Bowel cancer questions

Welcome to the forum . I am really sorry to hear about your brother and the timing just compounds the issue . I am glad he is safely home but it is still very early days . My mum was still in hospital at that stage and very sore . I think in the current climate it is really important to remember it is fine to contact his surgeon and GP if anything concerns you or he needs better pain management.  They can chat things through with you on the phone . My mum certainly was still sore and low appetite at day nine . She was in pain to move . The thing to look out for is any signs of infection . But don’t be shy in picking up the phone to his team . It’s a big operation .

Once he has recovered they can start treatment and that can open up other options for some people . My mum had a spread to her liver back in 2009 and is still here . It traveled to her lung at one point but she managed to get surgery. Someone once said a stage 4 diagnosis is a marathon not a sprint . One step at a time . You can click on my user name to read my mum’s story .

You also might like to link in with if you have any questions about the stoma . 
We also have a helpline here 0808 808 0000 and please feel free to give them a call if your stuck with anything .

We are here if anything pops up but if you think she needs checked over please do give the GP a call . 

Hope we can be of some support to you too .

Its all very stressful just now .

take care ,

 Court 

Hi Shazz1.

Firstly welcome to the online community and so sorry to hear the news regards your brother. To cut a long story short I was diagnosed with bowel cancer and operated on the 30th July last year. I had a sigmoidoscopy and s resection just above my rectum at the time I didn't need a stoma bag but due to scar tissue from the original resection I now have had to have an Ileostomy not sure if temporary or permanent at the moment.

You will receive lots of support and advice and guidance in regards to your brother's diagnosis and treatment. My story pails into insignificants with your own but I wanted to respond to you to let you know people are here for you.

Stay safe

Mark

Hi, I'm The Bodach court signposted you to.

I'm also very sorry to read about your brother's journey I echo the comments made by court and and although your brother is at home and still experiencing postoperative pain he is in the best place for recovery, whilst at home he is under the care of his GP and any new pains or increased pain should be reported to him for medication adjustment and of course the medical team at the hospital, were you given at anytime the contact details for the specialist nurse that was looking after him.

As your brother has a stoma it is imperative that he drinks a lot of fluid, 1½ - 2 litres per day, it doesn't matter what he drinks tea, coffee, milk (adding crusha syrup makes a pleasant milkshake), soup or plain (not fizzy) water all help to bring the level up, but he should also be checking his urine output colour, this tells if he has an infection or whether he is dehydrated.

Can I just say to the family and your brother having a stoma is part of the cure and the further treatment and whilst it is inconvenient at times it is a very manageable part of the treatment and if he accepts it for what it is it will soon be part of his life and through time he'll probably go about the day forgetting all about it.

If there is ever a time that you or he needs to talk to anyone about having a stoma I'm always about to answer any questions that arise, my answers will always be based on the question and my aim is to work through the question until we find a solution. You and your brother may think that your question is stupid or daft, I would assure you that there is no such thing as an irrelevant question if it needs to be asked, ask it and let's get it out of the way.

Remember any day, any time if you need me I really am just a click away.

Many members in the past and currently prefer to ask me questions on a one to one basis and we use the friends private messaging service to do this and I'm more than happy to engage this way for stoma related questions to quickly find a solution if you want.

It could be that your brother will need advice on stoma products and their uses, again please don't hesitate to ask me anything. Many stoma users don't get on with their first pouches, with so many different types being manufactured it is quite easy to find an alternative. All the different manufacturers will send him samples based on the answers he gives, I can help a little bit on this but the best person to speak to is his stoma care nurse as they have a wealth of knowledge. Normally everything would be face to face but it looks like all services are telephone based so it might be slightly different for quite a few weeks to come, but as I've said I'm always about to help

Your brother should try and walk about as much as possible, eat small meals throughout the day although he might find that he dislikes a food he previously enjoyed this is quite normal just leave it off the meal plan and try it again in a few weeks, he might find his taste and smell have disappeared this is all very normal

To summarise

If your brother's pain gets worse, shout it out to the GP or the hospital medical team, he doesn't have to endure pain.

For stoma questions it's a shout out to .

Keep in touch, your brother's journey is a pathway that many have trodden before him and our friendly members are always available to give help and advice whilst being very supportive to each other.

Ian

CC

Hi, thanks for your reply. Today my brother has a yellow liquid coming from his scar when he sits up, the doctors have said this may be fluid leaking out where it has built up inside? Does this sound normal??