Tumour Found - Cancer Message Board

Irishgal · 02-09-2007, 04:51 PM

i posted here a few weeks ago scared that my dad might have stomach cancer. him and my mam were called to see a doc in the hosp on wednesday to say they found a tumour on this catscan. my mam said that they said it was lucky it was found, it could have been easily missed. its at the beginning of his stomach, right in the middle of his chest

im completely devasted. i dont know how to cope at the moment. but he is going back to see a specialist on thurs to find out if surgery can get rid of it or if he needs chemo or both. my mam and dad want us all to act like nothing is wrong for the moment which is really difficult but i can completely understand why. its not gonna help my dad to see us all crumble apart around him.

anyone who has gone through this please tell me your stories or give me advice on how to cope

trish11 · 02-11-2007, 12:21 AM

my grandma had a real bad case, her arteries that filter the blood, like the one that carries the clean one going down was connected to the one flowing up that carries the not so clean one. the surgeon himself didn't know if it was possible cuz its a new cause, then they found a cyst in her stomach. after the surgery, everything is fine. shes back on her feet, and she flies from one country n continent to the other to see her family. So now i believe n e thing can happen.

SamQKitty · 02-11-2007, 12:13 PM

IrishGal,

I know just how scary it can be to have a family member possibly facing cancer, but try not to panic just yet. First of all, many types of cancer are easily curable these days. Second, there are some types of tumors that are not even cancerous.

I've had cancer twice. The first time, it was in the lymph nodes in my groin area on one side. They never found the primary, and it was termed "cancer of unknown primary" or CUP for short. The prognosis for CUP is that only 20% of patients survive 5 years. Well, this last month was the sixth anniversary of when I first noticed the tumor, and this coming October will be the sixth anniversary of when I finished all treatment (surgery, chemo, radiation) for that cancer.

Then, about 17 months ago, I had a cancerous tumor removed from my bladder. Luckily it was non-invasive and a very, very early stage. I know have to be monitored closely (cystoscopies, at first every 3 months and now every six months, along with urine cytology), but so far...no recurrence. This is quite amazing as the type of tumor I had is know to have an extremely high rate of recurrence, yet here I am 17 months later with no recurrence.

Am I just very lucky? Well, yes...I think so! But I also think that medical science has made such huge advances in the treatment of cancer that at this point in time, there is no reason to panic at the mention of the "C-word."

I do think that the waiting to find out (what exactly is it, what will the treatment be) is almost the worst part, and that's where you and your family are right now. It sounds as if your folks are concentrating on just getting through this one step at a time, and that's really a good way to handle it. IYou don't need to deny your feelings, but hearing how scared you are that your Dad might die might not be the best thing for them to hear right now. Still, your feelings are valid, too, but maybe it might be a good idea to talk to your friends (or even ask to see a counselor if you need to).

Good luck and let us know what happens.

Ruth