Monday, May 12, 2008

Mummy Update

Thank you, thank you to everyone who has kept my mummy in their thoughts. It has been a tough few months for her.

After having severe stomach pain, mummy went in for exploratory surgery. During the surgery the doctors discovered that mummy had stage 4 appendix cancer. A rare, intrusive cancer that isn't well-understood.

A few weeks and a few complications later we headed to an oncologist in Boston. This oncologist told us that the cancer spread throughout the pelvic cavity and chemo would be in order. The chemo would hopefully slow the cancer's spread, but it wouldn't cure the cancer.

The devastating visit with the oncologist brought us to the internet. (I officially love Google) Hubby found an angel named Carolyn who has survived appendix cancer. She actually beat appendix cancer!

Carolyn started a blog to help spread information to others with rare appendix cancer. An angel I tell you!

Carolyn said that most oncologists have no idea how to effectively treat appendix cancer so they treat it like they would treat colon cancer. It is so rare that most oncologists never see a case of appendix cancer. Just what mummy's oncologist said.

The blog outlined different treatments and even included a list of doctors who specialize in the treatment of appendix cancer. Once of the doctors was located in Boston. We were ready to travel to the ends of the earth and we only had to travel the twenty-or-so miles.

The family visited the appendix specialist and he decided that mummy was a perfect candidate for a radical surgery. During the surgery, the doctor removes all non-essential organs like the gallbladder, ovaries, spleen, etc. Every visible cell of cancer is removed. Then, warm chemo solution is circulated throughout the pelvic cavity. Theoretically, after the surgery, the cancer should be gone.

This surgery is our chance. The chance that we have been praying for.

We booked an appointment for a week from Thursday. The 22nd.

Thank you for everyone's thoughtful emails, calls and thoughts. I appreciate all of them dearly. I truly believe that all of those thoughts and prayers brought us to the appendix specialist. Please continue to keep mummy in your thoughts.

5 comments:

JessTrev said...

Your entire family is in my thoughts. A neighbor of mine writes for e-patients.net, which might be a good resource for you (essentially a community dedicated to patients empowering themselves via web 2.0 tools to achieve better medical care for themselves). Let me know if you'd like to be hooked up with her - I am sure she would love to hear your story and get the word out about treatment options for this particular cancer to others. So sorry your mother's going through this and so happy you've found a hopeful option.

dolphyngyrl said...

I'm keeping mummy and the rest of y'all in my thoughts. I hope she kicks cancer's ass good.

Akkire said...

weird question - how old is your mummy?

and good luck through all this. i'll keep you all in my thoughts.

Anonymous said...

Your mom is definitely in my thoughts and prayers! My mother-in-law went through cancer and lived in our house during the whole ordeal. Very tough on the family, I know! Sounds like you found a good solution.
A book I could recommend that I wish I knew of before is Eat to Live by Dr.Joel Fuhrman. He's dealt with lots and lots of cancer patients, and he covers healthy eating to a science! Also The China Study - another in-depth book. Both books advocate lots of vegetables and fruits for cancer patients. If you're up for the reading, the books are both a wealth of info!!!

Again, my prayers are with you all!

Ruth Dynamite said...

Fantastic news! THIS is the power of the blogosphere. People sharing their stories, connecting on a truly human level, and making a difference in real life.

I have high hope for mummy and am keeping her (and you) in my thoughts.