My Mother...

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Was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia yesterday, a cancer of the white blood cell that had developed from previously undiagnosed Myelodysplastic syndrome. This form of leukemia is particularly aggressive.

She’d been feeling quite ill since December, but her primary doctor kept telling her it was all in her head, and threw every pain med (she also has degenerative arthritis of the spine) and anti-depressant on the market at her. A few weeks ago, she convinced my mother to see a psychiatrist.

At one point, my mother was so doped up, she was slurring her speech and frequently appeared disoriented. I don’t even know how she went to work.

Mom went to the emergency department last week, unable to cope with the constant fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and pain, and the preliminary blood tests showed abnormalities. Upon seeing her primary doctor after the initial worrisome test results, the doctor had this to say (paraphrasing here): “I apologize, Suzanne, for not investigating your symptoms more vigorously.”

Well, goodness, it’s nice to know that Dr. Incompetent Drug Pusher is sorry, isn’t it? Restores my faith in humanity, it does.

Today, my brother, Dan, will accompany Mom to meet with an oncologist to discuss treatment, which will involve some heavy duty chemotherapy. They want her to begin as soon as possible. I’ll be going with her to the hospital on Friday for more tests, and to speak with her doctors.

My mother and I never had a healthy, loving relationship (to put it mildly), but damn, she's my mom, and I feel badly for her...

On top of all the other crap I've been going through this year, my paternal grandmother died in January, my best friend of over twenty years (my only friend, really) is fighting stage four breast cancer, and now Mom...Could life suck any worse?

I am so sorry. Sometimes it just seems like we go right from one thing to another. It's like you said, no matter your relationship, she's your mother and she doesn't deserve this. That doctor was completely negligent. What a jerk. I hope that your mother receives some better news soon and that your year begins to go better. I'll be thinking about you.

I am really sorry to hear this, terrible news.
I hope some good things start coming your way soon and that your moms treatment will work out.

So sorry to hear the news about your mother, Hamster. It sounds like very serious cancer. I lost two members of my immediate family to cancer, and I lost all faith in the medical system. Spend time with your mother, let her know you love her, and if at all possible, mend some fences in the time she has.

All too often doctors really are little more than salesmen for the pharmacy companies ....

I'm sorry.

Sorry to say I also find your story about her Dr. all too familiar...it happens too often anymore, and it shouldn't.

One minute, one hour, one day at a time...

You'll be in my thoughts.

Hamster,

I'll do this quickly - I haven't had access to a computer for a couple of weeks, and I'm at work - (not supposed to use computer except for work)... make sure that your mother is familiar with Gleevec - see www.Gleevec.com

It's a near miraculous treatment for some types of myeloid leukemia, as well as some other cancers. It's not a cure, but makes the disease a chronic condition, with treatment like diabetes. It can rarely have a bad reaction. It's a pill.

The best to your mom.

PS - I don't know if the drug is being used experimentally for acute ML or not, but make sure that it is acute ML and not the acute phase of CML. See if your mother can get in on trials, too. This one is promising:

http://www.cancerwise.org/january_2007/ ... &color=red

Don't take the doctor's words for anything - research, research, research on your own.
I'm really good at finding info, so pm me if you'd like help. (Saved my own life this way).

YC

I'm sorry to hear this.You'll be in my thoughts.

Please know that I am thinking good thoughts for your mother, your friend and you.

So sorry, Hamster.

Any doctor who says "It's all in your head" should have their license revoked. Argh.

I'll be starting my new job as cancer research nurse in 3 weeks and I'll keep my eyes open for anything that sounds like it might be potentially beneficial.

my mum had multiple myelomas, i think it's a slightly different thing, it's incurable.

i don't want to alarm you but she died 3 months after being dx'ed. the average survival time was supposed to be 3 years, but she had a weak heart and it couldn't cope with the chemotherapy. she was on very heavy painkillers a lot, and in and out of hospital all the time as it affects bones and they break easily.

poor thing. we were never close but i felt sorry for her. it was intensely painful and she went much faster than expected. the official cause of death was heart failure and then general organ failure (she also had pneumonia) not cancer. it was a sad and wierd time.

hope you have a better outcome.

THANK YOU to everyone for your kind words and suggestions. Most appreciated!

A small update: Mom's doctors have determined that her leukemia most likely is not a result of Myelodysplastic syndrome, meaning that her prognosis is looking much better. Awesomely awesome news. She's going into hospital on Thursday to begin inductive chemotherapy, and will stay there for an entire month.

Now for the bad...My kid caught lice.

I guess I'm now able to answer my own question on my original post -- Yes, Lori, life CAN suck worse.

Someone pass me the Jose Cuervo.

Handing Lori the Cuervo and a shot glass. The salt and Limes are on your left. If you prefer lemons, coffee dude will cut them up for you.

Ack! Lice. I bet you feel like everything is crawling now. On a better note, I think we're pulling out of whatever was causing all this bad news. Let's hope so.

Your mom's news sounds better. Wishing her all the best and you as well.

Ahhhh, thanks, Zanne! Nothing like Cuervo to make one forget their hellish existence for a time.

I was up till 2 a.m. doing treatments on everyone (family of six -- Aiiiiii!), spraying furniture with poison, vacuuming, putting stuffed animals and pillows into large garbage bags (they must stay that way for ten days), and laundry, TONS of laundry. Still washing bedding and clothing even as I type this.

I could kill the kid's mother who allowed her daughter to go to school for DAYS presenting with a bad rash and itching, which she admitted to me when she called to give me the heads up (bad pun). Well, at least we squashed the infestation while it was still relatively mild, and no one else in the family caught it.

Hamster--

I'm sorry your mom is sick, but I'm so glad it's not as bad as originally thought.

And I am so sorry about the lice. Yuck. Your poor babies.

Rjaye

It's always one thing after another, isn't it?