Update on my Dad
- This topic has 152 replies, 15 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 11 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
Gavin it was Baltic here this morning! When it cools down at night its really cold even in the mid 60’s.
I feel so bad that dad is having such a hard time. Guess if dad says no, its no.
Would he bite the guilt trip? Like dad, we are so worried about you, etc., etc? It must be so very hard to sit and watch this. I know many on this site have been helped by using the suppositories. Hoping tomorrow is a better day.Hi Marion,
Many thanks as always. No we haven’t tried suppositories, we just tried the meds the GP prescribed. Dads macmillan nurse talked earlier this year with us about hospice care at some point in the future, but we haven’t talked any more about that since. I think tom I will have to speak to dads specialist to see what he thinks is best for dad right now.
Many many thanks.
Gavin
Gavin…Have you tried suppositories for nausea and vomiting? I am also wondering whether your Dad has mentioned as to whether he would like to be cared for at a Hospital? Gavin, this disease can progress with symptoms difficult to control. I suggest you make contact with the oncologist.
Much love,
MarionHi all,
Thought the these meds were working today, they seemed to be for most of the day as dad wasn’t sick during the day but he did sleep all day and had nothing to eat. Then he had something to eat for his tea, then about an hour later he started vomitting again and has been doing so every 10 minutes or so all evening. He tried lying down in bed but he says thats just making him worse bringing up the bile. He’s hardly had anything to drink either only having some water to down his pills. I think he feels like I’m starting to nag him about not drinking enough but he needs to drink something.
Asked him if wants to go to the GP’s tom but he said no. So we’ll just have to wait and see what tom brings. Maybe these pills take some time to work or something as this not eating and drinking cant be doing him good.
Lainy,
I’m sure that would throw Teddy! Another expression I use a lot is Baltic. Like when I go round to mum and dads and they ask what the weather is like outside and it’s cold, so it’s baltic! However, living in Arizona, I’m pretty certain you dont get many baltic days there compared to Scotland!
Kris
A good couple of days would indeed help with dads strength and happiness so hopefully these meds will kick in tom. If not then we will have to try something else I guess. He’s been vomitting since about Friday so a good day or two would be ideal right now!
Julia
Sounds like you had a busy weekend! I am keeping my fingers crossed for your sister and hope that the chemo goes well for her. I’m sure you will take good care of her through it all.
Best wishes to all
Gavin
Loads of good wishes coming your way, Gavin. I’m so sorry your dad’s having such a bad time. Here’s hoping they get his meds sorted so he feels better again.
Thanks for asking about my sis. I’ve been out of touch for a while as last weekend was the teaching weekend from hell & I had to get my head down & work like fury to get it under some sort of control
. Now I’m back, I’ll post an update. She saw her Onc for the first appointment yesterday & hopes to start chemo next week.Thinking of you & your family.
JuliaLainy, that is naughty! But it makes me smile.
Gavin, I am glad your dad seems to be on the up curve. Perhaps a good day or two will psychologically give him more strength and happiness.
Kris
Hoping for the best. I also love learning some of your expressions. Love the knackered! I think the next time Teddy asks me how I feel I will say knackered! He knows he doesn’t hear well and that would really throw him!!!
Thanks Lainy, you are a tough cookie indeed! Dad got up earlier after a wee sleep and felt a bit better and was not sick, so that was good. Even had a little bit of soup, not a lot but at least he managed to keep it down. Then he went back to bed as he is knackered. Hopefully these meds will work and he can get a decent sleep and then see how he is tom. Right now its tablets for this, tablets for that, tablets before food, tablets after food and tablets right throughout the day and even more tablets before bed! But at least the fight goes on!
Best wishes
Gavin
Dear Gavin, so sorry to hear that dad’s stomach is not behaving. I can take pain but nausea is one of the worst feelings in the world. I am praying that the new meds kick in very fast. Its just so frustrating, every time you turn a corner you hit a stop sign! Take care.
Hi all,
Dad had a really rough night, was sick pretty much every 20 minutes or so and got no sleep. Didn’t go to day care today, not up to it so took him to his GP. He had to take his basin with him, in case he was sick in the car etc, not good at all.
GP examined him and asked questions etc, says he has stomach reflux and thinks the bile is coming back up through the stent into the stomach. Prescribed 2 meds, Buccastem and Lansprazole. Also felt dads stomach and says it feels soft which he thought was a good sign. Got the meds for dad this morning and he has taken them then went to lie down so we will see how he is later on.
If these don’t work within a few days then I will take him back to the docs to see what else we can do. And even if they do work then I still want to see dads GP at day care on Friday just to get him checked out again. Thats assuming he’s feeling up to going on Friday.
Fingers crossed that this works and that he can get some sleep. And I know he is really hungry as he hasn’t had anything to eat since last night, which is a lifetime for him! I take that as a good sign that he is hungry and wanting to eat, even though he cant right now. Another reason to look forward to going to day care on Friday, as the cook there is excellent and her food is very much appreciated by all the patients!
Best wishes to all.
Gavin
Hi Everyone,
Many thanks for your very kind words. Well my dad had something to eat, had some tomato soup and then some mince. Didn’t have a lot but at least it’s something, it seemed easier for him to eat the soup so looks like he will be getting a lot more soup. And he managed to keep it down then he went back to bed. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow but one way or another he will be seeing a doctor!
Lainy,
Glad to hear that you are doing good and that you are getting out of the house today. I hope you enjoy the fresh air! As always I am keeping my fingers crossed for you and hope the visit to the docs goes well and also that Teddy’s visit to the Radman also goes well. Loads of positive thoughts are coming to the both of you. I am trying to take some time for myself early in the mornings and at night, I follow the financial markets, so maybe that helps keep me sane right now!
Marion,
Thanks for the reminder about the search function. I will look into some of the other posts about sickness here and see what I can find. My mum thinks it may be better for dad to see his local GP tom, but I disagree and think he would be better seeing the GP at the day care centre as I think she would have more experience in dealing with this sickness. However, if dad doesn’t feel up to going then I will take him to his local GP. If we don’t get anywhere with that then I think I will get in touch with the hospital and try to talk with dads specialist to see what he thinks.
Wendy,
Many thanks for the birthday wishes. We had a quiet one, got some chinese food and just stayed in. I think my partying days are long gone! Mum has been on the Scandishake desserts for quite some time and they have worked, but she has been eating less, probably stress related, and was hoping to stop taking them but she has another 6 weeks worth now. Dad had the ensure drinks when he came home from the hospital last year but didnt need them after a while, perhaps he may have to get them again.
Thanks for sharing your mums experiences with reflux and the metal stent. Dad also has the metal stent so perhaps this is whats happening with him. Thats something I will speak to the doc about. He hasnt had any shivvers or shakes for a while now but he used to get them.
I dont think he is drinking enough, especially as he is sleeping so much. I try to get him to drink more and have stressed to him the importance of keeping up his fluid intake. I dont think its a case of him not wanting to drink at all, just that he is in bed so much so not actually drinking enough.
As to the chemo, we will wait and see what the onc says next week before making any decisions. I can understand why your mum didnt want to go through with that or the mistletoe therapy. If my dad made a similar choice then I would also completely respect his decision as it is his decison to make and I will support him in what ever he decides to do.
I hope the vitamin C, sea kelp and castor oil continue to help your mum feel a bit better.
Many many thanks and my best wishes to you all.
Gavin
Hi Gavin
Firstly (belated) happy birthday!
I was so very sorry to hear about your dad and of course your mum too – you must have so much on your mind right now, and i really do feel for you. I hope you were able to enjoy a nice birthday, and put worries aside for a while, for some fun.
Ensure and Scandishake drinks will soon put weight on and build up strength… my mum avoids the dairy scandishake but quite likes the fruit Ensure – they are highly calorific so she only has 1 a day rather than the prescribed 2 and at least that takes the pressure off having to eat so much. She also really likes soups – nutrition in a cup, and bizarrly a thin chicken soup is a favourite so there must be something in that!
My mum goes through periods when she feels worse and vomits and has reflux, but then completely recovers, and feels on top of the world at other times – very weird, so I really do hope this is the case for your dad too and that he picks up again. It was explained that the stent she has (metal) is open ended at the top with no valve like the ‘natural ducts’ – so bile can also reflux back out of the stomach into the liver and cause infection and feeling generally awful. I don’t know about plastic stents, but guess they don’t have a one way valve on them either – so just maybe that’s what is causing the problem too with your dad feeling so bad? If he has the shivers and shakes it could be that he needs an antibiotic? My mum has some antibiotic tablets to take at home as soon as she feels really bad.
I guess too, there is a lot of positive thinking needed to ‘fight’ the cancer – I think the mind is the best weapon against this and other horrible diseases, so I really hope he gets his fight back again.
I agree with the others – lots of drink can really help reduce potassium levels – it’s what helped my mum alongside a really disgusting drink she took (using disolving ‘potassium tablets’ in water – she says the trick is to use as little water as possible and follow with a drink of water to take the taste away). Of course renal infection can cause confusion so make sure your dad keeps his fluids up….. if he keeps falling asleep (which my mum did when she felt really bad) then he might not be taking in as much as he should? We had to nag my mum to drink, drink, drink when she was feeling at her worst just after her spell in hospital… Perhaps try giving crushed ice cubes for him to suck if he can’t face drinking.
My mum isn’t having any chemo, and we respect her decision entirely, but I often read here how it really benefits others with few side effects so maybe worth a go?
Instead, my mum has started taking slow release vitamin C and sea kelp and caster oil tablets, which she thinks has helped her to feel a little better. She’s not doing the mistletoe therapy because that entails intensive therapy (ie she would have to be induced into high fever on 3 occasions to kick-start her own immunity)… and with no guarantees… Again she couldn’t face it. I’ve heard that some GPs are willing to give regular, smaller doses of mistletoe injections, so if your dad’s GP does this, or is willing to try, then it might be somethign worth pursuing? It has apparently worked well in some women with breast cancer, but not tried for any CC patients in the UK before according to my mum’s GP (who is not willing to try it!).
I’ve just been reading about this new research starting for babies with cancer, and can’t help but wonder if it’s worth a try for other cancer patients such as those with CC, as these food substances are ‘safe’ and easily come by and quite tasty – have told my mum about it too, so she’s going to give it a go. I got this from the Sparks website in the UK, as it seems they are funding this research.
“Green tea and red pepper extracts for the treatment of neuroblastoma
UCL Institute of Child Health, London –Gavin…..you are nothing short of spectacular while caring for your parents. Gavin, there are many postings on this site regarding nausea and vomitting accompanying the progression of this cancer. I don’t know how familiar your local GP is with advanced biliary cancers but, if not, then you might want to contact the oncologist for advise.
As always, my best wishes are coming your way,
MarionI am so sorry to hear of the bad time your parents are having. They are most lucky to have you, you are awesome!
Thanks for asking about me. Its been a long 3 weeks. Going out for the first time today. I actually am doing great for what they ended up doing. No more bikinis! Scar runs from bottom to about 4 inches above the navel. But I tell you what….to everyone: PLEASE get your colonoscopys, so, so important. If they had not done that the day before surgery I would have ended up with 2 separate surgeries. I am almost done with using the percoset and go to the doctor tomorrow so will find out what my follow up will be. Then Friday we go to Teddy’s Radman to see what is up with Mr. Miracle. My vibes are not good.
Gavin, I sure hope you are taking some time out for YOU! Your parents need you and we need you!
Hi Everyone,
Just thought I’d do a bit of an update on my dad since I haven’t been around for a few days.
Lainy,
The millionaire shortbread was indeed very tasty, although there wasn’t really enough! On Friday he made apple sponge and brought some home, again it was most tasty once again! I love your gut medical degree and going with your gut instinct approach. I hope you and Teddy had a good weekend and that you are recovering nicely.
Dad had a pretty bad weekend and is not doing good today. He has been sick quite a few times each day since Friday, bringing up whiteish/brown bile each time, but not a lot of it. He has not really ate much at all and his appetite is not good. Today all he has had is a yoghurt so I will see how much he eats for his tea. I am trying to keep him at least drinking some water or juice right now to see if he can keep that down.
He is in his bed right now, lying on his back as he feels like he is going to be sick if he lies on either side or his front, he is used to sleeping on his left side due to the stent being on the right. He didn’t want to go to the docs today, but tom he has day care so will see the GP there. If he doesn’t go to day care then I will insist he sees his own GP tom at his local practice. Hopefully he will feel up to going to day care as I know he loves it there, so if he’s not feeling like going tom then I think he is probably feeling worse than he is letting on. He also has a new pain, in his upper right chest area so thats another thing to keep an eye on but his pain meds seem to work for that just now.
We also got the appt with the oncologist for next Monday. On top of all this Mum had her appt today with her COPD nurse and has lost 3kg in weight so another 6 weeks of skandishake supplements for her.
Thanks and my best wishes to you all.
Gavin
- The forum ‘General Discussion’ is closed to new topics and replies.