My brother was just diagnosed with Stage IV Stomach Cancer...has already spread to Liver

erict072 said:

Today I lost my brother
Today I held my brother as he breathed his last breath. Thank you to everyone who has sent their thoughts, prayers, cards, etc.

Sorry for your loss
I am so sorry to hear of your loss.

Me and my two sisters lost our mother 5 weeks ago to stomch cancer. It just helps me with my griveing to let it out. My story is a little differnt and we are still trying to understand how it all happend...

Here's my mothers story and I will try and keep it as short as Possible short,

About a year ago my mother was having trouble with her Stomach and went to the doctors on a number of occasions to find out what was going on. After running test the doctor concluded it was stomach ulcers and she was given treatment and things did tend to settle down for a few months “they didn’t go away they just settled down”. Then the symptom’s started getting worse again. She wasn’t getting any answers from that particular doctor so about 4-5 months ago she went to another doctor.

This new doctor also run her tests and was basically treating her for reflux and fatigue and some other symptom’s “which are all signs of stomach cancer” and she just gave her somack for the reflux. 4 months went by and nothing improved so she went to another doctor with problems with her breathing. The doctor took chest x-rays and said it was pneumonia gave her some puffers and antibiotics and sent her home. He just said if you feel you need to go to hospital go!! 5 Days went by nothing changed and her breathing got worse so she went to the hospital.

Upon being admitted to hospital they again took more x-rays found nothing and she was getting worse, they then did a ct scan and found lumps in her left lung and which they said was interstitial lung disease. She was supposed to fly out that evening but the hospital decided to keep her there “so angry with them” and gave her two lots of dye and ct scans looking for blood clots???? No blood clots were found.

Finally they decided to declare it a medical emergency and she was supposed to fly out at 8.00 pm. The plane left Melbourne at 7.00 pm and had difficulties and returned to Melbourne at 9.35 pm. 2 and a half hours in the air when the fight only takes an hour to get here???
Then they dispatched another plane and it arrived here in Mildura at 1.15 am and took mum back to Melbourne and she arrived at melbourne at 3.15 am. She was then put in an ambulance and driven to the Geelong hospital. She didn’t arrive there till 5.30 am when the drive only takes 50 mins???? Another hour missing!! So much for a medical emergency. She died within 30 minutes of arriving.

She died with no one by her side! No one to hold her hand and hug her and she died not even knowing what she had.

She was taken to the coroner’s office and an autopsy performed and what the pathologist said to me was she had stage 4 stomach cancer that had spread to her lungs. He told me she had a very large growth in her stomach and her lungs were riddled with cancer!!

We were shocked and have no idea how in the hell this has happened?

How have they missed this in this day and age and the cancer being that advanced? She was on her death bed and they still missed it?

How can a doctor take x-rays and send her home saying its pneumonia when her lungs were riddled with cancer?

How could the hospital keep her here for 4 days when she could not breathe and they had no idea what it was?????

Why wasn’t she transferred to a hospital that has the right equipment to have diagnosed her???

How can a doctor 4-5 months ago not find this when she had all the symptom’s of stomach cancer??

Our world has been completely shattered! We had no idea mum had cancer. Our mother was one of the most beautiful persons this world will have ever had known! She was such a well respect lady. We had organisations close for the day of her funeral. There were even parts of the Deakin university that closed for the day. We are at a loss as how this could happen to such a beautiful person? We didn’t even get to spend quality time with her and say our good bye's.

She left behind me and my 2 young sisters 21 and 16 and two grandchildren.
For those of you that are suffering from stomach cancer keep fighting. But Please Please make sure you have your orders in affair.

Make sure you have a will and funeral insurance. Make sure you discus how u would like your funeral done with your family. Don’t leave your family with what we have had to go through. Mum had nothing and we still can't grieve properly.

I’m not saying give up! Just make sure u and your family are prepared for the worst.
All the best and our thoughts and prayers are with you all.

The Pearce family.