my husband had colon cancer that spread to his liver his liver is is in bad shape they say he is in the first stages of the end. he is having troble with is stamoch it swells up and he has to have it pump out., his feet is swelling now. and everything he eats what little that is comes out the other end and is green. i need to know if anyone can give me any advice on what to do and is this happening to any one else. i am really worried about him he dont eat much and he coughs all the time. is there any help for him i dont want o lose him i know god can heal him and i am praying for a miracle.
thanks jan44
Jan:
WELCOME to the board, though I am sorry about the circumstance. Your description sounds like your husband is having a hard time of it. Has he done any chemo? or had any surgery? Please correct me if I am wrong and give a little more information.
There are MANY stage 4 survivors on this board who had/have mets to their liver and are getting along nicely-- some who are coping with the fact that things are looking really bleak. There is always hope though, and we have heard many stories of oncologists who have given up on their patients only to have the patient find another oncologist that helps them successfully fight this awful disease. The greenish bile stools could be a normal occurrence. The big thing is to make certain he is NOT in any pain and is comfortable. If he has been the chemo/surgery route and has been fighting for a while, has been non-responsive, is resolved to the end and is done fighting, please know that there is hospice available to help you and him.
I am basically giving advice based on the little information you provided... if you don't mind sharing, this is a GREAT place to get support, advice, rant, whatever. We have many very knowledgeable, caring people who have been there from a caretaker perspective as well as a patient perspective.
Please provide more information when you get a chance, and again Welcome.
hey cancerdad thanks for your reply my husband has had surgey on his colon back in 2003 thats where the cancer started but has spread to his liver and has been doing chemo for 3 years now and the docs sasy this is the only treatment left to give but there is trial drugs but we are waiting to see if he canget in on it. he is in pain with his stomach it swells up and we have to go get it drained because the liver is leaking. we are not ready to give up we are willing to try everything and am starting on herb drugs to see if that helps i hope it does.
Jan:
I'm sorry for your husband's battles. I, too was dx w/ Stage 3C Rectal Cancer in Late 2003. It never seems to end, does it?
I just wanted to mention that in addition to the Eastern Medicine you mentioned--herbs, etc.-- he should start doing accupuncture if you have some extra money. Unfortunately, most insurance companies don't pay for accupuncture treatments, even though there ARE studies that prove that the treatment works. Not to mention that people have been using this successfully for hundreds or more years. In any event, it helped me and it's worth a try. If it doesn't work... stop after a couple weeks (4 sessions or so). No sense wasting your money if it's not going to work for him.
One of the best things about this board on HealthBoards is that you become a part of a very supportive and helpful community. Kind of like "it takes a village", you know?
My Dad had died of colon cancer when I found healthboards, and now my brother-in-law has been diagnosed with Stage 4, terminal rectal cancer.
Except... that was in March of 2005... and has now lived far beyond the 2 - 4 months they gave him at diagnosis.
He has never yet had surgery, just non-stop clinical trial/chemo - and a liver ablation. His CEA has gone from 1600 to about 37. The primary tumor (rectal) no longer appears on the scans.
Yes, the cancer is still there - and I wouldn't expect otherwise - but his quality of life is absolutely wonderfu.
He & my sister are now planning their second annual trip to Florida since he was diagnosed and I have no doubt that they will get there.
Welcome aboard, and you'll soon see that others will benefit from your talks with CDad here on the boards. That the "good ripples" will spread farther than the two of you and give others information & hope.
Ruth
There are places called Cancer Treatment Centers of America. There are 4, one in the state of Washington, Oklahoma, Illinois and Philadelphia PA. I don't know if you live close to any of these places or not, but they will reimburse you for transportation there. The have the newest and best treatments around and treat mind, body and spirit. I've never been myself but have talked with a representative. There is another girl on another board who has been there, and her cancer has spread to her liver. I have not seen her post anything lately, so I don't know how things are going. Just type it in a search engine and see if you can get info. At this stage it is worth a try. Good luck to you and God Bless.
B.A.Mc.
