what an ugly disease

Guigna
Guigna Member Posts: 63
in Esophageal Cancer #1
I sit here and listen to my husband cough and choke. He's taking steroids, cough medicine, allergy medicines, and of course chemo. Nothing seems to help.
And while undergoing this assault of his respiratory system, he's discovering sore spots on bones. Someone posted here a few weeks about "how it all ends" I wrote to her asking for this information and she did not write back to me. So I am still wondering..

Just a month ago, the oncologist talked to my husband about buying enough time with this 2nd string chemo (taxol carboplatin) to be able to see "grandchildren" well we have none, so do the math.. My husband has 2-3 years?? How could that be?

How does anyone really know when you are close to the end? Not being able to eat solid food, not being able to breath without coughing half the day, those sure seem to me to be game enders to me, but what do I know, the doctor is still giving him chemo because he thinks there's hope. Fortunately my husband has a j tube, so his weight loss has been very slow.

Can someone help enlighten me/ (us? I'm sure I'm not the only one here with these questions.)

Comments

  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #2
    This comment has been removed by the Moderator
  • Guigna
    Guigna Member Posts: 63
    #3
    unknown said:

    This comment has been removed by the Moderator

    thanks Bailey
    Turns out he has a new met on his wrist and they will do radiation on it. Sigh....
  • Ginny_B
    Ginny_B Member Posts: 532
    #4
    My mom went thru the
    My mom went thru the horrible coughing spells that lasted for a few months. She took every drug possible for the cough - nothing helped. How do you know when it's at the end? Well, for my mom is was no eating any more. Then we switched to the G-tube feedings. Then the lower stomach stopped working so we had to stop feeding. No sound coming from her bowels. We had to start morphine sublingually. They sleep more than they are awake. Then they slip into a coma. Mom was in a coma for 9 days.

    Now, I would like to have her back with all her coughing and soft foods - just to have her back. In a way it's good that we don't know the hour or the minute. Just live and love every moment.

    Yes, this is an UGLY UGLY UGLY disease. Ugly.
  • stephikindred
    stephikindred Member Posts: 140
    #5
    Ginny_B said:

    My mom went thru the
    My mom went thru the horrible coughing spells that lasted for a few months. She took every drug possible for the cough - nothing helped. How do you know when it's at the end? Well, for my mom is was no eating any more. Then we switched to the G-tube feedings. Then the lower stomach stopped working so we had to stop feeding. No sound coming from her bowels. We had to start morphine sublingually. They sleep more than they are awake. Then they slip into a coma. Mom was in a coma for 9 days.

    Now, I would like to have her back with all her coughing and soft foods - just to have her back. In a way it's good that we don't know the hour or the minute. Just live and love every moment.

    Yes, this is an UGLY UGLY UGLY disease. Ugly.

    Thank you!
    I can only imagine how difficult this must be for you to share with us and I just want to thank you Ginny, and Sherry, and each and everyone of the others on the site who were caregivers with loved ones who have since succumbed to this UGLY disease yet you still come here to help the rest of us still going through this ordeal and are at various points along our journeys. You have all been through so much and most would find it very emotionally draining not to mention depressing to relive this dreadful experience yet you find it in your heart to take the time to help us, offer advice, share your experiences, etc., so that we can prepare ourselves for what is next and help with what we need to know to best care for our stage iv loved ones. I am truly amazed and grateful to you all. I know how much you miss your loved ones and it chokes me up to read this. I'm deeply humbled.

    Love,
    Steph
  • Guigna
    Guigna Member Posts: 63
    #6
    the phlegm!!!
    ok, so recently he has had more and more trouble clearing the phlegm out. Got prednisone.
    that helped for about 10 days. NOW WHAT??
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #7
    Guigna said:

    the phlegm!!!
    ok, so recently he has had more and more trouble clearing the phlegm out. Got prednisone.
    that helped for about 10 days. NOW WHAT??

    This comment has been removed by the Moderator
  • Guigna
    Guigna Member Posts: 63
    #8
    unknown said:

    This comment has been removed by the Moderator

    mucinex
    you know, we bought it once and that night he had a gall bladder attack and somehow we have never located the box again.
    I'll have to buy it again so we can try it.
    THANKS

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