Just wanted to update everyone here on our situation. On Monday, just as I was looking into additional options, other oncologists, surgeons, etc. anyone who can help us, once again, my dear Mother developed excruciating pain in the toes on her right foot. We rushed to the ER, where I had to once again recount the saga previously described. She was somewhat dehydrated and while looking for the cause of the right foot pain with an ultrasound, they discovered a DVT in her left leg, so we were admitted to the hospital again.
After explaining everything to the hospitalist, he said he would ask for an oncology consult and that we should bring in the scan from the August, since the radiologist here in March should have seen a mass that size...enlarging. Her feet were ice cold yesterday and they said they couldn't find a pulse in her right foot, so she had no blood flow!!!! Apparently, the arteries in her right foot are blocked (which is odd since that kind of pain doesn't start so acutely), so they consulted a vascular surgeon. He called yesterday and said that there was some blood flow to her foot, but it was minimal. They couldn't do a surgery to bypass an artery though, because she has Stage IV colon cancer and her life is limited, he said, as well as the fact that she hasn't been ambulatory. He came by this morning and we discussed our experiences, doubts, and conflicting information, and he said that our questions were logical. But we had a few options...blood thinners to prevent additional blockage, clot busting medications administered directly to the arteries, or AMPUTATION!! He ordered a scan to find out exactly where the blockages are...and my Mother said that he should go ahead and consult interventional radiology about the clot busting procedure. He said that there was a risk involved of bleeding elsewhere, in the brain and in her liver (because of the "metastases"). So I guess he didn't think the benefit worth the risk, because of the cancer diagnosis...which as I've detailed above has not really been properly staged even. This really doesn't fit any of the norms that I've come across, and as you can see, doctors are making serious decisions based on it.
Later, the interventional radiologist came by and he said that it might be spasms that are causing her pain and that warming the foot might widen the arteries and restore blood flow. Oh God, I hope so.
Also, an oncologist came by, listened to some of our saga, said that his role would only be limited here...didn't even review the latest scans, just read the radiologist's report of a pelvic mass that had enlarged since last October and said that really there was nothing they could do because she doesn't walk, the results of the first "intervention", and he mentioned her kidney stones. I didn't know that kidney stones could prevent someone from receiving treatment for cancer??????
He also said that her muscles are atrophied...her muscles are much better than last year, following her fluid overload and gaining over 70 pounds of fluid after her operation!!! He said no one would operate on her.
On a bright note, when I mentioned the enlarged lymph node of .9 cm the radiologist noted in the pelvic area, he said that's not enlarged.
My sweet, darling Mother said: "Doctor, please help me", and he said something like "we'll see what we can do". I said that there must be some way to get her get her well enough for treatment, and they need to let us know what to do. They just keep saying that there would be no benefit to any treatment. This is unbelievable. I've never heard of anything like this. If you say that someone is not treatable in their condition, shouldn't you do something to improve that condition? Even kidney stones don't need to be permanent.
Oh, and they say that the cancer caused her blood clots because it causes the blood to be more coagulant. But her clotting factor test was normal, and now that they were giving her blood thinners, they said that her blood was too thin, so they are reducing the dosage.
I'm just a mess. I wake up frightened every single day. I can't believe how long this has all gone on. Please everyone, pray for us!! God bless you all!!