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Does anybody have experiences with gallbladder and colon cancer with the elderly?
It is not sure which cancer is the original source. My mother had experienced pain for 2 weeks(beginning of July), We went to see her primary doctor who thought it might be diverticulitus(she already had been diagnosed with diverticulosis). She was prescribed medication but after 3 days, she was still experiencing abdominal pain so we had a cat scan done of her stomach. Her doctor called me and told me it was cancer and we should consider pallitive care/hospice. My sisters and I met with her and she explained the catscan indicated gall bladder/colon cancer. We did a blood test which indicated she had extremely high Alt/Ash levels. It did not indicate which was the original source of the cancer. She recommended us seeing a gastroentologist for a 2nd opinion. 4 days later we went to see him and he showed us the picture of the catscan. There is a huge tumor in the gallbladder which has invaded into the colon. My mother has not had a bowel movement for the past week so we are thinking there might be some blockage. She has gotten sick a few times and feels much better after but I am concerned there are no bowel movements. We have used Miralax and stool softeners but think is a sign of a bigger problem. We are going to see the onocologist that we had worked with for my father two years ago. An;y suggestions for me or questions I should ask the onocologist or other treatments I should look into? I become very frustrated when doctors look at her age and automatically assume it is a death sentence. All treatments should be presented so that is why I want to hear from anyone about their experiences or suggestions with this cancer.

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Manners, the American Cancer Society has a great website with details of procedures like ablation. The process by which cancer spreads from one organ to another is called metastasis. Hopefully, her oncologist will be able to stage her cancer and talk about treatment options. Please be open to the idea of hospice, because at some point it will be the best option for pain relief.

I'm so sorry that your family is going through this.
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I also wanted to ask if there are questions I should ask of her onocologist tomorrow?
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My mother is 91 but a feisty 91 year old. She would not be able to have surgery as we keep hearing from the doctors. Although, tomorrow we are seeing her onocologist tomorrow to hear what treatments are out there for her. Yes, it has affected her liver, not sure how that happens. I have read about a treatment called ablation. Is anyone familiar with that?
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BTW, I read that it was in the gall bladder as well as the colon. I thought maybe it had also metastasized to the liver. I am so sorry that this is happening. I read you are also caring for your father, so I know you have a lot of hurt and concern right now. ((((Hugs))))
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How old is your mother that the doctors should give up so quickly? Advanced colon cancer is difficult to treat, but can cause a lot of misery and pain if some measures are not taken. Is there total obstruction of the bowel? I wondered if she might have an colostomy to relieve possible buildup and rupture of the intestine. I also wondered if the cancer had metastasized to other organs, explaining why they thought hospice was the best answer. Let us know a bit more.
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Did anyone suggest that there might be a possibility of her colon rupturing? No bm for a week is a symptom that something is quite seriously amiss. Does her primary know this? Is she in pain? If she is, I'd get her to the ER right away.
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