Can we do anymore?

[royschach]

Hi Group,

My wife Nita is 56 years young and completed a four-course regimen of IP chemo two weeks ago.  In September 2009, I asked the forum if IP (Inter-Peritoneal) chemo was a worthy treatment and a couple of members responded who had some experience with it.  It's been a while since I've posted and I'm sorry.  Here is an update and some impressions of her/our experience.  Nita has gone through a lot in the past year, but she has done a fantastic job and I want to pass along her "positive" vibes...

June 2009: Primary Peritoneal Carcinoma diagnosed.

June - Sept 2009: IV chemo treatments #1-4 of Taxol and Carboplatin every three weeks.

Oct 2009: Debulking surgery.  Three hour procedure where gyn surgeon conservatively estimated 95-98% of "visible" tumor mass removed.  Complete Omentectomy, apendectomy, partial peritoneal sheath and bladder involvement, but all visible "tumor mass" removed.  Lymph system, stomach, and liver appeared cancer-free.  Her cancer stage was rated IIIc following the surgery.

November-December 2009: IV chemo treatments #5 and #6 to complete the cycle.

Following the IV chemo, Nita (and our family) decided she would do the IP chemo treatments.  Because IP chemo isn't effective on larger tumor masses, her gyn oncol surgeon said it would be better to do the treatments sooner than later.  We didn't want to delay the treatments and then down the road wish we had started them earlier.  Our medical oncologist and surgeon agreed it would be alright for Nita to take a week-long trip back to Wisconsin to visit family before putting in the IP chemo port (located in the abdomen) and then doing the proposed 4 Cisplatin treatments spaced three weeks apart in California.  She flew off to the Midwest feeling great and excited until...

Four hours after landing in Milwaukee, she had to be admitted to a hospital with gallstones / inflamed gall-bladder.  Luckily, the surgeon in West Bend, WI managed to remove Nita's gallbladder and install the IP chemo port under the direction of our gyn ocon surgeon here in California.  The WI surgeon even biopsied a couple of areas in Nita's abdomen while he was in there, but thankfully, they came back cancer-free.

Unfortunately, she spent an extra week in snowy cold Wisconsin to make sure her health was stable.  While her IP chemo wasn't delayed, she didn't get to spend a lot of time traveling the dairy state.  Don't worry, she's going back this June for a wedding...

February - April  2010: Four IP chemo treatments of Cisplatin, one every three weeks.

The day after the first IP, Nita said she didn't want to do anymore.  My wife endured natural child birth for our four kids, so I knew if she didn't want to do anymore IP treatments, the first one must have been horrible.  Fortunately, several days later, as the effects of the chemo faded, she changed her mind and continued to wage the war.

Since NIta's debulking surgery and the last of the IV chemo, her CA-125 numbers have stayed in the single digits.  She has now successfully completed the IP chemo and is back on the mend.  I cry when I think of the pain, discomfort and emotional turmoil she and you other ladies go through dealing with this enemy.  Our doctors tell us the next stage can be difficult because we don't have the chemo to focus on.  We go in every three months for CT scans, exams and blood work and wait and see.  I guess this is the remission phase.  We'll live each day in the present, and pray the beast is beaten back and the battle is won.

Sorry for the lengthy discourse.  I just wanted to pass along that no matter how miserable one feels during and after the treatment process, it can and does get better.  Every beautiful flower has to push through dirt in order to see the Light.  God Bless you all and keep fighting.

Roy  


This discussion is related to How successful is inter-peritoneal chemo therapy?.

[yrrek]

Sometimes it is so hard to push on.  The best advice I was given regarding this, was to not make any decisions at this time.  Wait and see a couple of days or weeks down the road.  That helped me to take my mind off of should I go through this again, can I go through this again to focusing on getting through it.  God Bless you and Enjoy each and every day.   Kerry

[gah_70]

Thank you for posting your wife's story. We all have so much to share through our experiences, and so much to learn from the experiences of others.  Please keep us updated on Nita's progress.  Best wishes to her as she continues this fight.  Prayers that she continues to remain in remission. May God bless you both.

Gail