Chemo and Radiation Therapy

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nannyjsp
nannyjsp Member Posts: 7
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
My husband is 57 years of age and was dignoised with colorectal cancer. He had his LAR done on Sept 12, 2007. After the surgery they found that 3 out of 16 polyps had cancer in them and now he has to undergo chemo and radiation treatments. We are in the process of setting up appointements with the chemo doc and radiation doc for the first and second weeks in October. We are not sure about the radiation therapy why it is needed but I guess we will learn more about that on October 3. I would like to know from a caregivers point of view what to expect from all of these mindboggling events in our life. We thought that the worst was behind us and my husband insists that he will be able to work while having these treatments done. Any helpful answers woould be appreciated. Thanks So Much

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  • davidsonxx
    davidsonxx Member Posts: 134
    #2
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    I am sorry you and your husband have to go through this. Every one responds to chemo and radiation differently. There is no way to predict how your husband will respond. He may have only mild side effects and be able to work the whole time. However not everyone is so lucky. If the chemo side effects are going to be bad you usually know after the first or second treatment. The most important thing you can do as a caregiver is to be suppotive and keep a positive attitude. The second most important thing is to take care of yourself. It is very easy to get so wrapped up in taking care of your loved one that you get exhausted and burned out. Be aware of this and make sure you take care of yourself. I am both a caregiver and a cancer survivor. Being a caregiver is harder because much of the time you just have to stand by and watch your loved one struggle with the disease and treatment. This site is a great place to get support for both you and your husband. Be sure to post any questions you have since someone here has probably been through something similar.

    Just hang in there. It can be a bumpy ride but you will get through it.
  • nannyjsp
    nannyjsp Member Posts: 7
    #3
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    Thank you so much for responding david. We all have fear of the unknown but with our faith in the Lord we will get through this journey in our life and more on to something else that the Lord has for us. We find out that we are stronger than we think we are. I know that the Lord never gives us more than we can handle. He has shown that to us many times in our lives so keep your eye on the Lord and he will bring you through the bad times. I hope that my husband will be able to work through his time of treatment only because he goes nuts just sitting around the house. The man was hardley ever sick, well maybe a cold once in awhile, that's it. He is a man of routine and when his routine is interupted it is hard for him to adapt to the change of his everyday life routine. Thanks again for your insight on being a caregiver. Keep the Faith
  • valley
    valley Member Posts: 94
    #4
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    My husband was 52 when he was diagnosed with stage 3 rectal cancer. He had radiation and chemo 6 weeks later resection surgery followed by 4 months of more chemo. The only time off from work was after the surgery for 5 weeks. He did great on the chemo. He went to work everyday during treatment but felt tired at the end of 8 hours. There were a few days he only worked 6 hours. He was on 5fu with radiation and then oxaliplatin after surgery.At the end of his treatment he had tingling in fingers. It will be 2 years in Jan 07 since his diagnosis. He has follow up pet scans every 3 months. So far so good except for ulceration colitis in rectal area from radiation which lights up on pet scan so he has had 4 biopies all have come back negative. thank god! Hope this helps. We try to stay positive have fun and enjoy life.
  • KierstenRx
    KierstenRx Member Posts: 249
    #5
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    I am sorry what your husband and family is having to go through. I am not a caregiver, but a rectal cancer survivor. I had surgery in February. They did my chemo and radiation first. I was able to work the whole time although I did work shorter days. I would schedule my radiation for 4pm every day so that I could leave work, have treatment, then go home and rest. Everyone responds differently to tretment. I mainly experienced fatigue building gradually after the 3rd week. I also had some pretty serious pain that I controlled with pain medicine. That being said I was so glad I was able to work. For me work kept me feeling "normal". I would let your husband do as much as his daily routine as he can, but be supportive if he gets tired or frustrated. My daily routine really helped to keep my emotions in check. I will keep your family in my prayers.

    Kiersten

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