too, all primary cancers not related to each other.

My gallbladder cancer has metastised to abdomen and bowel over the last couple of years and so with surgery to remove these tumours I went on to have the same chemotherapy regime in 2021.  

But, the chemotherapy the first time round pretty much gave me almost 5 years of gallbladder cancer remission before it came back, so in my case it was pretty successful.  

I hope you stay as well as you can and feel free to reach out with any questions Iay be able to help you with.

Colette 

Thank you so much for your information.  I've found this is a really lonely cancer, many people on this forum seem to disappear.  I have cancer in 2 of the 4 lymph nodes they removed, and I'm starting Cape imagine in 3 weeks after I recover more from the liver resection. I'm not sure I can tolerate it, because of my health and age(78.)

I meant capecitabine 

I absolutely understand where you are coming from, sadly it isn't a cancer that usually has a good outcome and I have met and lost some people to gallbladder cancer along the way, it's just so rare and therefore little research is done on it I dont think. But if you want to chat I do get the emails regularly from this page.  

I found writing a blog about my experiences was helpful  it it is a bit warts and all and not for the faint of heart ( my use of language is choice at times ha ha) but if you want to have a read I've attached the link. Please bear in mind the posts are written from the most recent to the first one so they read backwards really x

gallbladdercancerblog.wordpress.com/

Thank you! I hope I'll recover some energy soon.  I very much enjoyed your blog. It seems you are one of the few old timers here!

In 2016 when I found myself newly diagnosed I turned to this community and there was literally just one other active person, we became friends, we were similar in age  but she was a little further down the road on her journey. It was nice to have someone to talk about it all to but sadly she passed away in 2021, so I do understand the loneliness of our situation. 

My philosophy is to live today and let tomorrow take care of itself, be kind to yourself but most importantly learn to breathe because I find we sometimes spend too  much time holding our breath xx

Hello, 

Thank you again.  I am really struggling to decide how much I want to undergo. I am pretty healthy,  but I'm also almost 79 and still struggling with the recovery from the liver resection. 

The important thing for me is my family and grandchildren,  and doing chemo fo 8 months seems overwhelming. 

Are you planning to do more chemo?

Virginia 

At the moment I am on 3 monthly monitoring (CT scans etc). If a new tumour was to appear in my case my oncologist said we would investigate a different regime of chemotherapy to what I've had twice already or possibly surgery again but obviously I'm praying I'll stay clear of it for a while. So there are a couple of options left open to me if it does come back again. 

I can't or wouldn't advise anyone one way or another about treatment decisions, again my motto is my body I'm the boss of it so I do understand your struggle with the situation I truly do, however I was 47 with the first chemotherapy and 53 when I had the 2nd go at it so it's difficult to say how you would react, but all I will say is maybe think about it in a different way? As in, dip your toe into the water, have a round of it and if it's not for you, you don't have to continue with it.. but I am not in any way telling you to do it, it's a difficult and personal choice and whatever you decide to do is the right choice for YOU, if that makes sense? 

Colette x