I just signed up MOL, so I don't know what this is and what to
expect.
Last Tuesday (May 22), we discovered my daughter, Mavis (age 31) has a
tumor growth in her liver (12 x 10 x 7 cm).
We are seeing a GI specialists at Sunnyvale Medical Clinic and a liver
surgeon at Stanford University Hospital, Palo Alto, CA everyday since,
running various tests.
Dr. So, the liver surgeon, ruled out surgery, maybe because the growth
is too big. He is considering chemotherapy. We did the afp
(alpha-fetoprotein) test and result is normal, meaning 70% conclusive
it is not primary liver cancer.
Next steps are chest x-ray to see if it is spread to the lungs and
bone scan to see if it has spread to the bones. We will also do a
biopsy, presumably to see if it is malignant. The x-ray was done
Friday, result is not back. The other two test will be done early and
mid next week, after we get insurance approval. Is the delay
important? Does every second count? Should I pay for it first and
try to get insurance money back later?
Can anyone help, concretely or just sympathetic words?
I would like to hear from those who have traveled ahead of us.
What are the chances of survival? What is the suffering like ahead?
What is the suffering like when she starts treatment?
I read the treatment (chemo) is very rough on the body. Any
information? Is the treatment worst than the disease? Should we
decline the treatment and let nature take its course?
My daughter, Mavis, is a federal prosecutor (Assistant US Attorney).
Can she continue to work (taking of course light load)? How tire
will she get? How susceptible to infection?
Ironically, she just quit from the L.A. federal office and took the
same job at the San Jose federal office. She moved on mother's day
and we found her tumor two days later.
What books should I read? Where are some good web-sites? How can I
get help on the web?
Dr. So will start treatment probably on the week of 25th of May, after
all the tests are in.
Does anyone have any suggestion on how to select a doctor?
I checked on the web. Stanford is #6 in the country for cancer. #1
is a cancer center in NY. Should I consider moving to the best center
in the country. Does the dislocation, cost out weight the benefits?
How can I check on the reputation of Dr. So? Is there a better doctor
in Stanford or at UCSF?
I heard Dr. Keith(?sp) at Stanford is very good. Should I change to
him? Should I ask to have him included in the team?
I read cancer cell reproduces every 2 to 6 weeks, i.e., divides
(doubles). How important is it to move quickly?
Who are the people on mol-cancer? Are you bof (birds of a feather)?
Or are there medical professionals also?
-----Original Message-----
From: Joicy Becker-Richards [mailto:joicy@erols.com]
Sent: Sunday, May 17, 1998 11:29 AM
To: mol-cancer@lists.meds.com
Subject: Re: [MOL] inspirational pieces from one of my friends/Jean
Dear Jean, thanks for the inspiration! My husband is adopted, and a
friend just adopted to little girls from Russian, so that will be
passed
on to them, but they're all good!
Thanks, and blessings to you and yours.
Joicy
>
> "Two Nickels and Five Pennies"
> > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > >
> > >When an ice cream sundae cost much less, a boy entered a coffee
shop
> > and
> > >sat
> > >at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.
> > >
> > >"How much is an ice cream sundae?"
> > >"Fifty cents," replied the waitress.
> > >The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied a
number
> > of
> > >coins in it.
> > >"How much is a dish of plain ice cream?" he inquired.
> > >Some people were now waiting for a table, and the waitress was
> > >impatient.
> > >"Thirty-five cents," she said angrily.
> > >The little boy again counted the coins. "I'll have the plain
ice
> > >cream."
> > >The waitress brought the ice cream and walked away. The boy
> finished,
> > >paid
> > >the cashier, and departed. When the waitress came back,
> > >she swallowed hard at what she saw. There, placed neatly beside
the
> > empty
> > dish,
> > >were two nickels and five pennies-her tip.
> > >
> > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > > "What It Means to Be Adopted"
> > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > >
> > >Teacher Debbie Moon's first graders were discussing a picture of
a
> > >family. One little boy in the picture had a different color
hair
> > >than the other family members.
> > >One child suggested that he was adopted and a little girl named
> > >Jocelynn Jay said, "I know all about adoptions because I was
> adopted."
> > >
> > >"What does it mean to be adopted?" asked another child.
> > >
> > >"It means," said Jocelynn, "that you grew in your mommy's heart
> instead
> >
> > >of her tummy."
> > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > > "Discouraged?"
> > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > >
> > >As I was driving home from work one day, I stopped to watch a
local
> > >Little
> > >League baseball game that was being played in a park near my
home. As
> I
> >
> > >sat
> > >down behind the bench on the first-baseline, I asked one of the
boys
> > >what
> > >the score was.
> > >
> > >"We're behind 14 to nothing," he answered with a smile.
> > >
> > >"Really," I said. "I have to say you don't look very
discouraged."
> > >
> > >"Discouraged?" the boy asked with a puzzled look on his face.
> > >"Why should we be discouraged? We haven't been up to bat yet."
> > >
> > >
> > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > > "Roles And How We Play Them"
> > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > >Whenever I'm disappointed with my spot in my life, I stop and
> > >think about little Jamie Scott. Jamie was trying out for a part
in a
>
> > >school play.
> > >
> > >His mother told me that he'd set his heart on being in it,
though
> > >she feared he would not be chosen. On the day the parts were
> awarded,
> > >I went with her to collect him after school. Jamie rushed up
to
> > >her, eyes shining with pride and excitement. "Guess what Mum,"
he
> > >shouted, and then said those words that will remain a lesson to
me:
> > >"I've
> > >been chosen to clap and cheer!"
> > >
> > >
> >
> > >>
> >
> >
> >
>
>
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