Honesty needed

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Hi. My dad was diagnosed with stomach cancer a couple of months back and is having a total gastrectomy this week. He has had 4 rounds of chemo ahead of this. He told me that because of his pre-existing conditions the surgeon has said he has a 30% chance of surviving the operation so I am sick with worry. I’m not really sure what reassurances I’m looking for to be honest but having lost my mum to cancer some years ago I’m feeling in a bit of a state. I don’t think he’s told me all of the details to protect me somehow so I’ve no clue what stage his cancer is even or what the future might look like for him. 

  • What a worry for you! I am so sorry to hear about your dad. The medical team do have to be honest about the risks but they wouldn’t do the surgery if it was too risky! 
    All you can do is hold on to hope and show him how much you love and care for him.  
    Do you have support from friends and family to help you? MacMillan provide great support and if you have a Maggie’s Centre near you then contact them. They really helped me and my family when I was going through treatment. 
    Take care x

    Jac

    Life is what happens when you are making other plans!  
     
     
  • Thank you for the reply. I guess I just struggle with not having all the direct info from the surgeon like I did with my mum when she was going through treatment as I attended all of her appointments and I haven’t been given that option this time round. I’ll get in touch with Maggies. Thank you. 

  • I came to realise that the medical team don’t have all the answers! And some are better than others at giving you information! I went with a list of questions but inevitably came away with feeling there was always a BUT… somethings were always uncertain! 
    I focused on what I could control and used the App Headspace to manage anxiety.  It taught me mindfulness techniques that really helped me to focus on the present!

    I go back to it whenever I’m stressed or anxious! 

    Jac

    Life is what happens when you are making other plans!  
     
     
  • Are you sure he understands / reports the medical information correctly to you? Sorry to be so blunt, but you asked for honesty, and I find hard to believe that the surgeon would operate on such odds.
    Could it be he was told that his risk is 30% higher than average?

  • He specifically said 30% but said it’s due to his pre-existing conditions that it’s very high risk. Basically if they don’t operate then he will die anyway so he said it’s a risk he wants to take. As far as him understanding the info that’s unknown which is part of the reason why it’s been so hard for me to cope this time round as I’m hearing all the info second hand.