#4927 02-02-2005 10:23 AM | Joined: Jul 2003 Posts: 235 Gold Member (200+ posts) | OP  Gold Member (200+ posts)
Joined: Jul 2003 Posts: 235 | So I receive a call from a surgeon's office this afternoon asking me to bring my mom in for an appointment tommorow. I ask why, and she asks "didn't the oncology nurse contact you?" Uh, no. She hasn't responded to my emails or calls that I started placing last Friday in an attempt to find out how the scan results were. In any event, I paged the nurse this time and she called me right back. Evidently there are dilated pancreatic and liver ducts. I don't know what that means. Evidently there's no mass, but possibly a stone(s). They want the surgeon to take a look to determine if any other tests are necessary and to figure out what's causing this. Mom is in tears, understandably so. Her recovery has been pretty rough. She's still tube feeding, has had neurologic trouble associated w/chemo, various infections, significant weight loss...I don't know if this is more cancer or what the hell it is. Is this a normal path for oral CA to take? I've got to stop speculating and calm down.
Mom's caregvr. DDS failed to dx 01/03. Dx Stg IV SCC 05/03. Induct. chemo, IMRT, 5FU, H, Iressa, Neck disect, radiation. Dad's caregvr. Dx 01/04 Ext. Stg SCLC. Mets to liver/bone 08/04. Died 11/12/04. Mom tongue CA dx 06/13, hemiglossectomy (80% removed) 08/13. Clean margins and nodes, but PNI. 6/15/15: Tongue CA at base of remnant tongue. Declined further tx; hospice.
Died 10/13/15. What a long and difficult journey.
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#4928 02-02-2005 10:58 AM | Joined: Sep 2003 Posts: 1,244 Patient Advocate (1000+ posts) | | Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)
Joined: Sep 2003 Posts: 1,244 | Hi
Well what do you expect to do, you have been hanging from the ceiling for so long, of COURSE you are in a panic..
NOW.. the chances are that this is something completely different, just some other medical problem. PLEASE try to stay calm. You know what to do, write down the questions YOU REALLY NEED ANSWERS TO..
Get it sorted report back to us tomorrow...
Prayers
Sunshine... love and hugs
Helen
SCC Base of tongue, (TISN0M0) laser surgery, 10/01 and 05/03 no clear margins. Radial free flap graft to tonsil pillar, partial glossectomy, left neck dissection 08/04
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#4929 02-02-2005 11:09 AM | Joined: Apr 2004 Posts: 482 "Above & Beyond" Member (300+ posts) | | "Above & Beyond" Member (300+ posts)
Joined: Apr 2004 Posts: 482 | didier, as Helen noted, sounds like something else entirely. And worrying about it won't improve the situation, anyhow. Speculation won't do any good, either, so as you say, calm down and wait until you can speak with the doctor. Often, medical professionals aren't as tuned in as we are to the effects on patients of not having news, or confusing news, or misunderstood news, or ... . Don't worry about something until there is something for sure to worry about. Please let us know how things go.
Regards, Kirk Georgia
Stage IV, T1N2aM0, right tonsil primary, Tonsilectomy 11/03, 35 rad/3cisplatin chemo, right neck dissection 1/04 - 5/04.
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#4930 02-02-2005 01:38 PM | Joined: May 2003 Posts: 928 "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts) | | "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts)
Joined: May 2003 Posts: 928 | Didier
I had the same experience with my Mum 3 months ago! She lives in England and I bugged the hell out of her Doc`s trying to find out what they were looking for. Of course I was convinced it was some sort of cancer, it was stones! I never heard of stones concerning the liver.
Hopefully you will get the same news, in the meantime come down from the ceiling, its uncomfortable up there.
Sending lots of positive vibes your way.
Take Care
Marica
Caregiver to husband Pete, Dx 4/03 SCC Base of Tongue Stage IV. Chemo /Rad no surgery. Treatment finished 8/03. Doing great!
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#4931 02-02-2005 01:54 PM | Joined: Jul 2003 Posts: 1,163 Patient Advocate (1000+ posts) | | Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)
Joined: Jul 2003 Posts: 1,163 | "Hang Tough D"
Take a deep breath and follow the path that gets you those test results back fast. Hate to wait on them. Keep us posted as you find out what this is.
Your Friend, Danny Boy
Daniel Bogan DX 7/16/03 Right tonsil,SCC T4NOMO. right side neck disection, IMRT Radiation x 33.
Recurrance in June 05 in right tonsil area. Now receiving palliative chemo (Erbitux) starting 3/9/06
Our good friend and loved member of the forum has passed away RIP Dannyboy 7-16-2006
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#4932 02-03-2005 10:45 AM | Joined: Dec 2003 Posts: 2,606 Likes: 2 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Dec 2003 Posts: 2,606 Likes: 2 | Didier,
I hate when the medical folks drop the grenade in the living room and head for cover! I had one of those a while back on the answering machine on a Friday afternoon nonetheless. It was not a fun weekend.
Anyway, don't worry about it might be. Wait until the doctor can tell you what it is, not what it isn't. My doctor told me that and it was great advice. It could easily be gallstones or some flair of that.
Hang in there and I sure hope it is nothing to worry about.
Ed
SCC Stage IV, BOT, T2N2bM0
Cisplatin/5FU x 3, 40 days radiation
Diagnosis 07/21/03 tx completed 10/08/03
Post Radiation Lower Motor Neuron Syndrome 3/08.
Cervical Spinal Stenosis 01/11
Cervical Myelitis 09/12
Thoracic Paraplegia 10/12
Dysautonomia 11/12
Hospice care 09/12-01/13.
COPD 01/14
Intermittent CHF 6/15
Feeding tube NPO 03/16
VFI 12/2016
ORN 12/2017
Cardiac Event 06/2018
Bilateral VFI 01/2021
Thoracotomy Bilobectomy 01/2022
Bilateral VFI 05/2022
Total Laryngectomy 01/2023
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#4933 02-03-2005 12:07 PM | Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 3,552 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 3,552 | Helen and Ed are right,
often they will find other medical conditions that you didn't know (or want) to know about. For instance, I find out that I have Hep C, disc degeneration in my neck and spinal cord among other things. Plus until recently all of my MRI's required additional exams because of "regions of interest". Remember that scans are only a small piece of the total information and by themselves are rarely definitive.
Gary Allsebrook
***********************************
Dx 11/22/02, SCC, 6 x 3 cm Polypoid tumor, rt tonsil, Stage III/IVA, T3N0M0 G1/2
Tx 1/28/03 - 3/19/03, Cisplatin ct x2, IMRT, bilateral, with boost, x35(69.96Gy)
________________________________________________________
"You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14 NIV)
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#4934 02-09-2005 05:16 PM | Joined: Jul 2003 Posts: 235 Gold Member (200+ posts) | | OP Gold Member (200+ posts)
Joined: Jul 2003 Posts: 235 | Everyone, thanks for responding. A second scan (a week apart) shows the ducts to be more dilated than they were. The surgeon is sending us to a GI doc for something called an ERCP. As I understand it, it's a scope they fish into the intestine to see what's causing the blockage. The doc said the best case scenario would be a stone, though he thought it highly unlikely (since my mom doesn't have a gall bladder). Nonetheless, I'm trying to remain calm (medicated, but calm). They will also take some cells from the intestinal tract and run tests. Of course my other concern is waiting 2 weeks for the ERCP given the noticeable difference in dilation within one week.
Mom's caregvr. DDS failed to dx 01/03. Dx Stg IV SCC 05/03. Induct. chemo, IMRT, 5FU, H, Iressa, Neck disect, radiation. Dad's caregvr. Dx 01/04 Ext. Stg SCLC. Mets to liver/bone 08/04. Died 11/12/04. Mom tongue CA dx 06/13, hemiglossectomy (80% removed) 08/13. Clean margins and nodes, but PNI. 6/15/15: Tongue CA at base of remnant tongue. Declined further tx; hospice.
Died 10/13/15. What a long and difficult journey.
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#4935 02-19-2005 02:32 AM | Joined: Dec 2004 Posts: 18 Member | | Member
Joined: Dec 2004 Posts: 18 | thats so worrying, I wouldnt know what it could be, another waiting time for you, Hope it will be good news, keep hanging in there. Hope your mum is also coping with it all okay, you must be finding this all so stressful
positive thoughts
charm
charm
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