Advice Needed x Bowel and peritoneal cancer FOLFIRI

Do they have him on anti sickness tablets (steroids?) also they give pills to help with the runs also.  I would call the Macmillan hotline for advice and help as there are different drugs that can be given for all of this.  By you speaking to them may help explain to your dad.  Hope this helps and hope your dad feels better soon xx

Hi Vic1982. Hopefully his chemo team have give him immodium or loperamide to help with the diarrhoea? It’s worth asking to try a different antisickness pill - they often start you on the cheapest but trying a different one can make all the difference. I think emend is supposed to be a good one. It’s quite common to have a reduction in doseage to combat any side effects so hopefully his oncologist might suggest that too? 
As for eating you could try and keep his weight up by eating high calorie foods and adding cheese to mash potato, making custard with full fat milk, having full fat yoghurts or desserts. I wouldn’t worry about having a ‘healthy’ diet if he’s struggling - little and often of anything he fancies

Thank you for responding yes he has anti sickness and loperamide to take which he has been taking.  I think he’s more concerned where he’s still affected by the side effects and even from taking the medication it’s still not completely helping and he’s struggling.   Hopefully tomorrow taking to the doctor they maybe to suggest something x 

Thank you for responding yes he has anti sickness and loperamide to take which he has been taking.  I think he’s more concerned where he’s still affected by the side effects and even from taking the medication it’s still not completely helping and he’s struggling.   It’s making him feel like he can’t physically eat and we keep telling him to eat small and often and he’s getting angry with us as he says it’s so difficult food makes him retch,  it’s so hard we’re all new to this and don’t know if it’s just side effects from chemo or is it the cancer , Hopefully tomorrow taking to the doctor they maybe to suggest something x 

Hi Vic1982

A good chat with his team should help loads . A couple of pointers . Make sure he is hydrated . Small sips often . My mum found this really hard and made her symptoms worse . We ended up using a bottle of water so we could measure her intake . She had ended up in hospital after it knocked her electrolytes off .

She had a very minor dose reduction which made the whole thing much more tolerable and they slowed down her infusion .

The thing to remember it’s a marathon not a sprint in a stage 4 setting and they have years of experience in making these adjustments to get him into a more tailored treatment plan that retains his quality of life . Despite a reduction my mum responded to treatment and inoperable became operable so it’s not necessarily a bad think you find the dose that allows the full course to be given .

Send your dad our love and reassurance that they will work with him .

Take care ,

Court 

Hi Vic1982 my dad has pancreatic cancer and he was exactly the same as this.  Ended up on 2 different anti sickness pills and found that having stem ginger sweets or worthers originals sweets really helped take away some of the sickness.  Little and often is the key but it’s hard to change our parents habits especially when they are scared - which is exactly why he’s reacting in this manner.  Now I have bowel cancer I can completely understand how he was feeling…it’s sucks!  Deffo speak to the Macmillan nurses tomorrow or even the hotline as that’s what they are there for and they will do all they can to make sure he’s not struggling.  For now, just give him what you can, biscuits, ice cream, anything small that he can just enjoy.  Fear and anxiety make you feel awful - so could be a combination of it all.  Xx

Hi Mizzle88

I’ve shared your post with mum and dad, I’ve just been to the shops managed to get some worthers sweets for him.  I’m so sorry to here about you and your dad I hope your both doing ok, thanks for taking the time to respond to me I think it really helps to know others have experienced similar and it’s not just him.  Will try and keep positive and hope the team can take in Dads side effects and worries and hopefully work something out for him sending you my Thanks & love xx 

Thanks court for replying to me.  Really appreciate your response and yes we’re trying to ensure he keeps hydrated he was always good 2 litres a day but this last week has really knocked him.  I will try and keep positive and can only pray that he’s able to continue with the treatment and we’re lucky and it reduces both that surgery could be an option.  He’s 75 and had a massive heart attack last April with 3 new stents in he’s really been through it just hope he can keep running with this challenge xxxx

Just an update Dad spoke to the Dr and chemo team they’ve delayed his 2nd treatment to next week.  He’s been drinking but still been struggling to eat anything and the upset stomach has been severely bad even with the loperamide it’s not made a difference.  I’ve just had to take him to A&E with my mum as his urines been so dark and on testing it at the doctors today he is severely dehydrated and has ketones in it :( he’s been in such a state he’s literally changed within a week so skinny and frail and it’s heartbreaking to see him struggle hopefully they will help and the hospital xxx 

I know this is really frightening to see . My mum got taken in by ambulance once . It can knock off their electrolytes quite easily . You have absolutely done the right thing . A few bags of intravenous fluids makes the world of difference and quite quickly too . So easy to get dehydrated on chemo .

You will see a big difference. They will sort him out . They gave mum a rest period and restarted her .

Send him our very best and time for you to catch your breath soon .

Take special care ,

Court