Postby rp1954 » Sun Apr 28, 2019 12:48 am
Or, when I tell them surgery is the only way but I can’t get it because I don’t want to do anymore chemo they are flabbergasted “I’d just quit.” Maybe I am a quitter but if 80+ rounds of chemo hasn’t fixed it, it probably will not.
It's important to make the chemo chemistries for a marathon and to find surgeons, "beyond inoperable", one way or another to whittle them down. I was somewhat bummed out when we passed the 3rd year after her last surgery (4th year of chemo), still whacking small stuff, slowly. Some papers showed 3 years as a possible curative treatment time, post surgery for residual seeding.
My wife cried when the reviewing dr laughed at her at 6 years post dx when she stated her seemingly hopeless desire to be "cured", chemo free. He laughed in part because all others like her were long gone, she has had good-great life quality, and is already "lucky". In part, it was probably nervous reflex because of the chemo forever - permanent seeding view of metastatic, para aortic lymph node clusters.
After 8 years she dropped chemo, based on some pretty good markers, and just tired of chemo. 10+ months later, her CEA, AFP and LDH markers are still stable and low. 8 yrs metronomic chemo translates as ~ 200 rounds of chemo. It can be done.
watchful, active researcher and caregiver for stage IVb/c CC. surgeries 4/10 sigmoid etc & 5/11 para-aortic LN cluster; 8 yrs immuno-Chemo for mCRC; now no chemo
most of 2010 Life Extension recommendations and possibilities + more, some (much) higher, peaking ~2011-12, taper chemo to almost nothing mid 2018, IV C-->2021. Now supplements
