Thursday, July 21, 2005

last treatment...

Mom had her last chemo treatment this week.
Her doctor said they will focus on "quality of life" issues from now on.
The cancer is not in remission.

I was not able to go to her appointment with her, but dad and sis did.
They both said mom is happy about not having any more treatments. I'm not sure if she really understands that this doesn't mean the cancer is gone.
But then again- She's a very sharp lady. And I know she's so tired of feeling bad.
I don't know if she'll be open to a second opinion at this point.

I have so many questions. I'm not sure I want all of the answers.

Thursday, July 07, 2005

hanging on...

Since the wedding, mom has had two chemo treatments.
It has been the same routine.

She feels ok, then kind of bad, then really bad.
Then she needs blood, or platelets, or antibiotics.
Or all of the above..

And of course she can't have chemo.
In the meantime, her CA125 is back up again.

I'm starting to wonder if we need another opinion from another oncologist.
Or is this the way cancer treatment goes?

I know it will not be the same for everyone, but It seems if the treatment plan you are following is two steps forward and three steps back- Maybe it's time to look into another treatment plan.

Am I just being impatient?
I know my mother is losing patience.
I don't want her to lose hope...

(written September of 2005) I have learned much in the last nine months. I have read that ovarian cancer whispers. I say it screams. It just needs someone to listen. The American Cancer Society statistics for ovarian cancer estimate that there will be 22,220 new cases and 16,210 deaths in 2005. This is a death rate FOUR TIMES that of breast cancer.Almost 70 percent of women with the common epithelial ovarian cancer are not diagnosed until the disease is advanced in stage. The 5-year survival rate for these women is only 15 to 20 percent. This is unacceptable. Women need to be made more aware of the symptoms, and doctors need to listen to their patients. Especially when the patient tells them that they fear they have ovca, as my mother did for almost a year before she was finally diagnosed. It’s so sad and senseless when a woman knows the symptoms but can’t get anyone to listen to what she is saying.

©JsDaughter