colon cancer

NikkiBuck

My brother just found out he has colon cancer that has spread to his liver. Can someone tell me where to start??? I am devastated.

lbinmsp

I am so sorry that this is happening to your brother and you! Truth is - it sucks! Are you / will you be his primary caregiver through this? Or does he have a wife/family who will take on that role? Regardless, has he been referred to an oncologist? If not, call your local medical society and get some referrals. This is critical and should be done sooner than later. If it's a group of oncologist, get the first appointment available with any of them. You can always switch to another one within the practice afterwards if you want. Go to the appointments with him (if you're the prmary caregiver). He/you need to find out what options are available - surgery, chemo, clinical trials. Then he needs to make some decisions. Find out exactly what kind of cancer, what stage, etc. Just as he needs this information, so do you. Ask questions - get on the internet and research. You'll find that he needs to talk about this - his fear, his concerns, and it may fall to you to document a lot of this and take it to his doctors.

I had two brothers who died within 10 months of each other - one of leukemia and the other of liver cancer. The one with liver cancer wasn't diagnosed until he was already at end-stage and I was his caregiver. I enlisted in-home hospice care immediately and they were angels! They were a wealth of information and knowledge and truly helped point me in good directions. Through it all you need to remember to take care of yourself - get enough rest and eat regular meals. If you don't already, get on some good multivitamins. The stress of this will deplete your resources very quickly and your basic vitamins can help. Don't be afraid to ask for help or accept help if it's offered. This is a tough road ahead and it's way easier taken with friends/family/support.

God bless - my prayers are with you and your brother.

CanadaSue

HI, Sorry to be having to meet you here!

I am a caregiver for my husband who was dx in January of this year. We were really floored when we were told. The bad thing about colon cancer is usually by the time they find it, it has already spread.

My husband has all ready been thru 2 major surgeries, and started Chemo treatments in June.

My best advise is to visit with his doctors, surf the net. There is a ton of information on the net, and you will come accross some answers to your questions. Also check out the site here. Ask questions, you will, find as we have that everyone is willing to share their stories. There is no question they will not answer for you. I got a lot of my questions answered on this site.
I am sure that you are like I was, as soon as the the "C" word was mentioned, but you will find that is not always the case, and there are a lot of "surviours".

As you think of questions write them down, as I found my memory was lacking when this all first happened, and I would go home and think, i forgot to ask these questions. It is good for your first few appointments to have a couple of people there as they may think of something that you did not.

I wish you and brother well, and my prayers are with you!

Sue

3greatkids

Hi there, and so sorry to hear about your brother. Please check out the colorectal cancer discussion pages. They have been a wealth of knowledge there to my husband and I and they post replies very quickly. You are free to ask any type of questions, how small or large they may seem to you. My prayers are with your brother and you.