uncomfortable feeling on left side...

Ah David, you look at things the same way that I do! I am not really a worrier by nature, but Robert is and it can be exhausting - for both of us. My dad was ill for 25 years - a brain stem stroke, a heart attack (or a 'heart thing', as he put it! Lol), prostate issues, a massive e-coli infection, and on and on. I found myself stressing about him so much, mainly because it was just one thing after another. And before his illnesses began, several other things occurred in my life that were out of my control to fix. It was during all of that, that I realized worrying accomplished absolutely nothing. It wasn't going to change the outcome of whatever was going on - all it was going to do was make me miserable. I decided that worrying was an extremely non-productive and self-defeating emotion. We need to be at our strongest during hard times - and we can't do that if we are worrying, stressing, and miserable. I learned to just take on one issue at a time. I stopped myself from seeking out other things to worry about (which I had found myself doing, without realizing it at the time). I'm not saying that I never worry - I just put it in perspective and carry on!

WD, we all care. No one here is judging you, believe me. Some people are worriers and others are not, it's that simple. But I think we are all just trying to help you see that too much worrying is not healthy - for you or your mom. You really should save your questions and concerns for her doctors and TC - not Google. Since you tend to worry, looking things up on the internet is just going to stress you out more. Try to start dealing with each issue as they come up, one thing at a time. And try to keep reminding yourself that worrying won't change anything, won't make things better, won't help your mom - it's really a futile emotion. You could end up physically ill from worrying - and we don't want to see that happen to you!

As for the back pain - it is common after transplant. It's also common after being ill for a long time, especially if the person is less physically active. One of the most painful times of day for me, in regard to my lower back, is nighttime - always has been. As we get older, we all will end up with achy backs - DDD they call it - degenerative disk disease. It just means that our spines are gettin' older and a bit more 'fragile'. It could also be muscle-related. Your mom's back pain could have a dozen other causes beside mets (highly unlikey, imo - even with her history of HCC).

Please take care of yourself. And please know that we care - that is where our suggestions and advice come from. C:

Have a peaceful day, WD.

Post Edited (Splashdancer) : 6/30/2013 2:48:01 AM (GMT-6)

I understand what you are saying, WD. I guess the point some of us are trying to make is that the chances of your mom's back pain being caused by a metastasizing of her HCC is pretty remote. For all intents and purposes, the HCC left her body with her old liver. The extensive testing her transplant team did prior to her successful surgery obviously ruled out any spreading of the cancer. If they had thought there was a chance that the 'suspicious nodules' they saw in her lungs were cancer, believe me they would have done further testing to rule it out. It is also quite rare for HCC to metastasize to the bones, and when it does it is usually only in very advanced cases. Its usual route is from the liver, through the blood stream, for example the inferior vena cava - it then spreads to the lungs - and then when very advanced, it (rarely) can spread to the brain and bones. And a 1.9cm tumor is not that large - all 3 of my fiance's tumors were larger than that before CE. And Connie had a tumor even larger than his largest. And also, even though HCC tumors can increase in size rapidly, metastasis of HCC takes a very long time. There is not a 'strong chance' of a recurrence of the HCC, either - various research shows that the chances range from 18% to 30%, on average. The description you gave of your mom's HCC would probably put her chances of recurrence at the lower end of the spectrum.

I hope that maybe something I've written here will ease your mind at least a little. Also, what I've said isn't just my opinion, it comes from speaking with doctors, surgeons, 2 TCs, and lots of research.

Have a peaceful day.

*slaps worrieds wrist* quit searching things on the internet. I know its hard not to do that, but its the worst thing you can do, you will always find material from worst case scenario.

I have not heard of anyone who has Hep B.

I understand where you are coming from with the internet. My doctor told me in December, do not read the internet it is always worst case. I am glad I stopped because after I did I felt better mentally and started getting better physically.

It's like the old days. When Reader's Digest would print an article about a disease, people would go see their doctors, thinking they had that disease.

 Rim shot for syxx  !!!

 Ziff

 

Time wounds all heels...

Ah, I see the comedians are making an appearance tonight!

WD, from what I can find, the effects of HCC/HBV vs. HCC/HCV differ very little. Actually it is the presence/amount of cirrhosis that has a greater connection with the development/recurrence of HCC. I sure hope that made sense!

From what I understand about HCC, the answer is no. Although in general, HCC tumors CAN increase in size fairly quickly, this particular cancer tends to metastasize/spread rather slowly, regardless of other factors. I also wanted to clarify something I wrote earlier. While of course there is no absolute guarantee that the HCC "leaves the body with the old liver" - if the tumors are fairly small, completely contained within the liver (and even better, if the tumors are well-differentiated), the chances are excellent that the cancer has not spread. From what you have told us about your mom's HCC, I have a feeling that it did not metastasize, and I also think that her chances of a recurrence are on the lower end of the spectrum. This is of course, my humble opinion and I am not a doctor - I've just educated myself fairly well about this insidious disease.

Have a peaceful day.

Hi WD! I'm happy to hear that I've been of some help. I've learned a lot from other members here on HW! And I also have a 'thing' about learning - I love to learn! And I ask lots of questions. A long time ago, when my oldest son was a baby/toddler, he went through a series of serious health issues. It was then that I learned to ask questions - of the doctors, nurses, and even other parents. I was intimidated at first, but then I realized that they were just people - nothing bad was going to happen if I asked them a question. LOL! So to this day I don't hesitate in asking for explanations - of procedures, diseases, test results, etc. A professor I had years ago once told me that there is no such thing as a stupid question - only stupid answers. He also told us that intelligence is not necessarily about what you know, it's about knowing where to look for the answers. Both kinda cliche, but very true!

If a tumor is well-differentiated, it means that it looks a lot like the tissue it originated from - its cells look a lot like healthy cells and they usually 'behave' better. A poorly-differentiated tumor looks almost completely different from the original tissue - its cells divide rapidly, spreading to healthy tissue/organs. The three types that are used to help grade a particular patient's cancer are well, moderately, and poorly-differentiated.

Take care. You and your mom remain in my thoughts and prayers. Have a peaceful day.

WD, if you have the results of an MRI with contrast that showed the tumor, it should be there. Also, a biopsy report should show it. But it's now gone, so don't WORRY about it!

Hugs,
Connie

I can't imagine that they did the TP and didn't biopsy the tumor as part of that process.  Mike got his report from the oncologist who consulted to his case.

BTW, they check Mike every 3 or 4 months.  MRI and chest Xray and FU with oncologist.  Nothing is getting by next time!  If there ever were a next time.

Carol