I am so sorry for your mom and your whole family. I did not know there was a chemo drug shortage, how truly awful for your mom and everyone affected by it. Sending you all good thoughts.
This has been a tough year since I know you’re dealing with your own cancer. Is there anything we can do? I hate that you’re dealing with all of this.
Thank you so much for remembering about me. I’m doing really well. My own chemo regimen was unaffected by the shortage and now I’m on to radiation and doing well with that, also. Two more weeks and I’m done.
When I was diagnosed, I found out I have a PALb2 genetic mutation which increases my chance of breast, ovarian and pancreatic cancer. My mom declined to get tested for the mutation back in Feb. because she said she was old and knowing she had it would cause her stress when she wasn’t sure she would act on it. The genetic counselor recommended back then that I preemptively have my ovaries removed. (I’m scheduled for this in August).
When my mom was diagnosed, her first reaction was no chemo because she wasn’t sure she could tolerate it. After a few days of hard thought, she said that seeing how well I’ve bounced back has made her think that she could handle it after all and she wanted to give it a try. Only to find out no chemo available.
I feel like my stuff was easy. This is so much tougher with her.
I'm so sorry. My mom had ovarian cancer, and a lot of your story sounds sadly familiar. She'd been to her ob/gyn for an annual a month prior and got a clean bill of health. It was advanced when it was discovered. It wasn't both ovaries, but the tumor was large enough that it wrapped around her colon. She woke up from surgery with an ileostomy so that they could cut the colon (instead of the tumor) to remove it from the colon. The ileostomy was eventually reversed when he colon healed and chemo was done, although later she had a colostomy and then another ileostomy over the following years.
My mom had the initial surgery first, then chemo. That was the plan all along, rather than chemo first. This was in 2010, so IDK if protocols have changed. I think they waited 12 weeks after surgery before starting chemo, so that she could recover first. After completing the first chemo protocol she was "cancer free" for maybe 6-10 months before first relapse.
My mom was only 53 when she was dx'ed, but a variety of treatments gave her almost 6 years from diagnosis. They weren't easy years by any stretch, but they included a bunch of trips including a bucket list trip to Ireland, my brother's wedding, and my daughter's birth (her first grandchild). There was still good time. We knew from the initial appointment that a cure wasn't on the table, but we managed it as best we could. She died when she was 59. I'd have given anything to see her see 65, 70, 75, 80...
If you can access care at a NCI-designated cancer center, they may be able to offer options that other places can't. My mom received her care at Fox Chase in Philadelphia and we felt it was top notch. My dad has received his care at Abramson Cancer Center at Penn for the last 18 years. They were both offered, and my dad participated in clinical trials that were only available at NCI centers. I credit the 2005 clinical trial he enrolled in with saving his life. I don't think my mom ended up enrolling in any, but she did genetic testing to see if she was a candidate for one. She wasn't, although the upside was that we learned (for free) that she had no genetic markers for ovarian CA that would be heritable to me.
Ok douche, go ahead and call it mud. My husband DID have halitosis. We addressed it after I talked to you girls on here and guess what? Years later, no problem. Mofongo, you're a cunt. Eat shit. ~anonnamus
First, I am so sorry. My mom had ovarian cancer, diagnosed when she was 74, at a fairly advanced stage. She turned out to have a rare type (clear cell) that was resistant to treatment and lived 18 months after diagnosis (fortunately about 15 months of those were pretty good/high quality). It was probably the most difficult time of my life, and you have all my thoughts and sympathy as you (and she) deal with this. Truly, fuck that bitch cancer.
The backorder issue is incredible, and infuriating. I can’t imagine how helpless it make you feel, at a time when you probably already feel like you can’t contro much of anything. I hope they get the stocks back up quickly, and that the surgery is successful and easy as it can be.
The timing is heartbreaking, it seems like these shortages are being shrugged off in a way that wouldn't have happened pre-covid. Thoughts to you and your mom.