Dad’s count hasnt gone any with 4 days of shots. having nose bleeds
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Kathy….things are falling into place as they should. You are doing a great job.
All my best wishes,
MarionThank you all of you for your info.
Dad is having the fluid removed Wednesday and his primary ONC said he will know more then so I hope it is honest with him @ that time and the decision will be his about home hospiceKathy,
As Lainy and Marion have said to you, the fluid that your dads doctors are talking about is called ascites and here is a link that will provide more information on ascites if you want to read about it.
It is quite a common symptom with this cancer and like Marion has said to you, there are a lot of posts here on the site about ascites and using the search function at the top of the page will throw these discussions up for you. My dad also had ascites and for that he took diuretics.
My best wishes to you and your dad,
Gavin
Kathy….as Lainy has mentioned it is called ascities. That is what your Dad was talking about when he felt movement in his abdomen. This fluid accumulates in the abdominal cavities and can be removed via paracentesis (draining.) We have many postings on this subject. After the procedure your Dad will feel much better and he will be able to sleep on his side again.
All my best wishes,
MarionThere can be stomach fluid called “Ascites”, never before heard it called cancer fluid. Could it be the same? When he went to the doctor did he ask about Hospice? He should be more comfortable after the stomach is drained.
Dad went back to Dr. this am and now they say he has to have “cancer fuild” removed from his stomach. Never heard of this? have any of u?
Kathy, I am jumping right in here….my personal opinion….Dad needs to be told or it’s unfair to him. This gives him a chance to do what ever he might need to do to get ready. For instance Teddy made up packages for all the Children and Grandchildren of what he wanted them to have in the way of golf sets (he had 3) jewelry, etc. It sounds like your Dad has a good attitude about this like Teddy did. The ONC then has to call Hospice and give them an order to visit Dad and everything goes in to play very quickly. They ordered a Hospital bed and I decided to put it in the living room where he had his BIG TV and it was airy and bright. The patient finds it easier to get in and out of a hospital bed. Also the living room was so much more convenient for guests and he was a part of everything going on. Teddy had the swelling to the right side and it was getting very painful. Hospice really kept his pain under control and were quick with anything he needed. He was in Home care Hospice 4 months. It will take so much off your Mom so that she can basically just be with him.
You are a wonderful daughter and you need to take care of yourself. You can get the ball rolling right from your house and then in a couple of days be ready to go back to your parents.
You have a wonderful “Christmas” family, you are all very lucky indeed to have each other and you will find the strength to get through this. Prayers going out to your whole family.Kahty…Indeed, you are lucky to be entitled to FML. It really is needed here. You also have a great family behind you with plenty of support and a wonderful Dad who is very much aware of his situation. Parents have a tendency to shield their children from back news and it appears that is what he is doing.
Although, you donMarion,
I thank you again for all of your guidance.
Dad was not told anything about home hospice as it was my sister who asked the questions when he was having labs done when he was being seen by the weekend covering ONC.
This is the issue we are now faced with. He primary ONC noted on his chart that the patient’s hopes were high and maybe should not be told how sick he really is. Is this fair to the patient? He is very alert and not at all a stupid man and deep down I believe he knows. I, having worked in the medical field for over 22 years, have never been a believer of keeping the truth from a patient. If it were me I would insist nothing be told to anyone before I was told as this is what I had done when I had my 3 previous back surgies.
Dad has already written notes to each one of us 4 children so he has started to prepare for the inevitable.
I have been trying to take care of myself and I hope that the block tomorrow will give me the relief to be there to help with the care of my Dad.
I am so fortunate that I have a husband that helps with every aspect of keeping things running in our house. I cook, he cleans. He is amazing and we also have 4 grown children who are ready, willing and able to help in any way they can. As my eldest son said” What a great legacy “Pepa” will be leaving, 11 grandchildren who range in age from 2 to 39 and 3 great-grandchildren, 3,3 &5 who love him, adore him and respect him”. He always said there were always great Christmas’ in our family because there has always been little ones to enjoy celebrating with. My sister was only 10 when I had my 1st child.
I am going to be putting in for FML as I am fortunate that my state has the coverage with at least some income coming in while I can help. My other sister is also fortunate in that she can do a couple of days at home-so Dad’s place, but my brother lives in NY and has the 2 year old and a 5 year old so is not able to help. He lives with his in-laws and his father-in-law is disabled with back problems and cannot fend for himself and his 55 year old wife’s Aunt is dying with full-blown leukemia which was only diagnosed 2 weeks ago. Poor thing beat double breast CA 2 years ago and now this. SHe also has an adult autistic son who still needs her.What a friggin world we live in.
sorry I’m rambling but it seems like u start to say something and a thousand things pop into your head.
My head is spinning with questions .
KathyKathy…..has your Dad agree to have Hospice come to the house? If so then you should call his physician tomorrow. Hospice will provide the medications to make your Dad more comfortable. Kathy, not everyone goes downhill fast when treatment has stopped in fact, some people fell much better as the symptoms can be addressed more aggressively.
The swelling of his abdomen may be related to increased accumulation of fluid in his abdominal structures. It is called ascities. The physician may order a parentheses for removal of the fluid or, depending on the health of the patient, diuretics are used to help decrease the fluid in the system. But, this is only something the doctor can determine.
You are quite ill and additionally you must be suffering from back pain. Try to make the phone call to the physician tomorrow and get things rolling for Hospice to come and assess the situation. Your Dad will greatly benefit from the services Hospice offers and it will allow you to take care of yourself. Kathy, you need to take care of yourself too. You must be suffering from back pain and additionally, you have a major upper respiratory problem. You need to get better, Kathy. Good luck tomorrow and please, keep us posted.
All my best wishes,
MarionMarion,
I thank you for all of your concer.
Dad has now had 6 straight days of shots and his count still will not go over 60.
He is also complaining about the size of his stomach and that something is moving so he cannot sleep on his side anymore which he always has.
My sister had to go to the Dr. with him as I had an URI & Bronchitis and may even possibly have pneumonia so I had to stay away from him which I did not like @all.
Anyway, the covering Dr. told her that the CA has metastasized to the liver and that is what he is feeling. She also told my sister that his pain tolerance level has to be high as anyone would be on IV pain meds. He is SOB with just walking a few steps. She also said that she doesnt think he will be able to continue with chemo and that it may be time to have home hospice take over.
I have seen other people’s posts when chemo can no longer be tolerated and the patient goes downhill fast.
What I am to do? I cannot go with him again in the am as I am having a facet joint block @ 7:45am
Thanks!
KathyKathy…..speaking with the physician is the right thing to do. It can be a sensitive conversation so you would want to be sure that your Dad is open to it. Some people prefer to have a private talk with the treating doctor. It is so very individual.
My heart is with you,
All my best wishes,
MarionI asked some questions re: the nose bleeds. This is what I have learned: chemotherapy can cause nose bleeds due to low platelet counts or certain drugs such as Avastin can cause bleeding. The doctor may order platelet transfusions or steroids and/or other forms of immune therapy. Please, let us know how your physicians addresses this issue.
All my best wishes,
MarionKathy: My husband Tom just started chemo with 5 – FU and he has been experiencing nose bleeds also. So far, nothing major so I’m not too concerned (yet) but if it happens again this week (He just had chemo again today) I will have him mention it to his doctor. He also has some swelling in his abdomen but so far not enough to drain. The have to have a large enough pocket of fluid in order to be able to tap it, else they could puncture the intestines or the bowels.
Keep us posted!
Go with God and KEEP KICKIN’ THAT cancer.
Margaret
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