My only true friend (apart from my little boy) in the world is about to die. My dear Mum (69) and a young 69 at that, has just been told after an ultrasound that there are 5 shadows on the remainder of her liver.
History - 10 years ago diagnosed with breast cancer. No chemo or radio, no mastectomy. Instead irregular treatments of tamoxifen and arimidex.
3 years ago, diagnosed with intestinal cancer. Had 30 cms of intestine cut out. We were given no indication that this can lead to liver cancer. No chemo or radio therapy was offered after the op. (I think the consultant decided it wasn't necessary.)
Last June (2005) 13 cm cluster of tumours found in liver. October 2005 had liver resection. Left with less than a quarter of liver. The one remaining drainage duct in liver stopped functioning and as a result my mum has had a 'pig tail' catheter attached through the centre of her abdomen to her liver with an external drainage bag for bile fluids. As a result she also had a stent fitted into the intestine to encourage drainage but still needs the bag.
2 other complications are that she is developing worse and worse symptoms of irritable leg syndrom or motor neurone disease where especially at night her limbs seize up. This however, in comparison to the cancer would almost be on the periphery of our concerns. She has just started taking diazepam to control the muscle spasm and last night she managed to sleep.
last complication - MRSA (hospital superbug) present in her catheter, but not in blood stream.
Questions:
Less than a 1/4 liver left with 5 mets in it. Why not treat them with drugs, try to shrink the tumours. If successful, why not consider transplant. Surely chemo, if successful would eventually allow a cancer free body to be considered for liver transplant.
Doctors told her she is not viable for chemo. (I think they think she is too weak.)
My argument is if her prognosis is death sooner rather than later then isn't there a programme of chemo we can try.
At best it would rid her of cancer, at worst, it would prolong her life.
She's just come in - she wants a look at the other posts.
Please reply urgently.