Chemotherapy, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation. This is the new plan of attack against the rectal cancer that my Dad has now been diagnosed with.
I know I have been avoiding adding to this blog lately. For this I apologize. I am mad. I am upset beyond words. I am at a loss as to why someone would go through what my Dad has just gone through in his previous brush with cancer that turned out to be benign. Only to have him be told 2 weeks later that he now has another fight ahead of him in the form of rectal cancer. However, there is one thing that I realized earlier today while driving home. This is NOT about me and how I feel, this is about him and his health. This is about his fight, his journey and what lies ahead for him. I need to step up to the plate and remain dedicated to him, my family and this journey.
With that being said here is where we stand after his consult yesterday with his oncologist. Yes, he has rectal cancer. Yes, the tumor is a decent size. Yes, he needs to have one more special rectal MRI/ultra sound test before his treatment begins, and finally no, they don’t know what stage the cancer is yet until those test results come back. That test will determine how far into the wall the tumor has grown and if the lymph nodes have been effected.
The plan of attack for this cancer: chemotherapy, surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. In that order. Right now my plan of attack is to be there 100% to help my Dad and Mom through this journey. I know there is no way my Mom will be able to handle all this on her own. Who would be? She is going to need support in more ways than one. That being said, they live alone in another state away from where I do, arrangements will need to be made to make sure that I take care of them as well as my own family here in this state. I will do what needs to be done to help my Father fight this disease and once again be cancer free.
While I have helped my mother in law when she bravely fought her lung cancer when she had her treatments, a battle I’m very sad to say she lost. Her treatment was radiation and not chemotherapy. I know what to expect with radiation treatment, I have no clue what to expect with chemotherapy. If any of my readers have dealt with chemotherapy in any way and have some advice for me I would greatly appreciate it. I want to make sure I make this difficult situation as easy and as comfortable for my Dad as I can.
I have no clue on the chemo side effects, but I will see what I can find out and email to you.
I am so sorry for this new chapter… I shall continue to be a Prayer Warrior for you all. Much love xoxo
I’m so sorry about the news. I have no idea what to say except that I’m here for you.
I also wish I had more to offer about what to expect with chemo, but everyone close to me who has had cancer only had surgery and no chemo.
I have experience with chemo, but no two regimens just as no two people are the same. My dad had prostate and then about 10 years later bladder cancer. I don’t believe they were related but who knows.
With my dad, there was loss of appetite and weight, he did loose hair, but not till third course, and when the hair returned he was very proud of it, soft like a baby and seemed to restore some of the male pattern baldness he had suffered. Sores and tenderness in the mouth and tongue, but never so bad as you may have heard. He had fatigue and nausea the for a couple of days after the treatments, but again not debilitating.
Neither the chemo nor the radiation were comfortable, but he was never so uncomfortable or depressed that he considered discontinuing treatment. He was a fighter, and I truly believe it prolonged his life.
Chemo affects each patient in different ways. My dad became violently ill following each treatment, my father in law had a few weak and nauseous days afterwards. A friend used to hop up and do her grocery shopping and house cleaning only to get sick the next day.
I know you. I know you can handle this. The emotional part of being there for your parents will be the hardest part of it all and I’m here holding your hand every step of the way. I’ll be praying for your dad every second!
xoxo
When my mother-in-law had chemotherapy, I read a very helpful book callec ‘The Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy Survival Guide’. You can read my review of the book here : http://familiesfacingcancer.org/mckay-judith-survival-guide/
Having said that, in my mother-in-law’s case, the chemotherapy side effects were nowhere near as severe as the book had led me to fear – in fact she was able to manage on her own in her home, just with a lift home from the hospital, and was often back at her part time job within a couple of days. Chemotherapy does vary greatly, though, depending on the drugs, frequency etc.
My advice would be find out as much as you can, don’t assume that everything you read will happen, and set up helpers in advance – both for your parents where they live and for your family (as they will be having to do without you at times).
Feel free to get in touch if you want to talk.
All the best,
Anne Orchard
Author ‘Their Cancer – Your Journey’
http://www.cancerfalloutzone.wordpress.com
It is now the Sunday night after Thanksgiving, and I know you are headed into the next set of tests and treatments this week, I just wanted to give you another reminder that my prayers and thoughts are with you, your mom, and especially your dad!
I bought this book about a year ago after my nutritionist suggested that I do the Master Cleanse. I wanted to get more information about it, and boy was I glad I bought this book!
I do the Master Cleanse every few months now and always refer back to this book. I seem to experience a different type of detox sympton every time I do the cleanse and it’s great to read about other people’s experiences in the book so I know that I’m not alone. To the reviewer that only tried the cleanse for one day….that was a waste of time. You can’t expect the cleanse (or anything for that matter) to work for you in one day. I can’t even feel any detox symptoms until the third day of the cleanse. This cleanse it not a hoax or a “scam”. It works and our bodies need a good house cleaning every so often. This book is a great tool to use with the cleanse as it talks about other people’s questions and answers, and it’s great knowing that I’m not going through the cleanse alone. I have let a few of my friends borrow this book, and all of them have been very thankful that I gave this to them while they were on the cleanse…it greatly helped them through it.