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Suzanne Ottinger was diagnosed with stage 4 gastric cancer with bone metastasis almost two years ago. Many of her relatives have faced cancer, and Suzanne dealt with various symptoms leading up to her diagnosis, including dysphagia and swallowing problems. She had a colonoscopy and an endoscopy, which revealed a large tumor at the top of her stomach. The cancer had spread throughout her torso, lymph nodes, and bones.
Suzanne had no surgical options, so she had to consider other treatments. She had chemotherapy, but had to delay treatments due to a low white blood cell count. Thankfully, it worked well for her despite the setbacks. Suzanne did a combination of chemo and immunotherapy for six months. Eventually, she began reacting to chemo, so her care team had to alter their approach.
After 18 months of intensive treatments, Suzanne underwent a litany of tests and scans. Thankfully, the news was good: they saw no signs of cancer!
Suzanne recently had a liquid biopsy, and sadly, there are signs that the cancer has returned. She is still determining the next steps with her care team, and is hopeful that chemotherapy will be a viable option again.
Suzanne stresses the importance of mindset and positivity. She focuses on wellness, exercise, and taking care of her body between treatments.
Her advice to others is to keep pushing forward, even if your diagnosis seems dire. If a doctor tells her that she can't be cured, she seeks out other opinions to gain more knowledge. Suzanne sees each opinion as a tool in her toolbox. She hopes future treatments will allow gastric cancer to be managed as a chronic condition.
Негізгі бет Suzanne Ottinger: Diagnosed Stage 4 with Bone Metastasis
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