We have the appointment with mums oncologist on Monday and I’m trying to write a list of questions to ask but as I have gone to do it my mind has gone completely blank.
The only question I have is why can you not operate on the liver? Also is whats the percentage that it will spread else where now its attacked the liver and rib bone?
I had so many things but all completely gone … do you think there is any essential questions I should be asking? I know everyone is different though
Hi peonyroses, good news about your mum! so please for you and your mum.
Hi Jenna, I can only relate to the questions I’ve asked when I was dx. How big it is? Where is it / are they in the liver? What kind of chemo? Side effects of chemo? and all the questions related to that. When would a scan be schedule to check that it’s working?
Miserable here in Bristol, too. Hasn’t stopped raining for long since I woke up on Wed morning:-( Been in doors most of the time.
Hope goes well on Monday. Will be thinking of you.
Hi Jenna
thought that i would add a post here as i have secondaries on my liver and spine and i am being treated at the Marsden
.
The Hospital is lovely - they have a ‘wig specialist’ (i am sure he has a posher name than that) He can sort your mum out with a new wig - he can also suggest some places to buy one privately.
They also do all sorts of other stuff - your mum can have a foot massage or aromatherapy to help her to relax (during or in between chemos treaments) - I found it really nice when my daughter spoke to the breastcare nurse and sorted wig fitting appointments and a foot massage out for me so i didn’t have to organise it myself.
My diagnosis of secondaries was 2 years ago and i had paclitaxol chemo for 8 months - it was pretty tiring but not unbearable. I did a bit less shopping than previously but managed most other stuff. We even had a family holiday to Greece halfway through the treatment. I am currently taking another chemo drug called Xeloda - I have all my hair back and feel fine, pretty much back to normal really.
I was told that surgery wasn’t an option for me but i do know another women who is a patient there who had 4 liver tumours which responded to chemo - she is being assessed for surgery now
I am having monthly zometa by iv for the bone mets - i didn’t have radiation. The zometa alone seems to have done the trick for me. Some people have radiation but not zometa, some seem to have both. I am not sure why maybe it is just what each onc favours? (i should ask i suppose!)
I did ask about life expectancy (i had to push it because they didn’t want to say) the answer was that if i responded well to treatment then the expectation was up to 6 years (although some people live much longer than that with liver and bone mets) I was also told that as new treatments were coming along all the time - in 3,4 or 5 years they might have a new drug which could extend that prediction by months or years.
I did, of course ask what would happen if i didn’t respond and was told that was impossible to answer because it depended which drugs i didn’t respond to!
Feel free to pm me if you have any questions you think i can help with
Take care, give your mum a big hug from me
Melissa x
than previously but managed most other stuff. We even had a family holiday to Greece halfway through the treatment. I am currently taking another chemo drug called Xeloda - I have all my hair back and feel fine, pretty much back to normal really.