tflory
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Mary, My husband is 40 and diagnosed in 9/2011with stage 3 CC. He is inoperable and has tried several chemos. The tumors keep growing. He has also been in alot of pain. the oxycontin and oxycodone for breakthrough pain worked for awhile, but then we had to keep increasing and it seemed to lose its effectiveness. His Onc. sent us to pain management and they switched him to methadone which seems to help better for now. The doctor recommended a nerve block of the celiac ganglia which we are considering. He said that if it works, it could take away all/most of the pain, and possibly if he can get off the pain meds he could drive again. Something to check on.My husband didn’t like the morphine either when he had it in the hospital. There are many other things out there. The pain dr. also suggested a pain pump that they put in the body to help with pain.
Hi everyone! The pain doctor gave us several options including a nerve block to the celiac ganglion. We are considering this. Any one have any advice?Thanks.
Pamela, My husband had ulcerative colitis for years and resinol is wonderful.You can get it behind the counter at target or kroger pharmacy without a prescription. When my son was a baby an older lady told me about it.My husband loves it. Can Lauren take Immodium for the diarrhea? My husband has also experienced the diarrhea with his cisplatin/gemzar combo. Now he is on xeloda and I don’t think this has been as much of a problem.
Phil,I am very sorry to hear you received such bad news.Can they put an external drain in if they can’t do ERCP? Also, my husband is on ursodiol which is a bile thinner, you could ask about this.We have a healthcare power of attorney set up for my husband and wills already done. You may want to talk to Gerry about what all he wants done to preserve his life and maybe even talk about a DNR ( do not resuscitate) order and also funeral arrangements. These things are not easy to talk about, but I feel better in knowing exactly what my husband wants.
Sallypa, Like it isn’t enough to just try to help you love one deal with the cancer alone, but there is all this other crap that you have to deal with too. When we switched doctor and hospital during chemo treatment. It took me a month of phone calls to OSU to finally get records and radiology reports sent to our doctor. The stupid excuses I kept getting from them was ridiculous. They make it so much work to switch, but I am so glad we did!
sallypa, My husband is on the gem/cis cocktail. The cisplatin can harm the kidneys, depending on the dosage.They told me the higher the dose the more chances of problems. I have heard they can add a drug called manitol to the cisplatin to help protect the kidneys. Sorry, I don’t know much else about it.
Kandre, At first my husband had plastic stents. The first ones were exchanged five weeks later. Then they were able to put a larger diameter stent in and exchanged that 8 weeks later. Eight weeks later again he had another exchange, this time metal wire mesh stents. Our dr. told us these were permanent and they should last 6-9 months, then he might need the external drain. The reason being he told us is that the tumor can grow through the mesh. They had such a hard time getting the stent in the first time because the tumor had completely blocked both ducts off. The third replacement was tough too because he had been doing chemo and the dr. siad the chemo makes the ducts less pliable and the tumor had contorted the ducts more. The stents have worked wonderful in keeping his bilirubin down, although usually after every procedure he gets infection and needs antibiotics. I hope your husband can come home soon and feels better. This disease stinks!
My forty year old husband was just diagnosed with CC in September. We were absolutely devastated.This site has been so helpful in providing resources, advice, support, and prayers. The people here know exactly what you are going through.There aren’t enough words to describe how horrible this disease is and what it does to your loved one.Thanks to this site and the wonderful people, no one has to suffer alone. Thank you, Tonya
I give my permission to allow for the distribution of the content of my post.Eli, My husband is also on the gem/cis. His worst problem is the chills and nausea. He also takes the decadron three a day for three days after chemo,then one day for two days.He also takes compazine which is helpful. He takes Emend also for three days from chemo on which has been wonderful.
MK,In Sept.my husband’s bilirubin was 28, it is now 1.He started of with three stents.They were changed five weeks later.When they changed the stents, they were able to increase the size of the stents so now he has to have them replaced every 8-9 weeks. THe stents have helped tremendously. They are not a sign of giving up! They put the stents in through a procedure called an ERCP where they go in through the mouth and down your throat and eventually in to the duct area. I was told they put dye in to see the blockage, then inflate a small balloon and then slip the stents in. I think it usually takes about an hour, but my husband’s first one took 3 hours because the tumor had blocked several ducts and it took alot more time. They usually give a local anesthetic, but last time they knocked him out completely because the local doesn’t work very well on him. The difference I have been told between metal and plastic stents is the plastic stents need to be changed and the metal ones are permanent and don’t get as gunky. If you have metal stents, I was told that you can’t do radiation.My husband is also on ursodiol which is a bile thinner to help the stents drain better. My husband is also on the same chemo as your mom.Hope this helps.
Eli, this is probably a stupid question, but if cc is estrogen sensitive, is this true for men too? I know we all have both hormones in our body, but would this info be true for men too since they don’t have as much estrogen is their bodies as a woman?
My husband also had terrible itching. Before the stents hsi bilirubin was as high as 28. Now with two biliary stents, his bilirubin is down to 1 !. His are plastic and they need to be changed every 8-9 weeks. If they put in metal stents, which are permanent, they can’t do radiation. As far as the ostomy, my husband does not have a colon. He had an S- pouch surgery five years ago due to ulcerative colitis. FOr 3 months while the connection healed, he had an ileostomy. The Hollister company makes supplies and are extremely helpful. Another great resource is an ostomy magazine called the Phoenix. It has great supplies and suggestions and ads for companies that often offer samples of different products you can try. Did you know they make an ostomy bag with a charcoal filter in it to help with odor? I can understand your exhaustion with driving so far and still trying to work and parent 4 kids. i only have one child, but do lots of driving when my husband is in the hospital or has chemo treatments.It is very rough on you. I know your Mom doesn’t want to leave her home,but if you are her only family, does she understand how hard this is on you and how much you want to help her?
Hi everyone! I just received the samples from Scandishake yesterday. They sent me three full size packets of their shake mixes and a full size can of their scandical. We haven’t tried them yet, but I am very impressed with what they sent.
Definitely worth trying and their prices aren’t too bad.Margaret, I know we don’t really know each other, but I feel so deeply for your loss. From all your posts you have done everything you could possibly do. You are so strong to be able to fight this with Tom for so long. I pray that a peace and comfort will come to you. I can’t even imagine how hard it must be without your husband. I’m sure it will be my reality soon too.
