Metastatic liver cancer

This post is an answer to Patrice’s comment at Sad secondary liver cancer news, please give your support!

Patrice cancer advice

Summarized: Patrice says that

• you need to get a second opinion and
• spend a lot of time with the person you love.

Patrice’s cancer story

I am not sure about the differences in treatment between primary liver cancer and secondary, but I do know first-hand how devastating the primary liver cancer diagnosis can be.

My brother was diagnosed with it 3 years ago. I expect this should be encouragement enough. 3 years ago!

We were told his life expectancy would be about 6 months, and to be perfectly honest, I didn’t think he would live the two months till the end of the summer.

I think it is important for anyone who gets a grim diagnosis to explore treatment options in more than one place, and preferably, in more than one state.

As we have learned, each state has different rules concerning things like organ transplantation, and certainly each institution has different approaches toward treatment.

Be as proactive as possible and spend a lot of time with your family (if you like them!). Best wishes to all who are fighting…

Metastatic liver cancer story

The basic difference between primary cancer treatment and secondary cancer treatment is:

• with primary cancer you "only" need to treat 1 cancer
• with secondary cancer you need to treat at least 2 cancers

Cancer treatment is still barbaric and medieval: you cut away the cancer or you try to kill it with chemicals hoping they will only kill the cancer and not the entire patient. Simple maths tell you that with secondary cancer you will need more toxins…

But Patrice is right:

• every cancer case is different
• you do need to look for the best treatment worldwide

Especially in the US having the best facilities ever, if you cannot pay for it, it’s useless.

Liver Cancer Prognosis

Patrice’s brother’s prognoses was 6 months and he already lives for 3 years

Father’s metastatic liver cancer prognoses was 3 to 6 months and after 2 months it was clear that he wouldn’t reach 6 months.

Doing a prognosis is never easy, I mean: can you tell yourself how long you will live? Not really. yet you see the difference between 3 to 6 months in father’s case and 6 month’s in Patrice’s brother’s case.

Also you need to know that a primary cancer has more chance to get a longer prognosis than a secondary cancer.

My nephew’s liver cancer story

My nephew has lived 2 years from the moment his liver was diagnosed with cancer (just doing a "check up because it was a cheap offer, so he didn’t feel bad to start with. My father did feel bad already, so again that’s another story).

He had primary liver cancer due to most likely hepatitis because of a dentist visits ages before… He was a specialist himself so he did trace the source back there.

The "good thing" about a liver is that it can function quite reasonably even at 33%, the bad thing is when you start going slowly under 33% and the patient’s will to survive is stronger than his liver. Especially when the care-takers available can help out big time, which in our case was 24/7 done by my mom and all the help she could get.

"All the help she could get" in an ideal world is still way to little, so be prepared for that as well.

In the end it’s not just about cancer: it’s about

• money you have to buy medicine, treatment,
• knowledge and resources you can tap in
• all the help you can get from professionals but especially from your loved ones

Technorati Tags: 3 years, brother, cancer advice, cancer diagnosis, cancer news, Cancer treatment, encouragement, life expectancy, liver cancer story, organ transplantation, patrice, primary liver cancer, second opinion, secondary cancer, Secondary liver cancer, treatment options

From Valerie to Pammy with very different opinion from Metastatic Liver Cancer below

(pammy’s liver cancer story please give your hugs)

Hi Pammy,
Yes, I am reading - I stumbled upon your post while looking for something else - so I guess it was meant to be. I lost my boyfriend to liver cancer last year. It was the hardest 5 years of my life - watching the treatments - and the change and feeling so lost and alone.

Fortunately, the liver support group at Shands Hospital in Gainesville Florida and Dr. David Nelson, head of GI Liver gave us a lot of love - tons of love - and managed to find clinical studies that benefited my boyfriend. The study benefited him so much he became eligible for a transplant (as far as the Doctor’s were concerned) but the state of Florida (Medicaid) denied him because of the money. This was a real blow to everyone.

I won’t say I am religious - I am spiritual - but God does answer prayers and is there in our hour of need - the God of the universe or whatever you want to call him.

The universe has a purpose for each and every one of us, for you and your sister - Your sister is cared for by God and the universe and - people like me are out here for you - praying, sending you hugs, and love and healing vibes. Reach out to that energy. We are all in this together - none of us - alone — though we feel it often and there is nothing more horrible than the grief we feel when we lose someone -

I have come to see those who I’ve lost are still here with me - they are my angels now - and God knows I could not go on without them.

We send you love and hugs - never stop believing in the angels - They help us through the hard times to show us the miracles.

Remember - your sister is God’s child, a beautiful child of the universe - and though we might not understand her purpose right now or her suffering - she is great and good - enduring more than we can imagine.

hugs, and hugs and eons of hugs
Valerie
aka “Ariel” arielval {AT} yahoo.com

What we have to say to the universe

I still haven’t figured out what the universe was trying to say to father who had been helping people all his life, worked all his life and didn’t seem to have any enemies. Is it that the universe doesn’t want people like that to live their last days in peace and quietness?

I wouldn’t have mind that father had died sitting on a table sipping his coffee at a ripe old age, but I really don’t see the point why the universe has to enlarge his liver each day a tiny bit and suck all the life out of father…

Yet like we say: each cancer story is different, and if you can live with what happened in a good way, you are already one step further than me.

Technorati Tags: Liver Cancer, pammy, universe, valerie

Comment from Mary at “Pammy’s Liver cancer story : please give your hugs!”, with answer from Metastatic Liver Cancer.

I am so very sorry for your situation with your sister. It does not seem fair for someone so young with little children left to raise to have to worry about how her kids will be, how they will handle this situation.

My husband just found out that his father is reaching his end, and I am not sure what to do for or what to say to him all I can do is be there I guess.

I agree with Mary: it is just not fair, yet that only tells us that this world just doesn’t always go about fairness

For your husband Mary: be there. As long as people are alive, be there to help them living their live to the fullest, no matter how little that "fullest" may look. In our experience, we had the most support from the people talking less but doing more…

Whoever read this: feel free to give your feedback! Sooner or later you will read something that can set your mind more at ease than it is now…

It did give us comfort in hearing about other cancer stories!

The journey is a very though one, but one can learn that others have walked a similar journey…

Technorati Tags: cancer support, fairness, liver cancer story, pammy