A member of the support group I've been attending told me that his wife was a real rock when he was going through treatment, but a few months after he finished, she hit an emotional rough patch. I have a feeling I am probably going to experience that when all the dust settles. With what's going on w...

I was wondering how those of you on the board who are supporting dear ones who are on the cancer journey are doing. Speaking from my own experience, it's been very complicated, with lots of emotions coming up and trying to be supportive without running amok. Sometimes I have to bite my tongue and re...

Thanks for your insights! I talked to Mom's onc yesterday and she said she still wants Mom to come in next week for her blood draws with an eye to getting chemo (two weeks after her previous treatment) and if the numbers are still low, she'll go with every three weeks (this is like the third or four...

Well, those two weeks of "normal" and drama-free came to an abrupt end today. Mom had her 7th chemo, the first on the new regimen of three weeks between treatments (she went from every two weeks to every three weeks because her WBC and platelets kept crashing and the treatments kept gettin...

Thank you! I was sick last weekend and in a weird way, I think it was good for my mom-- for the first time since all this began she got to be the one dispensing sympathy and advice. My cousin is visiting her this weekend, which is doing her a world of good. Like I said, don't know how long this is g...

It suddenly hit me last night that for the first time since Mom's cancer journey started, we've had a quiet week! She had her sixth chemo treatment last Wednesday, a few bumpy days, one blood draw with expected results. But no weird things, no mix-ups followed by panicked phone calls, no contradicto...

Surroundedbylove wrote:I had problems and my doc pulled me off the 5FU part and substituted Xeloda - I did much better. (I had Neupogen on the 5FU to help). Apparently in many people Xeloda doesn't have the same blood count drops that 5FU does.

Thanks, Surrounded! I'll have to investigate this.

Thanks for sharing all your stories. It's so hard to not get annoyed, esp. when the biggest pontificators are the ones who aren't doing much to actually help my mom, they just call with their commentary. I am really appreciating the people who just show up with a plate of tamales or stop by to help ...

Thanks for the feedback, Elisa! Mom got a shot of Neupogen yesterday, her WBC went from 1.1 to 32 today!!! All other levels were normal so she got her 6th treatment-- the halfway point. The dr. is talking about reducing the doses and going to every three weeks.

Mom's diagnosis was a real shocker for friends and family. Everyone seems to have a theory as to how she "got it": "Well, your mother was always running around and doing stuff, she got overtired and look what happened" (from a relative who stays home and watches TV all day) "...

My mom has been having problems almost from the beginning where her blood levels crash after chemo. At first it was just her WBC, but now it's also the platelets. She is constantly getting Neupogen and now she is switching to getting chemo every three weeks in hopes that her blood levels will recove...

What type of antibiotic? Was there an identified source of infection? Was it cultured? Is it possible the antibiotic is not effective for the particular bug? Generally the doc will start with something broad spectrum and then switch to something more targeted as needed. Is anyone with your Mom to h...

I just got off the phone with my mom. She had her third chemo on Monday, today went to get the pump removed. She was feeling a bit tired and when they took her vitals, she had a temp of 102*. They gave her antibiotics and hydration and by the time she left, her temp was back to normal. She had just ...

Mom had her second round of Neupogen and her third round of FOLFOX is on Monday. Is the Neupogen going to be standard treatment from here on out? I can't imagine her WBC would ever get the chance to rebound to normal levels while she's on treatment. I'm going out next month to be with her for one of...

my CEA at surgery was 0.8 even though a large sigmoid tumor, but I was stage 1 with no + nodes or mets. My onc started doing mine at 6 months also, because he stated that CEA shows an elevation in response to mets only, not the primary growth. People who have high CEA's at surgery usually already h...