Posts by Susan Fowler35

Adding my two cents here... My dad had colon cancer surgery three years ago and was clear at every checkup until about two and a half months ago. Things took a turn fast—he started getting these massive dizzy spells, collapsed, and ended up in the ER. That’s when they found out it had spread; he's got three tumors in his cerebellum, one in the cerebrum, and some in his lungs. Everything just went downhill from there.
He spent five weeks in the hospital, and for two of those, he couldn't even stand up. His motor skills tanked so hard he ended up in diapers. He managed a tiny recovery just long enough to get through five radiation sessions, and we were waiting about three weeks to see if he'd be mobile enough for chemo. But after the radiation, he crashed again, and he’s just getting worse by the day.
Now he’s on oral chemo. On top of a handful of pills, he was prescribed Medrol, which he absolutely cannot handle—it just makes him vomit. For the last two days, he hasn't eaten a thing, and now he's developed sores in his mouth.
I'm constantly checking in with his oncologist, who is actually decent enough to let me call him whenever things get rough. Honestly, you have to respect doctors like that, even if they're rare. 😢
What I really need is advice. I know he doesn't have much time left, but I want to know how to make him more comfortable. He hasn't eaten in two days, won't touch the chemo pills, and refuses everything except the dexamethasone and morphine for the pain.

My dad’s traveling from San Diego to Washington, D.C. tomorrow morning to head to the oncology ward for his first radiation session. He’s trying his best to eat and do some leg and arm exercises, but he’s been stuck in bed for five days now and can barely walk—his motor skills are pretty shot. He was at the hospital a week ago for his treatment planning and felt absolutely terrible; he’s recovered slightly since then, but they told him if he can't even sit up, they won't proceed with the radiation. I'm honestly terrified that once they start, they'll just leave him there because he can barely handle the trip from San Diego to D.C., even with an ambulance. Or worse, will he have to make that trek every single day? He's under Dr. Miller's care, but I'm wondering if the doctor actually evaluates how the whole treatment flow is going or what...

I'm currently reaching out to every neurosurgeon I can find. One actually got back to me right away to give his take on my dad's scans, and he even asked for the MRI images. Fingers crossed we get some good news here.

Can you call Dr. Miller's office and see if you can order a consultation over the phone? I need to know if they charge just for an opinion on the test results. Let me know how it goes. My dad is in a really bad spot too—he’s practically bedridden. If he doesn't manage to sit up by July 15th, we're in trouble because his radiation appointment at Mayo Clinic is scheduled for the 16th. The doctor told us that if he hasn't recovered enough by then, they won't even perform the therapy, and we'll just be stuck waiting for the end at home. It's absolutely insane that everything collapses in a single month and someone just tells you "that's it." He just turned 56, and I refuse to accept that. I'm going to do everything in my power to help him squeeze out a few more years, and I'm really hoping your advice helps us out too.

My dad had surgery for colon cancer two years ago where they removed 13cm of his bowel. Two months ago, he started getting pains in his lower back and head, losing coordination, and dealing with nausea—which he just brushed off as exhaustion from working too hard in the field. Then, a month ago, he collapsed. It turns out he has four tumors in his cerebellum from secondary metastases, plus some in his lungs. He’s been in a hospital in San Francisco for a month now, and he was just at Mayo Clinic for radiation marking two days ago. Since the collapse, he’s weakened significantly; he can barely walk without holding onto something, his right arm is almost useless, and the dizziness and vomiting are constant. The doctor at Mayo gave him an appointment for July 16th, but said she can only proceed if he gets strong enough to actually sit through it. I’m lost. I’m emailing his scans to every neurosurgeon I can find to see if there's any other way. Does anyone have advice on what we should do next?

Quick question: a few months ago, this bump popped up on my head. It grew pretty fast over a few days and got really inflamed, so I went to a dermatologist who thought it was just an atheroma. My primary doctor wasn't buying it, so I tracked down a second specialist who also said it wasn't an atheroma. I ended up having surgery to get it removed, and the pathology report came back showing it was actually Xanthogranuloma. Even the surgeon and my doctor were shocked by the diagnosis. Does anyone here know more about this? There’s basically zero info online, especially on American medical forums.