pls help

drvk · New User Joined: 18 Sep 2006 Posts: 7

my dad's been diagnosed with gastric cancer 6 months back. unfortunately for him it has presented as a stage 4 disease. since then he underwent 6 cycles of chemo ( 5fu, etoposide, leucovorin).

the subsequent CTs show involvement of lesser curvature of stomach, pancreas infiltration and perigastric lymph node enlargement. the liver is free of deposits. then we got a pet scan done which showed activity only in the stomach. the doc then wanted to try surgery as a last ditch effort and see if he could resect the stomach.

the surgery was done, but he was unable to remove the stomach because of adherence to the pancreas and so he did a gastro jejunostomy. for 2 weeks after surgery my dad went thru hell. even now he's very weak, though he is able to eat, albeit small quantities.

i dont know what else can be done for him, whether to subject him to more chemo, or just leave everything to god. my dad refuses to hear negative stuff and refuses to give up and he is for going into alternative therapy like chinese medicine. atleast for his sake and his spirit i want to try something... anything. i am at my wits end. if anyone has any ideas pls pls tell me.

ps: he's also a diabetic and has undergone angioplasty in the past.

pps: i apologise for the long post, but wanted to give u a clear idea of the
situation.

byermoor2 · Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2006 3:43 pm Post subject: stomach and pancreas

hi dont give up ,my mother had her stomach and pancreas removed 8 weeks ago, she finds it very hard to eat. She was told she must have had it about 20 years so the way i look at it she has anothet 20 to look forward to but the first year is going to be very hard ,just getting used to food. you say your dad eats ok, can i ask you how much and how often, dont give up
regards
jill

drvk · New User Joined: 18 Sep 2006 Posts: 7

hi, thanks for the reply,

my dad did not have his stomach removed. the docs have just done a gastro jejunostomy,where the stomach is intact, only it is joined direct to the jejunum which is the part of intestine after the duodenum. This is a sorta bypass operation to provide an alternate drainage for the food because the original passage of food thru into the duodenum is narrowed cos of tumor.

anyway, apparently all the food just goes direct to the intestine without staying in the stomach and this is giving him lot of discomfort. initially, my dad was taking only around 1600 cals, now we have upped it to 2200, hoping his fatigue will be cured.

but my query is, what next? he's finished with 6 cycles of chemo, has had a surgery which told us for sure that his tumor is still unremovable...

shud i pressurise my doc to go for the chemo? is there anyone here in a similar position? pls advice, i really dont know what to do.

concerned_daughter · Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 10:49 pm Post subject: Re: pls help

wow. Its almost like we're dealing with the same situation....although somewhat different.

Like i mentioned in my earlier post my dad had was diagnosed with cancer in 2003 with a rather large tumor found on his stomach...they did surgery and removed 2/3's of his stomach, and attaching it to his intestine. This (like your dads) caused mine tons of discomfort and stil does to this day.

My dad currently is undergoing chemo treatment (5fu, Carboplatin, Elastiplatin...sorry if spelling is bad) all through picc line. He is terminal and the chemo is only being used to pro-long his life...but the chemo is pumping into him 24/7 with no breaks, and he gets a ct scan done every 3 months to check if the chemo is working (cancer not spreading, getting better).....and well we aren't seeing any major benefits. And his quality of life is depleating.

I would say to you and your family, the same thing my family is doing. We have to support our fathers decision to continue treatment if that is what they think will help. Be greatful your father is seeking alternative treatments and wanting to do everything he can! Although i personally believe the chemo does more harm than good for a person in this type of situation...we still need to stay strong for our dads sake!! I hope all goes well with your father!! You & your family are in my prayers.....

drvk · New User Joined: 18 Sep 2006 Posts: 7

i just got back from the doc consultation today.
apparently my dad is still too weak from the surgery to undergo any chemo. infact, the doc sorta made it clear that we cud look forward to only symptomatic treatment from now on.

this has come as a bolt from the blue cos now we dont know what else to do..., to accept this advice wud be like surrendering to the disease and awaiting death. thats too horrible for me to even comprehend.

a few days back, my friend told me abt a hospital in perth, oz, where this doc john holt was giving a new form of treatment to cancer pts and apparently it has shown good results. the site is www.the-institute.com/au
what do u think abt this

any ideas as to how to proceed with my dad's therapy??

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