My father has stage 4 rectal cancer - all treatment was stopped in October 23.
He is now extremely weak and does little day-to-day - he is still able to get from his bed to his arm chair and to the bathroom but that is all.
He eats a little, is very pale and sometimes confused - he sleeps frequently throughout the day.
I am looking for advice in how to help him manage double incontinence - we have all the pads, underwear etc but wondering if something can be prescribed to help minimise accidents and also the symptoms of lazy bowel caused by an ileostomy and reversal.
I would also appreciate any experiences anyone has had supporting someone through the end of life with rectal cancer - most especially key signs to be aware of and rough time lines/frames.
Thank you in advance
Hi and welcome to the Macmillan Community but so sorry to hear about your fathers diagnosis.
A cancer diagnosis like this in the family can be such a challenging and stressful time but getting support from others who are dealing with the ‘exact same' support challenges can help you a lot.
This New to Community area is like our reception desk where we try to direct you to the best part of the Community for you to get support. The Community is actually divided into dedicated Support Groups (Discussion Rooms) and when it comes to the practical and emotional challenges of supporting your father and indeed yourself you may benefit from joining and posting in our
Supporting someone with incurable cancer
……. support groups where you will connect with a wide range of members navigating the exact same support challenges.
To connect with a group click on the “Bold Italic Links” I have created above …… then once the group page opens click in the [ Black - Click to Join - Banner ] that appears at the bottom of the page and this will then confirm that you have joined the group.
When you are ready……. you can introduce yourself by putting up your very own post by clicking [ + Create new post] or [ + ] in the top right of the group page.
You can copy and paste the text from this post into your new post.
It is an emotional time supporting family so you might find this Macmillan information your feelings when someone has cancer helpful as well as this link getting help with your emotions.
You may find it helpful to call the Macmillan Support Line open 8am-8pm (timings may differ across services) 7 days a week on 0808 808 00 00. This service provides cancer information, practical information, emotional support, benefits/financial guidance or just a listening ear.
Talking to people face to face can be very helpful so do check to see if you have any Local Macmillan Support in your area, do also check for a local Maggie's Centre as these folks are amazing and support all the family.
Please do get back to me if you need further help navigating the community.
