OH is Home from Hospital

[Scoutpout]

that is a fantastic update! soooo glad that you've both got some much-needed mental reassurance, as well as having that pesky drain gone.
wow, what a chow-down! hoping that there are more and more days when he feels like "real" food. gosh, soon there will be lots of fresh berries for yummy smoothies, hope at least he can kind of switch from the ensure to more home-made fresh stuff when he's not feeling like "real" food. geez, just thinking about a nice fresh raspberry and yogurt smoothie is making me hungry!
hoping the appointment next week with the oncologist goes as well as yesterdays did!

[coopersmom]

Awesome update...I hope his recovery is smooth sailing from here on

[Daisy and Miia]

Sending lots of healing prayers.

[Snowshoe]

All your prayers and good thoughts are working really well, the OH is doing very well. Thought you would like to hear the good update. He is eating regular, though small, meals. We have not tried green salads, a lot of roughage there, but everything so far is going down and out with no complications.

This was a distal bile duct cancer, quite rare. It was T3, had spread to a small part of the duodenum. N1, had spread to two lymph nodes. M0, had not spread far from the bile duct. Stage 11B, this just summarizes N1 and M0. There is very little data on this type of cancer as numbers world wide are very low. I read less than 10,000 incidents in ESPAC studies, which we are told are the ones to go by. The best hope for this cancer is surgical removal and resection which even fewer people than the 10,000 qualify for but the OH was one of them. Because he got so itchy and turned yellow his was caught early and his surgery was conservative, as Whipples go.

Because this cancer is not common there are not good numbers to show follow up with radiation and/or chemo is any more effective than no follow up. The surgeon recommends no follow up. We may have both radiation and chemo or just chemo if we wish but in Canada neither is urged by the medical profession for this cancer and the OH's personal situation.

We have said no to radiation and will probably veto chemo too. The OH is doing so well right now and the difference in benefit from doing or not doing chemo is statistically insignificant. I am not sure how I feel about it. He is worried about side effects negating the dietary and other gains he has made so far, with little forseeable benefit. However he could start chemo, see how it goes and quit if he feels too badly. It would be by injection and he's very antsy about needles but oncology would put in a picc line. Then it would be one session a week for 3 weeks, one week off, for six months. Everyone assures us chemo is not so horrendous as it was years ago.

I actually had a good talk with our Vet when I had Oban in for a suspicious lump yesterday. Her Mum had a bad time with chemo and is now very badly off. The Vet acknowledged she had more of a dog outlook, saying in dogs we value quality over quantity as dogs don't live long and six months of not feeling well is a significant amount of time for them and that without the knowledge they are going to get better. She regrets her Mum doing the chemo but also acknowledges her viewpoint now is hindsight. Nevertheless it was good to talk with her, the Vet, as she's sort of a bystander and able to be a bit objective. Though I wonder if she was trying to give me ways of coping with the decision the OH will most likely make and the one that is his to make.

I guess I rambled. It's how my head works these days. Right now though, OH is doing very well. He drove himself in his very own truck all by his very own self to get a haircut the other day. He's been afraid to drive as he's been so weak. He is really so, so much better. Maybe soon he'll be able to cut the grass too, I can only hope. LOL

[POPTOP]

Great update! So glad he can eat comfortably now and is gaining strength.

Don't know what to say about chemo and radiation therapy. I've known people who have reacted both ways. DD's father had pericardial cancer and did fantastic with his chemo; he'd have his chemo on Saturday and was back at work on Tuesday. He had a fantastic outlook. Each type of chemo and each person is different.

Sending more healing prayers.

[Maxx&Emma]

That is a great update! Sending prayers he continues to improve in all ways.

[smartrock]

So very glad to hear how much better he's doing! I hope things continue to improve. When he mows that lawn then we'll really know he's back!

[Mr Kleb]

A good update indeed.

My only knowledge of chemo and rad is what two people I know chose, very different cancers from OH for each. So I can't knowledgeably comment. Follow your heart, mind, intuition.

I'm pleased that he, you all, are doing well.

[Macy]

Glad to hear your update. Continued mojo sent to you for good health and good decisions.

[Scoutpout]

that IS a good update, thanks for letting us know.
So glad he FEELs better too, that helps so much, its depressing feeling crappy for so long, you start to lose hope, slowing down healing, vicious circle.
Yes, his decision, but oh, what a tough one to make, it does sound like it won't make a difference for him, and it sounded before like they had gotten everything out with the surgery. totally different cancer and patient, but my DB had weekly chemo for almost 15 months and was only "tired" the 2 days after, no other ill-effects with the newer chemo drug. however, when they tried the older drug on him as a last-ditch effort, it was NOT good. So i guess some research on whatever drug he'd be getting would be informative for you guys.
Wow, a whole trip to the barber by himself! that is a big big step! excellent!