I don't know what to do.. my new mantra

Feb 16th my mom went to the ER with severe pain in her abdomin- they did a CT and said she had stage 4 cancer in her liver and spleen... we got her into an oncologist 2 weeks later- they did 2 MRI's and 2 biopsies- The first biopsy came back looking malignant then like inflammation?? not sure how that happens and now we are waiting for the second biopsy results..They won't even do a PET scan.. it's been 2 months now and we have no answers and the Doctor can't see us until May 10th is her first appointment. The doctor said my mom had more lesions than she could count on both the liver and spleen- my mom has lost 20 lbs in two months- I'm pretty sure something major is going on but I can't get any answers-- I don't know what to do next. 

  • Hi,

    That sounds pretty scary. I don't wish to get you down but I was told the reason I wasn't getting a PET scan was because my primary cancer was inoperable and the CT scans were sufficient for my diagnosis. 

    Best wishes

    Dave

  • Hi Sunshinesomewhere

    So sorry to hear about your mom.

    Sounds like the first biopsy was inconclusive hence the second biopsy. Results can be obtained by your doctor within a week and depending on the cancer and its stage the treatment will be determined. That's a long time to wait May 10th, do you have the number/email of the doctor to request she is seen sooner by another doctor as this has been going on too long etc? You can also contact the PALS department within the hospital if you are not happy with her treatment.

    Please keep us informed.

  • Thank you for your input Dave- I don't think there is any more getting me down than I already am. I'm sorry to hear you're going through this as well. Prayers and best wishes.

    Sunshine

  • Hi DeniseGS,

    Thank you for the advice...I will definitely do that! What is PALS? Sorry I guess I'm not with it on all this stuff. Thank you for responding to my post, it helps to get feedback from others. I feel like I'm doing everything wrong or not doing enough. it's so overwhelming.

  • In the UK, PALS is the Patient Advisory and Liaison Service. Our NHS loves its acronyms!

  • Well I would demand via consultants secretary! We have been misdiagnosed from 1 condition requiring "simple surgery" to being told it's actually stage 4 stomach cancer. My fella had a pet scan to determine this stage and if it's spread. We have gone down the route of PALs which is a form of investigation within the hospital. Only thing is it's 3 hospitals we are investigating. Demand answers and appointments as time is golden xxx