My dad

meg1957
meg1957 Member Posts: 1
in Esophageal Cancer #1
Hi everyone..I'm writing about my dad 78yrs young stage 4 ec , pet scan showed it has spread to his spine. Starts chemo monday, I'm hoping someone can tell me what to expect, I know no 2 people are alike but the possibilites of maybe what might happen..he is getting Cisplatin and another drug , he will go once a week for 6hrs for 4 weeks . He is scared as am I. They are doing this so he might be able to swallow as he is having a very hard time now and he was just diagnossed on June 29th. It is closing up pretty fast. All info will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Mary Ellen

Comments

  • BMGky
    BMGky Member Posts: 621
    #2
    Sorry to hear of your Dad's
    Sorry to hear of your Dad's diagnosis. Stage iv is a rough stage; however, the doctors do all they can to help the patient feel better. There are several on this board who are dealing with Stage iv in a loved one and will offer their thoughts and suggestions. Since it is a weekend, several are probably away from their computers and aren't posting until a later time.

    It will help those who are wanting to suggest helpful things to do to know where your father is being treated; what is his general overall health; what have the doctors told him and your family about this journey as what to expect. From this, they can pinpoint some areas to assist. Also, is he stage iv a or stage iv b.

    If a jtube is offered, it can be a wonderful thing. It offers nutrition and helps the patient keep his strength. It is important for him to stay hydrated. If he's not getting enough fluid intake, let your treating doctors/nurses know as dehydration can really add to the discomfort. It is good to keep a daily log of vitals, complaints he may have, changes you notice, difficulties with medication, etc. You will have so much going on at times, you will forget something you wanted to tell the doctor. If your Dad is uncomfortable, in pain, experiencing nausea, depressed, etc., please tell your doctors. They don't want him to have additional aches and pains that can be medicated.

    Hopefully, others will soon post and give you some suggestions. If they ask you to contact them personally, they are sincere. They have been where you are and want to of as much help as possible. My husband was Stage IIB so his treatment was different than what you can expect.

    Please post again and let us know what is going on. We pray for each and every family that posts here and are concerned when we get a post and then hear nothing further.

    All the best to you, your Dad, and your family.
  • Daisylin
    Daisylin Member Posts: 365
    #3
    BMGky said:

    Sorry to hear of your Dad's
    Sorry to hear of your Dad's diagnosis. Stage iv is a rough stage; however, the doctors do all they can to help the patient feel better. There are several on this board who are dealing with Stage iv in a loved one and will offer their thoughts and suggestions. Since it is a weekend, several are probably away from their computers and aren't posting until a later time.

    It will help those who are wanting to suggest helpful things to do to know where your father is being treated; what is his general overall health; what have the doctors told him and your family about this journey as what to expect. From this, they can pinpoint some areas to assist. Also, is he stage iv a or stage iv b.

    If a jtube is offered, it can be a wonderful thing. It offers nutrition and helps the patient keep his strength. It is important for him to stay hydrated. If he's not getting enough fluid intake, let your treating doctors/nurses know as dehydration can really add to the discomfort. It is good to keep a daily log of vitals, complaints he may have, changes you notice, difficulties with medication, etc. You will have so much going on at times, you will forget something you wanted to tell the doctor. If your Dad is uncomfortable, in pain, experiencing nausea, depressed, etc., please tell your doctors. They don't want him to have additional aches and pains that can be medicated.

    Hopefully, others will soon post and give you some suggestions. If they ask you to contact them personally, they are sincere. They have been where you are and want to of as much help as possible. My husband was Stage IIB so his treatment was different than what you can expect.

    Please post again and let us know what is going on. We pray for each and every family that posts here and are concerned when we get a post and then hear nothing further.

    All the best to you, your Dad, and your family.

    Your dad
    Hi Mary Ellen,
    I'm very sorry to hear about your dad. Stage IV is a difficult one, and as you stated, everyone handles treatment differently. Chemo often comes with many unpleasant side effects, but as stated, keep a log of anything that he notices, and be sure to mention it to your doctor. I don't know where you are, but our cancer centre has on call doctors 24 hours a day. If he notices any unpleasant side effects he can just call the doc and they can send prescriptions to your local pharmacy.

    The most common seems to be nausea, be sure he takes the meds he is given BEFORE he feels nausea. Even if he's feeling great, take them, because that can creep up on you and make you miserable. Also, constipation and or diarrhea can be a big problem. He will probably want to keep some colace and sennekot on hand, just in case. You will likely be given a write up on all the possible side effects, and strategies to minimize them. My husband had quite a few side effects, but he was able to eat very well while on chemo. Hopefully it helps your dad as well.

    My husband is stage IVB, so I know your pain and fears all too well. The prognosis is not great usually, but your doctor should be able to keep him comfortable. They speak in terms of quality of life, vs quantity. Be sure to spend as much quality time with him as possible, and encourage him to continue doing all the things he enjoyed before this nasty beast reared it's ugly head.

    Please keep us posted, we are all here to support and guide you along this bumpy road.
    Chantal
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #4
    This comment has been removed by the Moderator

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