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Colorectal Cancer Community

Reply: Colonoscopy

http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/crccp/ 25 states and 4 tribes in CDC's Colorectal Cancer...

Posted by brunosbud

1 Reply | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Colonoscopy http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/crccp/ 25 states and 4 tribes in CDC's Colorectal Cancer...

Reply: Stage IV colon and liver cancer...

Dealing with cancer is no different than any other life (or death) experience. Going...

Posted by brunosbud

4 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Stage IV colon and liver cancer... Dealing with cancer is no different than any other life (or death) experience. Going...

Reply: Teens get this?

Impossible to guess based on the information provided but it does not sound good. Please...

Posted by brunosbud

1 Reply | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Teens get this? Impossible to guess based on the information provided but it does not sound good. Please...

Reply: New to the Discussion

When a person faces the prospects of undergoing re-sectioning surgery, chemo &/or...

Posted by brunosbud

When a person faces the prospects of undergoing re-sectioning surgery, chemo &/or radiation treatment, its important to understand that this is an extremely hard and exhausting ordeal.

This is why I strongly suggest the following advice for anybody recently diagnosed with cancer, regardless of stage.

1. Get strong. 2. Get fit. 3. Get ready (for the assault).

Try to lose 5-10% body weight if overweight.
Eat a diet predominant in fruits & vegetables; eliminate processed foods whenever possible.
Eliminate all food or drink with added sugar or artificially sweetened.
Regular, daily exercise is critical; walking is excellent
Run Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP) and Complete Blood Count (CBC) as often as allowed and thoroughly review with your physician.
A1C (diabetes) and test for anemia very important.
Address any sleep disorders, immediately.

Txgirl63, it is up to you to learn how to track and review your own progress. If you think the clinic or your doctors will do this for you, I got news for you...that will be a big mistake. Most likely, they are just too busy. Cancer is such a terribly expensive disease and operating costs for a cancer practice are enormous. Most likely, you've already noticed this during your preliminary visits. If you don't ask questions, then, its "assumed" you know whats going on. Prepare for each consultation with a written list of questions assembled, beforehand. Ask the most important ones, first, in case you run out of time.

Its just common sense. The better condition you're in, the better able your body can recover and fight.

If you're not sure what to ask, that's OK; get referrals...Registered Dietician specializing in post operative Cancer...Physical Trainer specializing in Cancer Recovery. Any Hematologist can explain your blood panels and how your body is responding to treatment, whether you're becoming anemic, how well your liver and kidneys are holding up, adverse reactions to meds, blood glucose levels, vitamin D, insulin, testosterone and key electrolyte levels, etc.

I am, by no means, trying to scare you. If you're not scared enough, already, something is seriously wrong...

I just want you to be prepared. I just want you to be as informed as possible. Your doctor will be so happy he's dealing with a patient that's proactive, asks smart questions and is mentally and physically prepared for success. Think about it...Who wouldn't want to have a client like this?

Good luck.View Thread

Posted bybrunosbud

4 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:New to the Discussion When a person faces the prospects of undergoing re-sectioning surgery, chemo &/or...

Reply: Advice & help for my father w/colon cancer stage 4...

I'm glad someone in your family is addressing pain relief, now, because I think your...

Posted by brunosbud

4 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Advice & help for my father w/colon cancer stage 4 liver cancer I'm glad someone in your family is addressing pain relief, now, because I think your...

Reply: Advice & help for my father w/colon cancer stage 4...

Just my opinion, but one of the "problems" about giving advice to people who ask...

Posted by brunosbud

Just my opinion, but one of the "problems" about giving advice to people who ask questions on this board?

1. They only want to hear what they want to hear, and
2. They almost never say "thank you".

Against my better judgment, though, here goes...

What is effective to give him some relief from the pain?

Simple: He won't see the doctor, so have the doctor come to him.

If he is covered by Medicare, in-home hospice care is one of the least understood and most powerful options available to seniors with cancer. It is the secret weapon and nobody uses it!

I read, recently, the average stay in hospice in the US is less than a couple weeks. Idiotic! Cancer patients need to go into hospice care far sooner so they can access pain, nausea & constipation medications (and other interventions), free of charge! Your father can see a doctor, can have a registered nurse come visit twice a week, can have home health aids come and bath him and treat bed sores, at no cost to him. He needs a hospital power bed, he needs incontinence equipment that will allow him to sleep through the night, he needs pain meds to manage his pain while the family "circles the wagons", so to speak. You need allies.

The one stipulation with hospice care? You can't go to emergency.

Big deal! By what you say, he won't go, anyway!

Procedures like Thoracentesis (fluid drain from lungs) and Abdominal Centesis (fluid drain from abdominal cavity) can all be performed at an out-patient clinic; not emergency. In other words, its not against hospice "rules". Fluid retention from advanced liver failure is very often the source of all the pain in the first place!

What is effective to give him some relief from the pain?

Morphine, Fentanyl, Percoset...

I suppose you could get this stuff from a junkie but at what cost? Why not get it free through in-home hospice care? Your father gets to watch his favorite TV shows, in his favorite chair surrounded by the people who love him while a registered nurse prescribes, administers and has all medications delivered to your home, free.

The strategy behind in-home hospice care is to utilize this free service, in unison, with chemo/radiation or alternative care. Get into hospice, early, while you and the family battle the cancer, together.

Choosing in-home hospice care is not waving the white flag. For people who are smart, it is exactly the opposite. It is preparing for battle, the true fight for life.

In closing, I'm sorry you and your father must face these tough choices.

I was very lucky. My father trusted me. He gave me complete authority. In the end, he thanked me and told me "I love you". That's when I knew I made the right call...

Hope its the same for you, buddy...Good luck and God's speed!

Note: To arrange in-home hospice care, consult your doctor. Medicare can arrange for local service to visit within 2-3 days.

View Thread

Posted bybrunosbud

4 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Advice & help for my father w/colon cancer stage 4 liver cancer Just my opinion, but one of the "problems" about giving advice to people who ask...

Reply: opinion needed

You go 5 days between stools? Is that correct? If so, please arrange to see a doctor,...

Posted by brunosbud

1 Reply | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:opinion needed You go 5 days between stools? Is that correct? If so, please arrange to see a doctor,...

Reply: Alternative cancer treatment is our last option! w...

Be gentle when you move or touch her. Massage her back. Check her diapers and change them...

Posted by brunosbud

3 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Alternative cancer treatment is our last option! what works? Be gentle when you move or touch her. Massage her back. Check her diapers and change them...

Reply: Radiation Treatment on Liver (metastasis to liver ...

Looks like the radiation treatment recommended for your father is not SIR sphere...

Posted by brunosbud

5 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Radiation Treatment on Liver (metastasis to liver from Colon Cancer) Looks like the radiation treatment recommended for your father is not SIR sphere...

Reply: chemo or not

Oxygenation of blood, sunshine, plenty of rest, no sugary foods or beverages...Get on a...

Posted by brunosbud

5 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:chemo or not Oxygenation of blood, sunshine, plenty of rest, no sugary foods or beverages...Get on a...

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