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JEAN


This is about one hellof a woman-my mom. Thank GOD that she is still with us and her attitude is very positive. She is 75 years old and started looking really yellow right after Labor day. I kept bugging her about going to the dr. She does not believe in drs and has not gone for about 20 years. When her sister and my cousin came for a visit I asked what did they think about how mom was looking-they said not good. I kept bugging and finally she went to my brother's dr. (My brother is 52 yrs. old and has had Cel. Palsy all of his life and depends on us for almost everything-he cannot walk and is confined to a wheelchair-limited speech ability-mental capabilty of about a nine year old.) The dr. wanted her to get a CT can and she did at Advocate South Suburban Hosp in Hazel Crest IL. The dr referred her to a gastro dr who ordered blood tests to check her CA19-9 (which was 64) and her CEA levels. He also did an ERCP on Nov. 15th,in which he put a stent to relieve the jaundice and he also took a tissue sample for a biosy. He told my sister-in-law and myself tht he did find cancerous cells and that he could not tell how much it had spread-also he gave her a year to year and half. After hearing cancer I kind of lost track of everything else he said. He told us this right out in the middle of the recovery room -which ws very big. He then told my mom wht he had found. She was still a little out of it and did not really understand everything he was saying. Boy-I think I cried every morning and night for the whole month of Nov. My son's birhtday adn my birthday was also right around this time. What birthday presents we received! The dr. was suppose to call me the Monday after he did the ERCP to let me know the result of the bio. Well, he never called Monday-or the rest of that week even through I tried and tried to get hold of him. I went to her primary dr. and let him know wht we were doing and that we could not get any answers out of the gastro dr. He called the dr and had a hard time getting through. The gastro dr. finally called back and gave me the results of the test and said that he wanted my mom to have a PET scan. This was around the ffirst week of Dec. In the meantime I am running around to all the hospitals and drs. offices to get copies of reports and films. TGhis is very very important. We had to pay for most of them but I felt that we needed copies of everything. I also started keeping a daily record of everything that was happening in a notebook. I also put iinformation in the notebook of all the drs-hosptial-mom's infor and a chart for her weight. I have found that this notebook has been very hepful. Mom started getting yellow again the first week of Dec so we figured that the stent is not working and that something has got to be done quickly. Well, the gastro dr. was still taking his time. When i finaly did reach him-he wanted moom to have another ERCP to put another stent in -my thing was that if it didn't work the first thing what the heck were we doing it again! I asked for any reports or notes that he had and he said that he really didn't have anything and that he would after the ERCP. Then we could talk about mom having surgery.I called South Sub. hospital for a referr for a good oncologist. The gastro never said what kind of cancer mom had until I had to ask him! My sons from Calif. came in for the Christmas holidays amy oldest went alone to the cancer dr. The dr. was very good-Dr. McKeown- and recommeded that we see a surgent as soon as possible. He rec one from South Surb hospital and made a call to him to explain my mom's case. By the time we got back home the sur called to set up an appt. for that very night. We were blessed with another dr. (so far). He explained the odds and complications from surgery- wht happens if no surgery- what happens during explorary surgery- how long- and that most of mom's tests looked good. This is where we are at this time- go in to get her liver drained to get rid of the jaundice- tests to see if she can stand up to the surgery and if she can then surgery as soon as possible. Her attitude is great and she feels that hte outcome will be good. We have family and friends are supporting us and praying for us. This means a great deal!

Posted 12/29/2002 12:31 am by Jean's daughter
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