Stomach Cancer

[Wet Dream]

Right around Christmas my dad (58) noticed that he was getting tired more often. He went to the doctors and they began the tests. I'll keep the minor details short, but after long tests and visits he has a tumor the size of a walnut in his stomach. This appearently has been growing for about 10 years. They were going to do exploratory surgery as the catscan showed 3 other areas of "mass" but may just be fatty tissue around the stomach. The doctors decided not to open him up because the added oxygen could speed up the growth. So what they are doing now is chemo in heavy doses. They are going to run him 4 Fridays in a row and take 2 off. He started today and appearently felt well enough to go home and mow the lawn. I was just curious if anyone had anything similar in their family and what to expect? I know the battle against cancer has advanced tremendously in recent years, but its not defeated...yet.

[welk2party]

I lost my mom to cancer 2 years ago. Early detection would have saved her life. I hope your Dad comes out healthy as a horse. God Bless. :clover:

[Tom Brown]

He started today and appearently felt well enough to go home and mow the lawn.
The effects of chemotherapy are cumulative so his energy will go down over time. Stress is a known carcinogen so there's no point getting too down about it. Many more people are living with cancer these days than even a few years ago.
Hang in there, WD. You and your family have my best wishes. :)

[HCS]

Best wishes to your father.
Chemo drains your system down. Of course there are several different types.
One of my work buddies just when through treatment and it wiped him out pretty bad.
Hope he gets on the road to recovery soon.

[WYRD]

Early detection is the key to beating cancer one of my coworkers came down with colon cancer.........he did all of his kemo and they did surgery to remove it....long story short all the tests done are very positive that the surgery removed all the active cancer cells so stay positive there is hope ;) best wishes WD and as always let us know if there is anything we can do to help.
WYRD

[Flying Tiger]

It's very cureable.
Also, medications are now on the market to help him feel better through treatment.
My lungs are showing signs of asbestos exposure,, but nothing bad yet.
Positive thinking,, and avoid stress.
Had a friend go through wha you mention and came out fine.
Positive positive positive,, and avoid quack remedies.

[Flyinbowtie]

My sister (42) is getting chemo treatments now to combat leisions(sp?) on her brain that are a product of M.S. which she has suffered from for 15 years.
She gets migraine headaches that are a result of the leisions. The headaches are simply unreal, they put her into bed in a quiet, darkened room with a bucket next to the bed..for several days at a time...
Chemotherapy has come a long way, the third through 5th days after a treatment are the worst for her.
Sounds like your father caught it early enough to do something about it, and I will pray for your family and wish you all the best of luck..

[Forkin' Crazy]

Ever heard of this place? http://www.grid.org/home.htm
I have it running on my computer, and you can set it to run only on a cancer projects. You never know it's there. Something that I can do.
Best of wishes.

[Performance 19]

My wife finished chemo a few months ago.(smal cell lung cancer) Really did not affect her too adversly except for the ativan (tranquilizers) they gave her, she quit taking these. She had 2 chemo drugs, which took about 5 hours to administer 1 day per week for 6 months (very aggressive chemo therapy) Losing most of her hair was probably the worst. Radiation was worse due to burn and itchiness. Everyone is different, meds are different, etc. Low white or red count, naseau, etc. are monitored and addressed by Dr.s. Good luck to you and yours!!

[92562]

Every cancer that is "chemo-responsive" has it's own regimine and unique set of side effects. The effects are cumulative but ultimately what you need to know is if the disease was staged properly. This will ultimately predict the most accurate prognosis. One of the best ways to stage the disease is with a PET scan (Positron Emission Tomography). It is the only scan that will look at the disease at the molecular level and tell you if there are any hypermetabolic (malignant) cells that have metastasized (spread) from the initial site. Stomach cancer has a bad tendency to relapse even with 100% remission. Again, the best way to detect recurrence at the earliest stages is with a PET scan. My prayers are with you. Stay strong!

[bigriverdog]

First of all I am very sorry for all of your friends and family members with cancer.
My wife is in cancer research and there are other cures that are working that are not widely advertised. Proton treatment for certain cancers has a high success rate.
This is not an advertisement, but for those of you wanting to explore alternative cures, Proton treatment is totally non-evasive. For info call 1-800-558-6297. Loma Linda Proton Treatment Center.
Just want to help.

[Bob Hostetter]

My brother was found to have stomach cancer last year and orginially went in for surgery and radiation. The cancer then spread to his liver. He has been taking chemo since the beginning on the year. He goes into the hospital for 4 days straight with chemo each day and then comes out for 10 days, then goes back in and does it over again. After two cycles he stays home for a 3 week period and then goes back in and starts over. He has done this for 3 complete cycles, and goes back in again April 5th to start the 4th cycle. We found out last week the stomach cancer is back.
As a friend or relative you quickly find out the is not much you can do help with the pain, stress, or ulitmately the death of your loved one. But, and this is important, you can let them know you care. Talk to them everyday, hold their head when they throw up for hours, wipe their butts when the diaherra hits and they are to exhuasted to wipe themselves, and hold their hand when they cry. Maybe most important of all, be willing to talk to them about the cancer and the likely outcome. They need someone to face the facts with them, to be honest about the whats happening, and help them plan for the future, both theirs and their family's. Bottom line, just be there, don't let them go thru this alone.
Try to take care of yourself, you are worthless to them if you allow yourself to be a stressed out wreck, or a drunk. Deal with your own stress even if it means going to the Doctor and getting something to help. Find someone to talk to about it,, you will need to. When you feel like crying, do it, it helps.
And never give up.........

[Wet Dream]

The doctors are saying that he is actually very healthy and should take the chemo very well. Like some of you have posted, I've heard that the recurence of this even after surgical removal is 90% or better. Its hard sitting here in PA while he is going through this in CA. Thanks for your input and stories everyone. Best wishes to your friends and family that may be going through this or any illness.

[rmarion]

My Mom is getting chemo treatments currantly. She's on her 4th day of treatment. They just found a 4" stomach tumor a fews weeks ago. She had no systoms or problems from this tumor. They found it during a normal check -up. Mom will rest for 10 days and go back in for a week of treatments. These chemo stuff is NASTY, but she's doing VERY WELL.
Our Prayers go out to you and your Father and Family.
Marion Family

[92562]

My Mom is also going through chemo right now. I lost my mother-in-law last year (1/9/04) to retroperitoneal liposarcoma, and my uncle 2 weeks ago to prostate ca. I'll say it again; you CAN NOT properly stage most cancers without a PET scan. This technology came out in the early 70's (most of us were in grade school). It wasn't until computers became fast enough to handle all the data that this technology really came to light. It is the only scan that looks at the body from a metabolic standpoint. All other scans, MRI/CT/X-ray/ultrasound, look at structure. A PET scan looks at function. With a PET scan you are injected with a radioactive form of glucose (FDG) which is the fundamental "food" of all cells. Cancer cells take up 7-10 times more glucose than surrounding tissue. Thus, a PET scan will show "hot spots" where cancer is or has metastasized. The point is, you get the correct stage immediately so you can get the correct treatment. I have been in this field for about 12 years practicing at Loma Linda and UCLA and it is the only way to ensure you are getting the right treatment.
my $.02

[Wet Dream]

Yes, he did have this done. He said they were going to "light me up". :D
He still has a sense of humor about this and knows the possible outcome, either way. I'm glad he is in one of the best places to be going through this. He is working through Stanford and a few other places and getting his treatment in Campbell.