Bile Duct Cancer Support Group

hello, my mother was diagnosed with bile duct cancer october 2010. she went through 3 months of chemo and then 33 radiation treatments which were completed end of april 2011.

she was feeling better for awhile and then in the last couple weeks (it's July now) she as become weak and losing her appetite and losing weight again.

how does one know if it's just the body recovering from radiation/chemo -vs- the final stages of the cancer?

looking for someone's experience with this kind of relapse of fatigue/loss of appetite after such intensive treatments (no surgery) and how you can recognize if the cancer has taken over?

thanks for anyone's thoughts.

This seems to be an old post, dated 2010?, did you mean 2011, or is the system messing up?

I have a lot of experience with this cancer, as my brother passed from it, and also I have talked to 50+ peole with this cancer or whose family member does.

All that to say, I am very willing to share my experience of my brother (his story is also on this page - he was diagnosed Oct 2008, and died March 2009).

I know this is a very scary and aggressive cancer and I know people need both information and someone to talk to.

Feel free to contact me anytime at lynyssa@gmail.com I also know many others who have gone through this and it's good to be able to talk to people.

Good luck, and again, so sorry to hear this news, and contact me if you would like!! -- Lynne

Oh..and I get the dates now, sorry, I misread it!! ;-(

It is hard to say whether your mom is declining or recovering from the chemo. What I can share is my experience with my mom. Six weeks ago I brought her home from Florida to live with me after a long battle with bile duct cancer (since 2009). Chemo was no longer working and her cancer markers were growing. She was ill from a blood infection that was treated and slept alot for a couple of weeks. Did not eat much and was weak. She then had a two week period of eating well, energy and activity. Without warning my mom quickly declined after those two weeks. Did not eat much was slow with her walk, unsteady and weak. Could not get up easily and needed to lean to walk. Once my mom admitted out loud that she was very weak she declined faster over a period of three days.

Mom did not have alot of pain but lost her ability to get up, eat, and talk for the most part from being so weak over her last three days. She lost the battle but has the victory as now she is in Heaven with a new body. I am thankful for the time we had but it is never enough.

I recommend that you talk and share old times, conversations, love, hugs, kisses and tears. The thing I miss most is just sitting and talking.

I miss my mom so much but I know I will see her again.

My heart aches for you to be going through this. I know during moms last month all I wanted to know is how long she had left so I knew how long I had with her. I can tell you that no one knows but you may have a sense about it. You know your mom and use your intuition. I was told my mom was doing very well and may be around for several months. That was two weeks before she passed on August 3, 2011. I just knew something was wrong and I should not leave her side. I am thankful I followed my heart on that.

Do what you can to make her happy, and help her to see those she would like to see even if it means flying them in from another place. You won't have any regrets if you can do these things for her. Stay patient with her changes because they happen without notice and sometimes look like they are being difficult when really they are scared, and unsure of what is happening to them.

If you need to talk I am happy to share.

My Father Died on April 16, 2012 @ 7:30 PM. He was ready and accepted that he was going to die. He was unstable and heard everything gobbled up. The family was not ready to let him go.

I saw my fther at 5:30 for the last time. I got a call from my mother that my father was not responing at 7:30PM.

This cancer is very tough. It is hardly diagnosed in time.

My father's birthday is sept. 9. My emotions is very unsettling about this day I do not know how to react.

I am so sorry!! I know I don't even know you but I experienced some what of the same thing with my father. I wish I had words that would help but the closest helpful thing I can say is you are not alone! My father was diagnosed on February 2 with liver cancer tht was Spreading rapidly and I never left his side, my daddy was in the hospital all but 4 days that month and I watched him take his last breath 22 short days and 1 chemo treatment later!! I lost my dad february 24 2012 and it been almost 7 months an not one day goes by that I wonder why did this happen to me my dad was only 46 years old. That Is not the point though! The point is is that to me WE ARE NOT ALONE!! These feelings we both are feeling an holidays we are scared of cuz our daddy won't be there I think will never go away it stinks!! But let's try to think what are dads would want us to feel.... They are not in pain anymore and Im sure they can see us every day and because of our experience we know how short life is and our fathers would want us to celebrate and enjoy every moment we have left! Cuz life is short but death is forever and our dads wouldn't want us loosing any second of happiness that we can't get back

And I forgot to add the day before he passed we found out that it wasn't liver cancer it was bile duct cancer