Dad 66 ileostomy stoma now chemo

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Hi my dad has been told he needs to start chemotherapy in 2 weeks following 12 inches of colon removed and is adjusting to life with a stoma well he came home this week.

im so worried about him facing chemo , as he has other blood issues , heomochromotosis loads iron and did have parraprotein in blood .

He has 3 cancerous cells out of the 24 in lymph’s discovered when he has surgery and they are treating him as stage 3 cancer although it’s stage 2 he says ?
I would like to know about anything he should / could do safely , additionally / alternatively prior during or after to chemo to help his immune system ?
any advice greatly received , very open to anything .

kind Regards

Clare 39 a worried anxious daughter

Kareno62 over 3 years ago

Hi Clarey03 and good to hear that your dad is home and coping with the stoma. Is he having capox/xelox? That is an IV infusion of oxaliplatin then capecitabine in tablet form.
The best thing he can do is to try and eat healthily - not always easy in the early days of a stoma - and try and build up his fitness levels with short walks. Chemo will give his immune system a bit of a battering so try to discourage anyone with a cold, for example, from visiting. Any sort of vitamin or supplements that he takes or is thinking of taking must be run past the oncologist first to make sure it is ok with the chemo.

https://bowelcancerorguk.s3.amazonaws.com/Publications/Eating_well_Bowel_Cancer_UK.pdf

From a practical point of view the oxaliplatin can have quite a few side effects including reaction to cold things and pins and needles in the hands and feet. It’s worth keeping a diary as to how he’s feeling each day and what side effects he’s encountering. I found a heat pad or wheat bag was soothing after an IV when my arm was sore. He may need to wear gloves when getting things out of the fridge - I found a cheap pair with little knobbly bits on the palm for grip which were good. Make sure he creams his hands and feet regularly - udderly lovely is a popular one or Aveeno with Shea butter which you can get on the high st and supermarkets.

I had 3/17 lymph nodes affected which is the same as your dad (pro rata!) and I’m now 4.5 years cancer free. Chemo is tough but it’s doable and there’s lots of pills and potions for the side effects. The nurses will keep a close eye on him and keeping a diary will help remind him of any side effects and also some days of the cycle may be ok and you can plan to do something nice on those.

Please let us know how he gets on - there’s a lot of people had chemo so plenty of advice available

Take care

Karen x

Macmillan Support Line - 0808 808 00 00, 7 days a week between 8am-8pm

Clarey03 over 3 years ago in reply to Kareno62

Thank you as always so much Karen , I’ve just applied for a blue badge for him today .
He’s refused to get everything looked at care wise etc second opinion privately , I wish he would go to addenbrookes or mount vernon for chemotherapy as friends have changed from our local hospital but he’s adamant and there’s no reasoning with my parents not that I would want to they are stressed and scared enough I suggested it , so I know I tried xxx