Stage 3 to Stage 4 in a year - My Story

Genes · New User Joined: 15 Apr 2008 Posts: 6

My dad was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in Sept 2006 at age 51. He went on for a surgery to remove the ascending colon in SGH. It was stage 3. After that, he was treated with Xeloda, an oral chemo drug because it has the least side effect. He did receive the conventional treatment because my dad has ITP which is an auto-immune response on the platelets, resulting in low platelet levels. His ITP was discovered 7-years ago and the haematologist happily gave him Prednisolone (a steroid). One of the side effects is low immunity. We blame the long-term usage of the drug for the cause of his cancer, since he doesn't smoke and drink and leads a very healthy lifestyle - exercises regularly in the army and eat healthily.

In October 2007, my dad went for a colonscopy and they found a polyp at the joining part. A biopsy was taken but a week later, my dad had lots of internal bleeding, probably because while taking the bipsy, the area didn't heal properly at the site. My dad felt faint and was sent to CGH. It was a nightmare for my dad. The bleeding areas were stapled and he was sent home. He felt fine. My dad was scheduled for another surgery in December 2007 to remove the polyps.

During the surgery, the surgery team found mestasis. Apparently the tumour had grown so large until it cannot be removed (on the other side of the colon), and had mestasized to i do not know where. The doctors did not say specifically where. And they did 2 by-passes and inserted a stent into the urether. That was the beginning of months of suffering. Not only was the tumour not removed but the by-passes caused my dad to lose so much weight. He couldn't eat and had fever, which resulted in another stay in the hospital, and was treated for infection.

My dad then went on to proceed with 3 rounds of chemotherapy, the conventional kind which include 5-FU. It was intensive treatment where-by he had to stay in hospital for 5 days, but because of his blood disorder, he has to be given platelets 1 day in advance to bring the platelets up. The aftermath of the first treatment made him nauseous and he kept on vomitting and feeling tired. But he started drinking this product called Grassiq, as we were prepared to try everything and anything. We were on a vegetarian and organic diet most of the time. He did not suffer much side effects from the 2nd treatment. But on the 3rd treatment, it was bad. He did not even want to drink Grassiq anymore because everytime he sees the bottle he would feel nauseous.

On top of that, my dad had began to experience abdominal discomfort, if i'm not wrong, after the 1st session. He said it felt like wind in the stomach. It got more painful as the weeks flew by and yesterday was unbearable. We sent him to SGH A&E at 830pm, but was only treated at 930pm. He was left under observation in excruciating pain as the doctors thought there was nothing really wrong given that all tests done were ok. Until he was warded when they realised there was a blockage in the bowels. I do not know what causes the blockage but he gave the pain a solid 10 out of 10. Given that he has a high pain threshold and his pain after surgery was only 4, i think he was really suffering. Just the week before, my dad has been recommended to do peritonectomy with chemotherapy. This surgery is only done by Prof Soo and is the removal of the stomach lining and then putting in chemo drugs at the site to remove any other diseased cells too small to the naked eye. On top of that, the diseased part of the colon will be removed and the spleen removed to solve the ITP problem. This is a major surgery which will last for 12 hours. Out of the 50+ operations he did, there was 1 mortality. And he is the only one who does it in Singapore.

My mum's apprehensive of the surgery, seeing what the by-pass had already done to my dad. My dad, in his hope of a recovery, agreed to the surgery. I've seen images of the surgery and the cut is really big. It will take around 2 weeks to recover. Right now we have to solve the bowel obstruction to ease his discomfort first.

DulcimerGal

Genes,

Thanks for posting your story. It sounds like your whole family have been through a lot here with your Dad. You must have an incredible family though, to care so much for your Dad and to be with him now as he makes these really tough decisions. How are you doing?

Are you all in Singapore?

I will pray for you and your family tonight, that the bowel obstruction problem will be taken care of.
It sounds like you have a great team of Doctors who are not afraid to try treatments for your Dad. I am glad of that for you. Ten years ago, I went back to England to be with my Dad who had cancer (I live in the US) and I always felt like they were not agressive enough with his treatments.

Your Dad feels like most of us with cancer do - that you have to keep fighting and FIGHT HARD.

Please keep posting and let us know how things are going.
DulcimerGal

brainman

Genes, I am so very sorry about your father's cancer. It does sound like he and all of your family have been through so much. You and your father are in my thoughts and prayers.
_________________
Jim
Site Administrator and long-term cancer survivor
1992 Astrocytoma grade 2, left motor strip
2005 Recurrence this time said to be an Oligodendroglioma grade 3, same location.
My Story Part 1: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?p=7350
My Story Part 2: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=8029
Blog http://jimhawkinsport.blogspot.com/

Genes · New User Joined: 15 Apr 2008 Posts: 6

Thanks guys. Yup, we are residing in Singapore. My mum, younger sis and I are all fighting hard with my dad. Though it has always been a battle of the unknown, we will continue to fight hard and never give up.

I still remember the time when dad just completed his 2nd surgery, in hope that the operation which was supposed to remove his polyps would wipe the cancer out of him and so be able to continue taking care of the family, we were full of hope that the operation would be successful. We least expected a mestasis. When we learnt the outcome and the awful by-passes done, we broke down. We did not know how to break the news to dad. If we do, will it affect his recovery from the operation? We only told him on the 3rd day when he started becoming more alert. I saw tears streaming from dad's eyes down his cheeks. Here I have a father who agreed to go for another painful surgery and endure the sufferings hoping to keep his cancer at bay, so that he can continue being a dutiful father who takes care of the family. My heart aches. He is just so great, so responsible. And he is my father.

DulcimerGal

Hey Genes -

Please make sure you tell your Dad all the wonderful things you wrote here - he would want to know what you think of him, and he will really appreciate it. You are so proud of him, and you should tell him so.

Hey - I just watched this great show on cancer here in the US, one doctor talked about visualizing the cancer cells gone and decreasing, I am going to start doing that. I have one friend who talks to his cancer cells every day - putting them on notice that their days are numbered!

I just read your first post again - and had a question - what is this Grassiq drink that you mention? where do you buy it? Has anyone here in the US reading this post ever heard of it?

I am trying to eat carefully, more organic, though not totally yet, and more vegetarian - though I always have tried to eat properly.

I hope things are going well today Genes, and that your father is more comfortable.

DulcimerGal
_________________
Rectal Cancer diagnosed Valentines Day 2008
Finished 6 weeks of radiation and chemo 4/23/08
Surgery to remove tumor - June 18th 2008
Colostomy Reversal August 20th 2008
Five rounds of Xeloda (chemo) to ZAP anything left!

Genes · New User Joined: 15 Apr 2008 Posts: 6

My dad went for an emergency operation this evening as the pain was getting more frequent and intense. After around 2 hours, the surgery was over. It was bad news. The pain was caused by a tumour blocking the intestine. And the disease has spreaded to the small intestines. It was so bad that they could not even reach some parts of the intestines and there were many tumour sites, each measuring less than 1cm, hence couldn't be seen by the CT scan results. We were devastated. The doctor gave a "a few months" to my dad. The team couldn't do much but to create a by-pass round the blocked site, so that my dad could still eat. What do we do now? The chemotherapy wasn't effective. Instead the disease continued to flourish. The cancer in him is really aggressive. The oncologist said they will be trying a different drug this time round, to prolong his life a little. I guess it's really up to fate now.

DulcimerGal

Genes,

I am so sorry to hear about your father and the rapid spread of the cancer he has. You and your family will rally around him and help him be as comfortable as he can be during this difficult time. Make sure you talk with the Doctors about pain relief for him. In my fathers last days, I was very happy that he was in no pain. The doctors gave him morphine and made him as comfortable as possible.

I am sure you and your family are so very upset with this news, you will also need to comfort each other. It sounds like you are very close, and you will help support each other through this.

Everyone on this site will be thinking of you.
You can see by how many folks view the posts that a lot of people read the posts and are also looking to hear how things are going. Sometimes people just don't know what to say, so they don't post (we call them lurkers...!!!) I've lurked myself for a while!
But all of us will keep you in our prayers.
Please keep posting and let us know how you are doing.

DulcimerGal
_________________
Rectal Cancer diagnosed Valentines Day 2008
Finished 6 weeks of radiation and chemo 4/23/08
Surgery to remove tumor - June 18th 2008
Colostomy Reversal August 20th 2008
Five rounds of Xeloda (chemo) to ZAP anything left!

REB

Your dad has a tough decision. At 51, he should keep fighting if there is a chance they can beat it. If there is no chance, and they are just trying to extend his life by a few months, then that is a difficult choice.

After just completing 6 months of Chemo, I can tell you I would not go through chemo just to extend my life a few months. It’s not worth it if you spend most of that time feeling sick from the chemo.

Whatever happens, please respect whatever decision he makes. If he chooses not to do more chemo, please respect that. I can understand. Chemo is not fun.

Prayers that he and you can find peace and comfort.
_________________
10/01/07 - Removal of Stage III Colon Cancer Tumor and Temporary Colostomy
Started Chemotherapy 11-07-07 - FOLFOX regimen - 5-FU (5 Flurouracil) and leucovorin, oxaliplatin. Also Avastin
Last Chemo treatment 04-09-08, Colostomy Reversal 04-28-08 Age:41

winstonpkl · New User Joined: 15 May 2008 Posts: 1

Hi All
I saw some interest in this drink called Grassiq. It's distributed in Singapore and Malaysia (that i know off) by a company called Apex cosmeceutical. Check out this site
http://www.apex.sg. There are also other sites that talk about this, just google grassiq. I just heard about it yesterday as one of my friends was just diagnosed with spinal metastasis and they have yet to find the primary cause. She was given this grassiq drink by her brother. I have no idea if this works or not as there's no medical literature on this... : )

Hope this helps and keep fighting
PK

Genes · New User Joined: 15 Apr 2008 Posts: 6

My dad has been in hospital for 7 weeks since 14th April, due to bowel obstruction. It's been around 7 weeks already. He has already undergone 2 surgeries. The 1st surgery wasn't successful, after hoping that the by-pass they did would move the bowels. But no. Another tumour is blocking the small intestine, just before the 1st by-pass site. So he went for another surgery, and there is a leakage, so an incision is done and a bag put ont he outside to drain. I am so afraid that the bowel is still obstructed. And just last Sunday, my dad began to see shadows in his eyes. Yesterday he had 2 minor seziures and a major one in the wee hours of the morning. We were so afraid. My mum and sis kept on crying uncontrollably. I had never been so afraid in my life. I was so afraid that i was going to lose my dad at the very moment. The doctors did a resustication and he is now in a high-dependency ward. A brain scan showed some haziness in parts of the brain, and it could be lesions caused by mestatasis of tumour. We are currently waiting for further investigations to be done. All we can do now is pray. My dad's very weak now, and the doctors say if his bowel still doesn't move, we will be talking about weeks only.

Genes · New User Joined: 15 Apr 2008 Posts: 6

My Dad has gone home with the Lord on the 22nd July 2008.

My dad's condition worsened. There was a slight obstruction which caused the bile fluid not flow smoothly. So he feels bloated all the time unless an NG tube is inserted into the stomach to draw the fluid out. His ITP (own cells attack blood platelets) got worse, causing his platelets to go down to as low as 7 at one point of time. The blood vessels underneath his skin had all burst, causing massive red patches all over the body. His weight went down from 58kg to 24.5kg, for a man at the height of 1.68m. I guess it was really terrible for him. The tumour was pressing against his right kidney, causing it to not fuction normally, so a tube had to be inserted to drain the urine out. And at the front, the wound leaked, causing waste material to flow out. A stoma bag was fitted in front. So can you imagine how my dad felt. So weak yet so many problems. He could not even sleep comfortably due to the tubes all over. Everytime i think of him in hospital and just a few months before where he was walking, talking and taking care of the family, my heart cries in pain. Why did he have to be hit by cancer? Why has it got to take him away? I had so many questions and so many regrets. But it is all too late.

4am 22nd July, my mum called from the hospital, asking my sis and I to rush down to the hospital. I had a bad feeling. Coldness struck me and i was shivering with fear. I drove really fast, around 150km/h to the hospital. My dad had chest pain, and his heart was beating really fast, around 160. He was transferred to the high dependency ward. And i still went to ask him "What happened?" He looked at me with his eyes wide open and a confused look, an oxygen mask strapped on the face: "I don't know". After which i told him to not think too much and just rest. I went out to the lounge to rest for about an hour, and when i went back, he was lying on the arms of my mum, eyes wide open staring downward. His blood pressure was going down, to around 60/40. His heart was still racing to ard 160. He was unconcious. The doctors came and asked us to spend our last moments with him. It was the most terrible moment in my life. The family stood by him, together with relatives and friends who came soon after. His heart beat became slower and weaker. My mum cried out to him "Don't push yourself anymore, just go. Hold on to the hand of Jesus and follow him to heaven. I promise i won't cry. I promise to be strong." My sis and I shouted our promises to him, but deep inside, we wanted him to live. My dad passed away hours later. He couldn't bear to leave us and was fighting, but our promises must have comforted him that we can still carry on life normally without him around. It was so heartbreaking. I will never forget that day.

To all with cancer, be strong, be positive and be cheerful. Conventional methods will not always work. Look for alternative medication. There are really good ones out there. We tried one of them, which Japanese hospitals are using. The tumour grew smaller, but we only started using it 2 weeks before he passed away. My dad gave up because of the really advanced stage of cancer wrecking havoc within his body.

God bless all of you.

DulcimerGal

Genes,

I am so very sorry to hear of your Dad's passing - what a sad story.
But thank you for giving those of us who read your posts some closure, I had wondered how things were going for him, and for your loving and close family.

He will live on in your memories of him.

God Bless you

DulcimerGal
_________________
Rectal Cancer diagnosed Valentines Day 2008
Finished 6 weeks of radiation and chemo 4/23/08
Surgery to remove tumor - June 18th 2008
Colostomy Reversal August 20th 2008
Five rounds of Xeloda (chemo) to ZAP anything left!

brainman

Genes, I am so very sorry about your father's death. My heart goes out to you and your family.
_________________
Jim
Site Administrator and long-term cancer survivor
1992 Astrocytoma grade 2, left motor strip
2005 Recurrence this time said to be an Oligodendroglioma grade 3, same location.
My Story Part 1: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?p=7350
My Story Part 2: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=8029
Blog http://jimhawkinsport.blogspot.com/

Johann · New User Joined: 13 Aug 2008 Posts: 5

I really understand what you & family are going through. My mother was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer at the outset 3.7 years ago, it had already spread to her abdominal lymph nodes at the time of her first surgery. The doctors were not that positive and already started talking about palliative care from day one! Obviously we chose chemo instead & went through over 2 years of chemo, folfox & folfiri. Late last year we applied to several countries to organise the same surgical procedure you described, a peritonectomy with post-operative heated chemotherapy, from the research the technique has been getting high long-term survival rates compared to normal chemotherapy. Also we went through all the worry of how complicated & long the surgery was & the 1-2% risk of mortality. Unfortunately in mums case the tumours were not in a position to remove completely during the surgery (for the chemo to work the majority of the tumours must be able to be debaulked) and she was turned down. But we continue the fight with positive thinking, lots of health supplements and meditation. I really hope your dad's surgery to remove his bowel obstruction goes well, I know what its like to be a family member spending the whole day waiting at the hospital. If I could describe what it is like being a carer for someone with cancer in one word it would be "endless waiting". Waiting for blood tests, for MRI's, CTs, bone scans, xrays, waiting during chemotherapy, doctors appointments and surgeries. And worst of all, always waiting for bad news yet hoping for only good! I wish you & your father the very best of luck with his upcoming surgeries. Stay positive for your father.
Regards, Jo.

Johann · New User Joined: 13 Aug 2008 Posts: 5

I am so sorry, I read the dates wrong for the initial posting. My heartful apologies and sympathy for your loss.[/list]

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