Father has colon cancer.

Baer001
Baer001 Member Posts: 2
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Hi, new to board and very confused about every thing. My father has colon cancer the plan was they had him on zoloda chermo and rad then surgury. well that lasted about 12 treatments He ended up in hospital for three weeks with bad diarrhea, dihiddration and malnutrition and twisting of the bowels Now he does not want any more chermo treatments. one dr in hospitol told him zoloda did this to him. but other dr's say no. Iam very confused about every thing we have a nurse coming in 3 times a week to check on him. and have appointment with rad dr tomorrow whick he (Dad)is fighting us about that.he wants a week off. whick he had 3 weeks off already (When in hospital) No one will tell me if his cancer spread (whick in hospital for three weeks no treatment for cancer)or what stage it is. talk to chermo dr before leaving hospital and he said just do radition then they will do surgery then chermo after. But iam not sure my dad is going to make it to that. he don't eat he is depressed no energy. nothing just lays in his room. i don't know what to do Dad wants a 2nd opinion but iam not sure how to do it with out stepping on someone toes and upsetting his dr now. also he is on medicare not sure if medicare will pay. Iam trying to do the best i can. He lives with my 89yr grandma and she is driving me nuts with 50 question over and over again and i can't talk to him with out dealing with her things to. (She is in better shape than every one) even nurse noticed it. iam disabled, (Heart condition) my nerves are getting bad. also watch my 2 mth granddaughter three days a week. i don't know what to do i don't know if chermo dr stop chermo cause dad was telling him he don't want zoloda any more and there is no other options or just don't want to deal with my father any more or miss understood my dad. well thanks for reading and if you have suggustion please reply thanks Rose

Comments

  • sheri22
    sheri22 Member Posts: 273
    #2
    Welcome to board
    Rose I am sorry to read about your dad I really cant give you advice. I know it is hard on you and your dad I am sure others on here will give you advise their is a lot of people on this site that can give you good advise , I do have one piece of advise for you you need some time out for yourself I know this sounds hard but from what I have read on your post you are getting over stressed. Even if you can just take one day away once a week just
    for Rose it will make you feel better and you will be able to catch your breath IF they want to change your dads chemo some chemos arent as bad as for radiation I dont know much about I am sure others on this board can give you info on that I dont know why they arent telling you the ca stage that doesnt sound right but take care and take a time out for yourself as well

    Sheri22
  • geotina
    geotina Member Posts: 2,111 Member
    #3
    Rose
    Welcome to the board. Hopefully you will find some of the answers you are looking for.

    Do you know exactly what kind of cancer your father has and what stage is his cancer? Since you say he is to get radiation I am assuming it is rectal cancer but do you know if he has metastasis to any of is organs, i.e., liver, lungs? This could make a difference in how he is treated. Does your dad only get oral chemo or is he also receiving IV chemotherapy? If you don't know, these are things you need to know and can get from his doctors.

    Many people do get second opinions so I don't think you will be stepping on anyone's toes. Hopefully, they will come on and give you advise on that part.

    Someone needs to go to doctor appointments with dad and get a better handle on what is going on perhaps you could give up the babysitting for a bit, a month or so, it is hard to take children to doctor appointments, treatments and the like. It is always best to have someone with Dad when he is talking to a doctor, second set of ears to hear things and ask the right questions and grandma who is 89 is probably not the best person for this.

    I don't know anything about "twisting bowels". Perhaps someone on the board has info on this.

    Click on our names and you can read our stories. Read these to Dad to give him some idea that others are dealing with the same thing and doing very well.

    You say Dad is depressed, tell this to the doctor. Many take antidepressants and sleep aids while dealing with their cancers.

    Take care - Tina
  • karguy
    karguy Member Posts: 1,020 Member
    #4
    Welcome
    Welcome here,and I'm sorry about your dad.First I think you should get a second opinion,go with your father and ask the doctor all the questions you can think of.The only side effects I had with xyloda was a numbing of my fingers,but some people also have issues with their feet.I did radiation at the same time,and didn't get diarea,but I got bad stomach cramps,mainly from the radiation.I also lost my appetitte,and about 25 pounds before surgery.People also usually have to do chemo after surgery also,it depends on what stage the tumor is.I,and alot of others also have a permanant colostomy bag,and it is no big deal.You should really take some time to yourself,and have alittle quiet time so you don't stress yourself out.Someone has to have a clear mind.Good luck.
  • dianetavegia
    dianetavegia Member Posts: 1,942 Member
    #5
    Hi Rose
    Can you go with your Dad today?

    You're going to need to listen very carefully at the appointment if Dad won't tell you anything.

    Dad sounds like this was rectal (colon doesn't get radiation) and since they were going to do surgery after the radiation, I'm guessing he's Stage II or III. Both are curable! I'm also going to guess your dad is around 65, based on his mothers age. That's only 5 years older than me.

    Questions you could ask are 'What are the plans for after radiation ends?' 'How extensive is the surgery?'

    Dad has a huge chance of beating this but his attitude and depression will not help at all. Please speak up today and tell the doctor about the depression!
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Xeloda (Zeloda) Side effects common in 30% of patients taking Xeloda:

    •Low red blood cell count (anemia)
    •Fatigue
    •Diarrhea
    •Hand -foot syndrome (Palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia or PPE) -skin rash, swelling, redness, pain and/or peeling of the skin on the palms of hands and soles of feet. Usually mild, has started as early as 2 weeks after start of treatment. May require reductions in the dose of the medication.
    •Nausea and vomiting
    •Dermatitis
    •Elevated liver enzymes (increased bilirubin levels) (see liver problems).

    These Xeloda side effects are less common side effects (occurring in about 10-29%) of patients receiving Xeloda:

    •Poor appetite
    •Abdominal pain
    •Low white blood cell count. (This can put you at increased risk for infection).
    •Low platelet count. (This can put you at increased risk for bleeding).
    •Mouth sores
    •Numbness or tingling of hands or feet
    •Swelling of the feet and ankles
    •Fever
    •Constipation
    •Eye irritation (watery eyes, inflammation of the eyelids, redness).
    •Shortness of breath
    •Headache
    •Chest, back, muscle, joint, bone pain (see pain)
    •Dizziness
    •Insomnia (see sleep disturbances)
    •Dehydration
    •Cough
    •Blood clots. (Blood clots rarely can lead to pulmonary embolus or stroke - potentially life-threatening conditions).
    •Excessive sleepiness, confusion, very rare seizures (see central neurotoxicity).
    •Loss of balance
    •Nail changes, darkening of the skin (see skin reactions)
    •Taste changes
  • PhillieG
    PhillieG Member Posts: 4,866 Member
    #6
    Hi Rose
    Sounds like you have your hands full, sorry to hear about all of this.
    Everyone here has opinions, here are mine.
    1: it sounds like your Dad may need help with his depression. I would look into that. With beating cancer, attitude is EVERYTHING.
    2: do not worry about hurting any doctors feelings about getting a 2nd opinion. You're trying to help your Dad. The doctors will get over it. Don't get a second opinion from a doctor who is affiliated with the doctor you are now having your Dad see. Depending on where you live there are many great cancer centers around.
    3: another doctor may provide your Dad with other treatments options other than zoloda.

    I hope this is of some help.
    -phil
  • AnneCan
    AnneCan Member Posts: 3,673 Member
    #7
    Rose,
    It sounds like you
    Rose,

    It sounds like you have your hands full; that is overwhelming. I agree with the others that a second opinion is a good idea. I don't have any expereince with zeloda, so I will let others comment on that. This is a great place to visit for advice, comfort etc.
  • abrub
    abrub Member Posts: 2,174 Member
    #8
    My local oncologist encouraged me to get a 2nd opinion
    My dr at home encouraged me to get multiple opinions, and subsequently he became my local "arm" the the Memorial Sloan-Kettering drs who took over my case. I had surgery and some treatments at MSK with Dr. C and Dr. P, then Dr. Z oversaw my systemic based on Dr. C's recommendations. However, Dr. Z made the dosage decisions and modifications, working within the framework of the recommended treatment.

    (In addition, my local ob/gyn, who found my ca during a hysterectomy, did the surgical f/u for my MSK surgeries and port placements, thereby saving me trips to NYC. He addressed infections, stitch issues, any surgical stuff that he could, even tho he hadn't performed that surgery. He did everything he could to make this journey easier for me.)

    All have worked together as a wonderful team, all drs appreciate each other. With something this major, 2nd opinions are not insults to the primary dr, but rather part of good care.

    Information is critical - don't hesitate to ask.
  • Baer001
    Baer001 Member Posts: 2
    #9
    abrub said:

    My local oncologist encouraged me to get a 2nd opinion
    My dr at home encouraged me to get multiple opinions, and subsequently he became my local "arm" the the Memorial Sloan-Kettering drs who took over my case. I had surgery and some treatments at MSK with Dr. C and Dr. P, then Dr. Z oversaw my systemic based on Dr. C's recommendations. However, Dr. Z made the dosage decisions and modifications, working within the framework of the recommended treatment.

    (In addition, my local ob/gyn, who found my ca during a hysterectomy, did the surgical f/u for my MSK surgeries and port placements, thereby saving me trips to NYC. He addressed infections, stitch issues, any surgical stuff that he could, even tho he hadn't performed that surgery. He did everything he could to make this journey easier for me.)

    All have worked together as a wonderful team, all drs appreciate each other. With something this major, 2nd opinions are not insults to the primary dr, but rather part of good care.

    Information is critical - don't hesitate to ask.

    Hi, Thanks every one for
    Hi, Thanks every one for the reply. I just wanted to give u a up date on things.
    well things are not going well yet.we went to rad dr appt on mon dad is not in shape to have any more chermo or rad. he is malnutrition and enmic. his Rad Dr told us he was going to call my fathers family dr and surgeon to discuss a plan. the rad dr thoughs were to feed father thou Iv's and give him blood and then do surgury on the cancer. Get him healty enough for surgery. well he was to call me in morning. well no call so i called him. he call back later in the day and told me that surgeon was calling me today to set up appt to see my dad. and they are thinking about putting a bag on him. nothing was said about him not eating or blood. so i ask him. then he ask why dad wasn't eating. i just wanted to climb thou that phone and shake him Whick we went thou all this in his office the day before he even put him on a bland diet. his reply was well dad mite have to go in hospital but go to surgeon first and see what he says. so i waited until 4:00 for a phone call no call well in mean time grandmother called me and said she going to hospital thinking she having a heart attack. well to make a long story short grandmother still n hospital not sure what is going on yet. So now i am really flipping out. so i called the soical worker from the visiting nurse's and just told her i need help!!!!! she calmed me down told me to call the surgeon office and see what's going on so i called well they had no idea what was going on So i made appt for tomorrow at 2. and i also told her i need to get my dad placed some where so now i have appt with her in morning. i just feel like we are getting the run around nothing is being done about my dad he is on a depression med Remeron and Immodium but that's it his feet are so swelled up from fluid from the hospital. no one seems to care about that. his hand is swelled up they say it's from iv. I need some ideas about were to go for second option. we live in york pa we don't have alot of resources for travel. also if you have any ideas on some one i can call who can help me understand all this i feel i am doing him more harm then good right now. Thanks

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