stella1960
Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Oh my, there is so much to learn. Up until November 2013, my husband was leading a normal life, involving traveling for business and managing a very busy company. Now he is sickly all the time and barely manages 1/2 hour at the office once a week. He is complaining about severe lower back pain which shots down his right leg. Sounds similar to the diabetic neuropathy that I suffer from (I am Type 2 diabetic). One would think that the slow-release and fast acting Oxy meds would ease this but no… now he is taking general pain meds as well. He seems to been taking an awful amount of meds throughout the day – pain and other – how much can his damaged liver cope with?
He will not put the lights off at night, so I am having to learn to rest with the bedside lap on. But I dont mind, as long as he is comfortable.
I dont know if my husband will ever work again.
I was expecting improvement after the radiation which finished on Tuesday last week – am I expecting too much too soon?Update: My husband became dehydrated from vomiting, was very disorientated and could not speak properly, and ended up at the ER on Saturday. He was admited and came home yesterday. He has completed his 10 sessions of radio-therapy. The oncologist says that is all he will be getting as his liver cannot tolerate more. Currently they have him at stage 3 but if the next scan shows that the spots in the lungs are tumours, it will be changed to stage 4 (and he will have chemo). Basically all they have done is try to shrink the tumour to releave the pain. He had to face the reality yesterday, that there is nothing more that can be done for him. This is not a cancer that can be cured. We need to try to build him up so that he can get back to work. Can anyone suggest how to increase his appetite? A few mouthfuls of nutrientional shake and oatmeal are all he can manage.
Hi again Marion.
The radiation program says Rad EPID. I have no knowledge of radiation so I do not know if that code means anything to you.
Previous to the diagnosis, my husband had many stress related issues, including high blood pressure (medication controlled) and a slightly underactive thyroid. I cannot say that he was disorientated before because he was still very active mentally as he is general manager of a company and seemed to be coping, besides the stress. But now, he cannot even read an email without doozing off. It is sad to see this.
I did ask the main Oncologist about prognosis and staging. He said we are to wait until after the next scan to see what/if any shrinkage there has been from the radiation. Also, there are a few spots in the lungs, which they are monitoring. If they are secondary tumours, the whole picture will change.Hi Marion
Thanks for replying. We are in South Africa and he is being treated at a large Oncology practice. His histology was viewed by a number of professionals within the practice, and others. We are satisfied that the diagnosis is correct. Whether they have treated a high volume of cholangiocarcinoma patients, is a question I have not asked. He is nearly finished with a course of radiation ( a few days to go) and he takes medication for pain and inflamation. I have no idea what the future holds for us.
