[quote=UCGal][quote=bearishgurl]
I don’t think I would be able to tolerate the side effects of strong chemotherapy which affects your healthy cells as well as (hopefully) your cancer cells. I’ve just seen too much strife in this regard.[/quote]
Different people react to the typical chemo differently. My mom tolerated chemo pretty well. She would be sick for a day or two after each treatment – then have 3 weeks of feeling normal… rinse and repeat. The chemo had a positive effect on slowing/limiting the growth or her cancer. My brother was the opposite (on the same drugs). He got horribly sick and the tumor still grew rapidly. Not everyone reacts to chemo the same. But his wishes were life extension at all costs. My sister and I had to honor those choices even though it wasn’t the choice we’d make for ourselves.[/quote]
My family members could have been compared to your brother, UCGal. All were terminal at time of dx but my sister was the worst and the youngest and also cut down while she was wildly successful and in the prime of life. She was the only one who elected chemo (because of having minor children) and was inoperable. It only “bought” her an additional 7 weeks at a tremendous cost in every way. She was literally incapacitated the last 3 months of her life due to the effects of strong chemo, which didn’t help her. For her, it was a race as to which would kill her first, the cancer or the chemo. Of course, we all had to honor her decision but it was agonizing to watch. She had to give up chemo about two weeks before her death, when her tumor markers shot thru the roof. She was in home hospice for nine days. She survived 9.5 months after dx with 5.5 of those months as an outpatient and productive, conscious and hopeful.
My other family members elected not to have chemo (good choice). One was for a recurrence (already had surgery and chemo before). Both were terminal and elected to go out w/o the side effects at 4 mos and 14 mos. The four-month survivor was in institutional hospice about 3.5 weeks. The 14 month survivor worked until two weeks before his death and was officially in home hospice 45 mins.
If my doctor can’t tell me anything other than I have an “outside chance” of survival with chemo, I will not do it. IMO, it’s not worth it. Some cancers are caught late 99% of the time and are terminal, period. Cancer always wins in this case, usually sooner than later. May as well be lucid and happy.
I think chemo might be able to achieve a remission in Stage 2-3 cancers but not Stage 4, esp. a recurrence. If a Stage 2-3 pt can get a 2 year remission (or better) with five months chemo, it might be worth it. When it recurs as Stage 4, it starts to become dicey as to whether it’s really worth going thru again. From all I’ve seen and witnessed, that’s my view.
Some of the biologic agents doctors “experiment” with on humans today are just that . . . experiments (mainly to assist research efforts). A cancer pt running out of options signs up to be a guinea pig. It’s a personal choice and I wouldn’t do it, but that’s just me.
