Mom entering week 5 of treatment....worried.

Dmarie1075

mp327,

mp327,

 

Thank you for sharing your experience. They finally gave her dilaudid due to her off the charts pain, and I was so happy to see her resting when I left the hospital. May I asked what was the cause of your obstruction? Did it develope suddenly? The surgeon is having a hard time believing it's  an obstruction because she has no history of abdominal surgery, she had a colonoscopy the end of August which was clear(besides the 2 cm anal mass,) the LARGE amount of diarrhea, and lack of vomiting. 

Mollymaude

Obstruction

If someone has a partial obstruction you can have diarrhea that can get past the partial obstruction- making the picture confusing. If you don't feel confident in any aspect of your mom's care ask for a second opinion. You could ask for a colorectal surgeon to consult or a gastroenterologist. I'm so sorry for your mom. Don't be afraid to advocate for her. One time I had my mom in ER and she was being seen by a doctor who was very dismissive ( I think because she was old and had dementia) so I ended up just telling staff I wanted my mom to have a different doctor. I will be thinking about both of you and praying things get better soon.

mp327

Dmarie1075 said:

mp327,

mp327,

 

Thank you for sharing your experience. They finally gave her dilaudid due to her off the charts pain, and I was so happy to see her resting when I left the hospital. May I asked what was the cause of your obstruction? Did it develope suddenly? The surgeon is having a hard time believing it's  an obstruction because she has no history of abdominal surgery, she had a colonoscopy the end of August which was clear(besides the 2 cm anal mass,) the LARGE amount of diarrhea, and lack of vomiting. 

Dmarie1075

I'm glad your mom finally got Dilaudid.  That's the same thing they gave me in the ER for pain and I felt so much better after that!  As for the cause of my obstruction, it never really was nailed down.  Since my obstruction episodes occurred several years after I had my cancer treatment (radiation and chemo), it was felt that perhaps adhesions had formed over the years, which can form on both the inside and the outside of the intestine, causing a narrowing, which could lead to a blockage.  My gastroenterologist also said that sometimes intestines can kink or twist, or sometimes they can just fold over on themselves.  Both of those scenarios can cause an obstruction too.  They were never sure what caused mine, but were confident that my pain was caused by an obstruction.  You mention your mom recently having had a colonoscopy, which was clear, except for the anal tumor.  Keep in mind that a colonoscopy only takes in the large intestine.  I brought up the same point when I was in the ER, having had numerous colonoscopies.  But it was felt that my obstruction was in the small intestine, which can not be reached by colonoscopy or endoscopy.  

I am glad your mom is now resting comfortably and I hope that the blockage or whatever is causing her pain will resolve on its own very soon.  Please keep us posted. 

Mollymaude

DMarie

Good, I'm glad she will get a second opinion and I hope it's the surgeon who knows her too! I just read through and saw I missed your question about what kept me going- thats a very hard question- I think maybe dogged determination and the grace of God. When my blood pressure was dropping and the nurses were worried I think I was just detached and felt at peace so whatever happened I was ok with it. That's when the grace of God stepped in because although I didn't feel like I gave up I also wasn't fighting. After I started getting better from the sepsis and still had three more radiation treatments is when the dogged determination came into play. I guess I wanted it over with more than I wanted a break. I thought about my father in law who fought for 4 years in the Pacific in WWII and "never fell out" meaning he never had to stop fighting or marching or whatever they were doing. At the very first when I was newly diagnosed I got my fight from wanting to be around for my kids (both teenagers). So I guess different things at different times kept me going. 

Dmarie1075

Thank you, Mollymaude. Again,

Thank you, Mollymaude. Again, I am so greatful you all have replied with advise and experiences. She will be seen by a different colorectal surgeon tomorrow. I hope it is the physician who knows her and diagnosed her with her cancer. She knows my mom well. The abominal issue presented this weekend, which makes it more difficult to get a lot of information/second opinions. Her abdominal pain and distention started just a couple days ago, and prior to she was experiencing very large amount of diarrhea, and no nausea or vomiting. Her radiation oncologist and general surgeon on call were very hesitant to agree there could be an obstruction. 

Upon reading more about the etiology and risk factors for obstruction, I am surprised her physicians are easy to write off the possibility. Especially her radiation oncologist, whom is very in tune with this treatment and side effects. 

Dmarie1075

Mollymaude said:

DMarie

Good, I'm glad she will get a second opinion and I hope it's the surgeon who knows her too! I just read through and saw I missed your question about what kept me going- thats a very hard question- I think maybe dogged determination and the grace of God. When my blood pressure was dropping and the nurses were worried I think I was just detached and felt at peace so whatever happened I was ok with it. That's when the grace of God stepped in because although I didn't feel like I gave up I also wasn't fighting. After I started getting better from the sepsis and still had three more radiation treatments is when the dogged determination came into play. I guess I wanted it over with more than I wanted a break. I thought about my father in law who fought for 4 years in the Pacific in WWII and "never fell out" meaning he never had to stop fighting or marching or whatever they were doing. At the very first when I was newly diagnosed I got my fight from wanting to be around for my kids (both teenagers). So I guess different things at different times kept me going. 

I commend everyone who has

I commend everyone who has gone through this treatment. You are all true inspirations for my mom and I have read all of your messages to her. She finds comfort in your messages and your ability to push through and be successs at beating this.

On a positive note, the break from treatment has allowed mom's skin to begin healing. She is feeling a lot of relief from her burns. 

mp327

Dmarie1075

I'm glad your mom is feeling better!

Mollymaude

DMarie

Tell your mom hi and that I'm thinking of her today. Glad those burns are starting to heal. How is she feeling now? Stronger I hope. And I hope her abdominal pain is gone.

Ohmy

I worried about getting C

I worried about getting C diff from the chemo so i started drinking kefir two weeks before treatment started.  I drank kefir through the entire treatment.  Even when my mouth sores we're so bad I could not eat anything.  I didn't have much diarrhea.  The probiotics in the kefir keep my gut happy.

Dmarie1075

Mollymaude, 

Mollymaude, 

Thank too for checking in! Mom is more perky today. Her goal is to work with physical therapy and build strength so she can get home and finish treatment. 

 

Ohmy, Thank you for the suggestion! 

Mollymaude

DMarie

Glad to hear she is doing better! 

mp327

DMarie

Thanks for the update on your mom.  I'm so glad to hear that she is perking up!