My Brother Stage IV giving in............

robbie_sister
robbie_sister Member Posts: 2
edited March 2014 in Esophageal Cancer #1
May 2008 my 44 year old brother was diagnosed with stage 4 andmnacarsonoma(?) at the junction of his stomach and esophagus with cancer in the omenum ,well when the first doctor said no hope we left there immediately and never went back so he went to another hospital which gave some hope and they treated him for several months but as it was 4 hours away they thought we should find someone closer in case of an emergency which upset my brother and his wife but they found an oncologist and hour away in Norfolk and have been going there for chemo treatment, I wasn't happy because i felt he should be at a place that deals daily with this type of cancer but it was their choice so he had regular treatmment there and in the last month or so he has been getting worse, not able now to eat or swallow so they put in a feeding tube, had trouble with that , and he is bloated because he is no longer able to have a BM or be feed and when they did an xray today the doctors came into his room while he was supposed to be asleep and told his wife there was nothing else they could do they felt like they were in quicksand they said (whatever that means)anyway my brother heard it all and when they left the room he told his wife he was tired of fighting and couldn't take anymore.......so he has given up........We are devastated as a family as less than 7 months ago we lost a sister to breast/liver cancer unexpectedly......meaning she let it go until to late to do anyhting about so we are struggeling with this as we are a large and close family........Is there any way to get my brother to not give up or is there any hope out there for this type of cancer....I believe God heals and have lots of faith he can beat this but now that he wants to give up I don't know how to help him in not giving in to this as i know there are people who have survived this.............thanks to all who has been on this sight sharing their stories........

Comments

  • Don M
    Don M Member Posts: 13
    #2
    Do not give up. Find a
    Do not give up. Find a cancer center and get to it. I have stage 3 and start my chemo this week. Get to a cancer center that treats cancer and he can beat this.I will pray for him.
  • robbie_sister
    robbie_sister Member Posts: 2
    #3
    Don M said:

    Do not give up. Find a
    Do not give up. Find a cancer center and get to it. I have stage 3 and start my chemo this week. Get to a cancer center that treats cancer and he can beat this.I will pray for him.

    thanks I appreciate your
    thanks I appreciate your responding i have felt so helpless with all of this going on but I do appreciate the people out there willing to share their experiences of this horrible disease to help us not to give up the fight, there has got to be more answers out there for people living with this type of cancer...............
  • stooch4
    stooch4 Member Posts: 2
    #4
    robbie_sister said:

    thanks I appreciate your
    thanks I appreciate your responding i have felt so helpless with all of this going on but I do appreciate the people out there willing to share their experiences of this horrible disease to help us not to give up the fight, there has got to be more answers out there for people living with this type of cancer...............

    don't give up
    The answers traditional medicine has is chemo, radiation and surgery. I have done all 3 and still have cancer. I do know of folks who have beat it, so don't give up. Do your research.
  • jim eisenhauer
    jim eisenhauer Member Posts: 2
    #5
    Not Giving Up
    I got diagnosed with Esophageal.neck cancer last Oct. It was stage 4. It started under the tongue and moved up to the neck. Since then I hae undergone major surgery of the neck, chemo and radiation. I am two months done and just now am beginning to swallow. Get him to another cancer center. I too wanted to give up BUT...I have a son who needs me. This is so very hard. Find something your brother NEEDS to live for. It will make a difference. My prayers are with you and your family. Godspeed
  • ndmp
    ndmp Member Posts: 36
    #6
    jim eisenhauer said:

    Not Giving Up
    I got diagnosed with Esophageal.neck cancer last Oct. It was stage 4. It started under the tongue and moved up to the neck. Since then I hae undergone major surgery of the neck, chemo and radiation. I am two months done and just now am beginning to swallow. Get him to another cancer center. I too wanted to give up BUT...I have a son who needs me. This is so very hard. Find something your brother NEEDS to live for. It will make a difference. My prayers are with you and your family. Godspeed

    "Don't Give Up, Don't Ever Give Up' Jimmy V
    Don't give up and let this beast win!!! My father was DX stage 4 1/4/08 with mets to liver, lung, stomach and nodes. He has been on 4 different treatments, now is on Abraxine and Carboplatime (sorry for the sp), 8 weeks ago i gave birth to my Miracle twins Dominic and Gianna, I was told by a maternal fetal dr. they would never make it due to a massive blood clot, I carried them full term almost 38 weeks and on 2/9/09 gave birth. My father 3 weeks prior to their birth was told the beast had broken through the chemo and was on a rampage in his body all of the lesions increased, he was told this on a Friday afternoon, I pushed for him to start the new chemo the following Monday. He asked his dr. if he would make it 3 more weeks, 3 weeks passed and on 2/9/09 he was in my hospital room waiting for me to return from the O.R and was able to see his grandchildren. 11 weeks have passed, each day I thank God for giving us another day wth him. We take this one day at a time each and every day is a blessing that he is here to be in my children lives. His next goal is to make it to their Christening the first week in June, I am praying for that to happen. I am scared to think what the future holds, Dad has a scan 4/23/09, we just keep praying and hold on to hope the cure is out there. Know you are in my thoughts and prayers.
    Nicole
  • cissell
    cissell Member Posts: 3
    #7
    ndmp said:

    "Don't Give Up, Don't Ever Give Up' Jimmy V
    Don't give up and let this beast win!!! My father was DX stage 4 1/4/08 with mets to liver, lung, stomach and nodes. He has been on 4 different treatments, now is on Abraxine and Carboplatime (sorry for the sp), 8 weeks ago i gave birth to my Miracle twins Dominic and Gianna, I was told by a maternal fetal dr. they would never make it due to a massive blood clot, I carried them full term almost 38 weeks and on 2/9/09 gave birth. My father 3 weeks prior to their birth was told the beast had broken through the chemo and was on a rampage in his body all of the lesions increased, he was told this on a Friday afternoon, I pushed for him to start the new chemo the following Monday. He asked his dr. if he would make it 3 more weeks, 3 weeks passed and on 2/9/09 he was in my hospital room waiting for me to return from the O.R and was able to see his grandchildren. 11 weeks have passed, each day I thank God for giving us another day wth him. We take this one day at a time each and every day is a blessing that he is here to be in my children lives. His next goal is to make it to their Christening the first week in June, I am praying for that to happen. I am scared to think what the future holds, Dad has a scan 4/23/09, we just keep praying and hold on to hope the cure is out there. Know you are in my thoughts and prayers.
    Nicole

    Nicole, I pray for you and
    Nicole, I pray for you and your father. I am 38 years old and was just diagnosed with this horrible thing. I have been through surgery, chemo, and radiation and am waiting for my scans in May. One day they will find a cure - they just have to. I went through 5-FU and cisplatin combo for chemo. Hopefully it will be enough. They kept telling me to keep a positive attitude - it helps. I know it is hard to do but it does help. I also just went back to work to help keep my mind off of it and just pray every night that God will spare me.
  • crecia50
    crecia50 Member Posts: 2
    #8
    My 48 yr. old brother was
    My 48 yr. old brother was diagnosed with esophageal ca 1 week before thanksgiving in 2008. he was hospitalized, had a stent put in to help with swallowing and quality of life. he was also scheduled to start chemo when stronger. he had complained of difficulty swallowing and keeping anything down for about 5 - 6 months, but due to no insurance had little health care. when he complained to his cardiologist, he was told they were just concerned with his heart. in fairness to the cardiologist, even 6 months prior would still have been a grim outlook. he was in the hosp. 1 week, receiving pain meds. he was alert, oriented and in fair spirits. when it came time to do chemo, he stated "not today, i'm just too tired". the dr. acted a bit put out, but we went with his wishes. that was thanksgiving day, nov 27th, 2008. at 1 am on the 28th, he passed away. i am not sure if his heart gave out or if the stent ruptured, but he went quickly. the doctors we had were only hopeful of making his quality of life better for the next few months and after telling us how much he would suffer, i am not sure that what happened wasnt for the best. he went quickly and didnt suffer for a long period of time. be encouraging and supportive of your brother. but you must also know when it is too much for him to bear. unfortunately, this disease is unforgiving and is very agressive. good luck to you and your family and know that others are praying for you and a better outcome.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #9
    This comment has been removed by the Moderator

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