Colonoscopy can’t always prevent metastatic liver cancer

colonoscopy

 

Laura’s mother (75) has cancer of the small intestine that spread to her liver. Her mom started having colonoscopy’s at the age of 50 and nothing showed up ever…

 

Unfortunately a colonoscopy test only looks into the rectum and colon through a long, flexible, narrow tube – the colonoscope. It doesn’t detect anything in the small intestine because it never looks there. (The small intestine starts where the colon or large intestine stops, see picture below)

 

intestines

 

So there you are : well informed, doing what you have learned to prevent cancer and yet again you end up with metastatic liver cancer?

 

Again modern medicine focuses way to little on cancer prevention. How many times have you seen Dr. Oz and Dr. Drew promoting colonoscopy, Dr. Drew even going so far to film his own colonoscopy for everybody to witness?

 

Now this is great for the colonoscopy industry, but useless for Laura’s mother nor for my father who also had done colonoscopy tests without anything bad showing up…

 

Laura’s cancer story

 

Laura told her mother’s cancer story at 2 responses to metastatic liver cancer.

 

My mother who is 75 and has always been the picture of health was diagnosed with cancer of the small intestine which has metastized to her liver.

She had a colonoscopy a few months ago (she began having them at age 50) but nothing showed up.

Her liver is double the normal size now and she is jaundiced.

This has hit our family like a ton of bricks!

The Dr. gave her 2 weeks to live, but maybe more with chemo.

She is doing the chemo for my Dad’s sake. They have been married for 53 years, and he can’t imagine life without her.

She is in great spirits and has a wonderful attitude.

She told me that she is sad for us, her family.

She had a blood transfusion and it gave her so much more energy for a day and a half and then she became very tired again.

We are taking one day at a time–or at least trying to-and cherishing our time with her.

 

Comparing father’s metastatic liver cancer with Laura’s mother

 

Similar facts

 

  • both are 75 years old when diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer
  • both had done colonoscopy’s without anything showing up
  • both have a life-partner they don’t want to leave behind
  • both have an oversized liver
  • both are easily tired

 

Differences

 

  • Laura’s mom is in good spirits, father wasn’t.
  • Laura’s mom knows her primary cancer. Father didn’t.
  • Being in good spirits and knowing the primary cancer, Laura’s mom has better prospects to undergo chemotherapy. Father’s chemotherapy would have been too strong to survive as it would try to target all cancers (due to not knowing which the primary cancer was)
  • father never had jaundice
  • father was told he would live 3 to 6 months, which was an accurate prognosis

 

Please leave your hugs and prayers for Laura’s mother and family in a comment!

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