Hi all this is my first post. My brother has been diagnosed with cancer in the stomach, colon, liver, spleen and lymph nodes in the groin. His cancer has not been staged or graded, nor have we been given a prognosis - yet he has been in hospital for three weeks. My feeling is that he is terminal, but this word has not been used. Any thoughts or shared experience would be very helpful to manage our expectations as a family. He is 58, non-smoker/drinker, been losing weight for 6 months, also has blood clots to both lungs, and it was his collapse with these which got him into hospital in the first place. There has been no GP contact or referral, though he is now on an oncology ward. Thanks all.
Hi and welcome to the online community
I'm very sorry to hear that your brother has been diagnosed with cancer of the stomach which has spread to other areas of his body.
Could I suggest that you consider joining the stomach cancer group which would enable you to ask questions around treatment as well as share experiences with others who have this type of cancer.
If you'd like to join just click on the link I've created and then choose 'join this group' on the page that opens. You can then introduce yourself and post questions after selecting 'start a discussion' and join in with existing conversations by clicking on 'reply'.
Although 3 weeks without a confirmation of stage or grade probably feels like a long time to you, it's usual for it to take some time before his doctors have all the information they need to know what the best treatment plan for your brother is.
The expression 'terminal' is not one that is used now unless it's decided that there are no treatment options available. Many people with cancer are classed as 'incurable but treatable' meaning that while the cancer may have spread, so they can't be cured, they can be given treatment to keep the cancer in check.
When you have a minute, it would be really useful if you could pop something about your brother's journey so far into your profile as it really helps others when answering or looking for someone with a similar diagnosis. It also means that you don't have to keep repeating yourself. To do this click on your username and then select 'Edit Profile'. You can amend it at any time and if you're not sure what to write you can take a look at mine by clicking on my username.
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"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
