Husband is home now....

gizzyluv
gizzyluv Member Posts: 143
in Colorectal Cancer #1

Jason got to come home today. He is feeling pretty good, much better than before he went into the hospital, despite having been opened up & having nothing done. (yet) While he was in the hospital he received 2 units of blood which seemed to help a lot, it brought his hemoglobin up to almost normal, his WBC down from what it was (not sure what it was, but it is better according to the nurse) & his hematocrit is not real bad (I don't even know what 'hematocrit' is, but whatever it is, it's not that bad lol) And his CEA is 74.9....is that real, real bad? (that has me worried) He is having a couple of issues though & I was wondering if anyone else has been affected by them....1.) whenever he eats, he gets full very fast, unlike before when he could eat his weight almost & he burps a lot after eating, says he burps stuff up into his throat (I know that's gross, but it is what it is) & 2.) he has had the hiccups since Saturday! Apparently that's kind of common after surgery, but it's driving him nuts....he has medicine to take (Lidocaine Gel) that basically just numbs his diaphragm for a few minutes, so he gets a few minutes of relief only to have them start all over again & he can only take the medicine every 8 hrs. Needless to say, he is very tired, can't sleep & has a hard time eating what little he can eat. Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone else has these issues & if so, what do you do for them? I would also love to hear from you about his blood work....especially the CEA level. I know 74.9 is high, but I've seen numbers a lot higher than that.

Again, thank you all so, so much for all your help & for just being here for me to vent to. You know, I'm a relatively intellegent person, so I do realize that this whole thing may not turn out the way we're hoping, but for now, hope is all I have & having people like you all to give me encouraging thoughts & good outcome stories is such a big help for me & for Jason, because when he starts talking about the "what if's" I remind him of all the good things that have happened to other people & how the same thing(s) can happen to him as well. Alright, I'm done rambling for tonight. I can't wait to get into our bed & sleep next to my sweet husband.....first night in almost a week. Good night all! Take care & God Bless, Kris

Comments

  • Chelsea71
    Chelsea71 Member Posts: 1,169 Member
    #2
    I really like your attitude,
    I really like your attitude, Kris. I can't offer any knowledge regarding the issues he's experiencing. As far as the CEA, I too have heard much higher numbers. Chemo should bring it down. Happy he's home. Have a good sleep.

    Chelsea
  • LivinginNH
    LivinginNH Member Posts: 1,456 Member
    #3
    Hi Kris,
    I remember that Rick

    Hi Kris,

    I remember that Rick had hiccups that wouldn't stop while he was in the hospital, so they tried Thorazine in pill form, it cured them in 10 minutes!   He also got some well needed rest, and the hiccups never retuned.

    I'm glad that your hubby is now home in his own bed, that by itself must make him feel a little better (especially with you next to him).  :)

    take care

  • tachilders
    tachilders Member Posts: 313
    #4
    Some people have CEA numbers

    Some people have CEA numbers in the hundreds, or even thousands, so 74.9 isn't too bad considering the size of his tumor.  Oddly enough, my CEA was 5.7 at diagnosis, even though I have tumors all over, so it appears my specific cancer doesn't express much CEA.  In fact, they have never even tested mine since June 2012 when I had my surgery and diagnosis.  Also, despite 15 treatments of chemo, my blood counts continue to be pretty much normal.  Apparently my bone marrow is able to keep up despite the chemo treatments.  I know some people have lots of trouble with low RBCs, WBCs, and platelets.

    Tedd

  • John23
    John23 Member Posts: 2,122 Member
    #5
    Kris -

     

    Re:

    “whenever he eats, he gets full very fast, unlike before when he could eat his weight almost & he burps a lot after eating, says he burps stuff up into his throat”

     

    “he has medicine to take (Lidocaine Gel) that basically just numbs his diaphragm for a few minutes”

     

    Any pain killer will slow down the digestive process.

     

    From your post here:

    http://csn.cancer.org/node/253808

     

    “The dr. showed me the CT Scan from Friday & said the tumor in/on his colon is the size of a football, the cancer has also gone into his stomach, a little in his liver, & lymph nodes.”

     

    And the situation now:

    “he went into the hospital, despite having been opened up & having nothing done.”

     

    The obstruction is still there, so “feeling full” after eating a small amount would be normal for that situation. But both hiccups and a “full feeling” can be also associated with the effect of the pain killer (especially on the diaphragm).

     

    He really should get a few other surgeon’s opinions before going too much further. The “other opinions” should always be from surgeons/physicians that are not of the same group or association. He needs objective opinions, not redundant comments, from each different physician.

     

    Wishing him the best,

     

    John

  • jen2012
    jen2012 Member Posts: 1,607 Member
    #6
    Hi Kris,  Glad Jason is home

    Hi Kris,  Glad Jason is home and hope he's feeling a lot better really soon!   I don't really understand CEA and apparently it's not a good indication for everyone.  My husband's was normal at diagnosis...went up a little and has been normal since the 1st or 2nd chemo treatment.     I've heard of numbers in the thousands....don't get it at all, but I guess the best advice I can give is to not worry about it.  Easy huh??  Can't change it though, so let the doctors worry about how to get it down.  

    Hold that hope!   It's what keeps me going too.

  • Trubrit
    Trubrit Member Posts: 5,804 Member
    #7
    CEA

    The CEA is a blood indicator for cancer. Jason has cancer, a large cancer, so his CEA is going to be high. I've heard people post about CEA's in the 200's. Mine is at 13, so they can be all over the place.

    So, you can erase one fear from you list. Once he starts the chemo, the CEA may drop. So my friend, one step at a time. 

    I feel so very sorry to hear about the hiccups. After surgery hiccups must pull on his incisions terribly. I will pray specifically for relife in this area. 

    Food. Even though they did not remove the cancer, he still had major surgery. The body has to recover from the shock, so I would not worry too much. If it persists, give you surgeon a call, thats what we pay them for. 

    I am glad that he is home. Recovering at home is so much better than lay in those awful hospital beds. 

    We are all routing for Jason and for you. Along with all your loved ones, you have our support. Support can take you an awful long way. 

    Give that man of yours a hug from me. And have a little Valentine cheer. 

  • annalexandria
    annalexandria Member Posts: 2,571 Member
    #8
    Glad to hear Jason is home...

    but those hiccups sound awful! Have they eased up any?  As others have said, don't worry too much about CEA at this point.  For some people it's a good indicator of what the cancer is doing, for others it's not.  You can't really tell which group Jason will fall into until you're further along in the process.  And just fyi, if CEA is a good indicator for him, he may see a big "flare" in numbers after he starts chemo.  This is due to the cancer cells dying off and being released into the blood, so is a good thing, but it tends to freak people out.  I saw that you asked about HIPEC on another thread...I don't know much about it, but it's always worth getting 2nd opinions about things.  Most of the people I've seen who have had it done have cancer on the peritoneum (the membrane that lines the abdominal cavity), which for some reason doesn't respond well to regular chemo.  So it all depends on where Jason's cancer is located.  Have they been able to give you any more specifics on that?  Hugs to you both, I know this is a terribly hard time.  Ann Alexandria

  • Glammom
    Glammom Member Posts: 21
    #9
    annalexandria said:

    Glad to hear Jason is home...

    but those hiccups sound awful! Have they eased up any?  As others have said, don't worry too much about CEA at this point.  For some people it's a good indicator of what the cancer is doing, for others it's not.  You can't really tell which group Jason will fall into until you're further along in the process.  And just fyi, if CEA is a good indicator for him, he may see a big "flare" in numbers after he starts chemo.  This is due to the cancer cells dying off and being released into the blood, so is a good thing, but it tends to freak people out.  I saw that you asked about HIPEC on another thread...I don't know much about it, but it's always worth getting 2nd opinions about things.  Most of the people I've seen who have had it done have cancer on the peritoneum (the membrane that lines the abdominal cavity), which for some reason doesn't respond well to regular chemo.  So it all depends on where Jason's cancer is located.  Have they been able to give you any more specifics on that?  Hugs to you both, I know this is a terribly hard time.  Ann Alexandria

    I'm new to all of this and

    I'm new to all of this and just learning too so I really have no advice but I have been following your husbands story and I just wanted you to know that I have you in my thoughts band prayers because I know how scary this whole thing is.  I'm feeling it too and I'm trying to go day by day instead if thinking long term.  Small steps.  

  • Glammom
    Glammom Member Posts: 21
    #10
    annalexandria said:

    Glad to hear Jason is home...

    but those hiccups sound awful! Have they eased up any?  As others have said, don't worry too much about CEA at this point.  For some people it's a good indicator of what the cancer is doing, for others it's not.  You can't really tell which group Jason will fall into until you're further along in the process.  And just fyi, if CEA is a good indicator for him, he may see a big "flare" in numbers after he starts chemo.  This is due to the cancer cells dying off and being released into the blood, so is a good thing, but it tends to freak people out.  I saw that you asked about HIPEC on another thread...I don't know much about it, but it's always worth getting 2nd opinions about things.  Most of the people I've seen who have had it done have cancer on the peritoneum (the membrane that lines the abdominal cavity), which for some reason doesn't respond well to regular chemo.  So it all depends on where Jason's cancer is located.  Have they been able to give you any more specifics on that?  Hugs to you both, I know this is a terribly hard time.  Ann Alexandria

    I'm new to all of this and

    I'm new to all of this and just learning too so I really have no advice but I have been following your husbands story and I just wanted you to know that I have you in my thoughts band prayers because I know how scary this whole thing is.  I'm feeling it too and I'm trying to go day by day instead if thinking long term.  Small steps.  

Discussion Boards