Hi all....I have been leary of posting my message, but was urged to do so, because it may help someone out there. I will start by telling you all that this web sight is a God send to me...my mom was diagnosed with a late stage 4 cancer on the base of her tongue and a spread to the lymph nodes. It looked very grim for her, but she wanted to try treatment. Long story short, after almost a full year, between chemo, radiation, surgeries, hyperbaric oxygen therapy and blood transfusions...her doctor was able to tell us she had NO cancer in her neck any more!! It was amazing to me, because it was not very hopeful initially. I need to stress how amazing I still find this...I mean...she was so far into it by the time she was diagnosed (head in the sand too long) that being cured was truly a miracle in my eyes. Unfortunately, during her treatment, being the stubborn woman she was raised to be, she never allowed the docs to do catscans on other parts of her body. Well....after the last round in the hospital with transfusions, they did all sorts of tests. She was then told that even though the cancer was gone completely in her neck, it was growing rapidly in her pelvic area and lungs. She was told she was terminal. On April 25, she passed away. Now, I am not here to be a downer or to look for sympathy. I am posting this because I CARE...I cannot stress this enough to each and every one of you...please, please....do not refuse any tests that are suggested. Even if you may think they order too many, or are doing them unneccessarily..get them anyway. I will never know if the catscans ordered at the beginning of treatments could have saved my mothers' life. So, the lesson here is basically this....learn as much as possible about the disease, research, ask questions, over and over if necessary, but do not put your head in the sand!!!!! My mom was a very brave, strong woman, and I'm sure if she knew this was coming, she would have gone for those tests. A few minutes of discomfort could save a life. Again, I do not want to discourage anyone....the cancer that looked irreversible was cured. I just want people to know they should take full advantage of doctors, test, support groups, this website, anything that helps..Keep hoping, and keep trying. God bless you all...and thank you for the wonderful support system I have found here. I will be thrilled if I am ever able to return the favor and help anyone.

Brooke, I am so very sorry about the loss of your mother. You are very generous to share her story with us, and I am sure it will reach people who need to hear the message. Thank you for being so caring about others. I am sure your mother is very proud of her daughter!

Joanna

Brooke,
I lost my mother to lung cancer and I know it has been a long, hard battle for both of you. If you need someone to talk to feel free to email me.
I am so sorry for your loss. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
Anita

Brooke,
Very sorry to hear about the loss of your mother. I can only imagine how hard this was for your mother and you after all you had been through in the last year.
On a related note...Before my mother had surgery to remove mouth, jaw and floor of mouth in Feb 2002, the doctor requested a PET scan to rule out any spread or problems anywhere else. After it was done he said my mother was good to go for surgery. After she was in hospital 3 or 4 days after surgery with tubes, trache,etc. and unable to talk without anyone there she was visited by someone from the gastro service. This was a teaching hospital so my mother was constantly being probed and prodded by different groups of doctors. She was told that her PET scan showed a questionable result in the area of her colon. Of course she was concerned and of course her family was angry that they told her this when there was noone else present and had not discussed this finding before surgery as that was the reason for it. Later we talked to her surgeon and he said it was not a big concern, probably the questionable PET scan was the result of hemorrhoids, but that sometime in the future she should schedule a colonoscopy.So far my mother has not scheduled this test and I can only say that I don't blame her. I agree that people need to listen to their doctors, but the doctors need to get on the ball as far as scaring patients and not showing a lot of compassion when someone is in miserable shape. The different doctors that visited my mother during her stay varied and hit all points on the spectrum as far as bedside manner.

Brooke, So sorry to hear about the loss of your Mother. This has had to have been a very difficult year for you. I am glad that you passed on this information. Take care and work on taking care of yourself. Anne

Just a quick note to thank everyone......I appreciate your sympathy, and am so thankful for everyone here. It's funny how good things come out of bad things...I consider my online "family" a true blessing.

Brooke, I am so sorry to hear about your mom. Your posting really helped me realize the importance of these doctor visits & tests. There are times when my mom just does NOT want to go, but we push her anyways. She goes to see her oncologist in a couple of weeks to find out what her prognosis will be. Hopefully, the surgeries & radiation took the cancer away. She also had a couple of suspicious spots on her bladder & liver. They think that it is just scar tissue, they have not grown in the past 3 monthes. It's better to be safe that to have any regrets. Thank you again for your help & I want to extend my sincerest condolences to you & your family.