Support for families dealing with cancer and other serious illnesses (Part II)

To my dear friends here,
my father passed away... It feels incredibly heavy, almost as if "someone up there" didn't give us even a fighting chance...
I want to say a sincere thank you to all of you—even if we’re technically strangers—for the advice, the offers of help, and the support when things got rough. You know better than anyone just how much that truly means during times like this.

To everyone else out there fighting their own battles, I am rooting for you with everything I've got!
I’ll pop back in once I’ve gathered enough strength to write something meaningful; perhaps then I can offer some help to someone else.
Sending love to you all.

Robin Diaz4 said:My dear friends,
my father has passed away... it feels so incredibly heavy—as if "someone up above" didn't give us even a fighting chance...
I want to say a huge thank you to all of you—friends I haven't even met in person—for the advice, the kind words, and the support when things got rough. You know just how much that means to someone in this position.

To everyone else out there fighting their own battles, I am wishing you all the luck in the world!
I'll check back in once I've gathered myself enough to write something meaningful—maybe then I can offer some help to someone else.
Sending love to you all.

I am so incredibly sorry; please accept my deepest condolences from the bottom of my heart 😢😢
But what happened? What went wrong?
Oh my God, are you okay?

Dear Robin Diaz4, please accept my deepest condolences for you and your family. No matter how heavy this feels right now, perhaps there is some small measure of solace to be found in knowing he is no longer suffering and is finally free from pain.

Robin Diaz4 said:Hey everyone,
my dad is gone... it’s too hard. It feels like "someone up there" didn't give us a fighting chance...
Thank you to my (not so) distant friends for the advice, the help, and the support when I needed it most—you know how much that matters.

Wishing everyone out there fighting their own battles all the luck in the world.
I'll be back once I can pull myself together enough to write something... maybe it'll help someone else.
Love to you all.

🙂

so sorry....

mom just had surgery. diagnosis was a vascular tumor... now we're waiting on pathology results. how long does that usually take?

Hey Robin Diaz4, I am sending so much love and my deepest condolences to you and your whole family, I'm just so incredibly sorry about everything...

So sorry for your loss,

Robin Diaz4 said:Hey everyone,
my dad passed away... it’s hitting me hard, like God didn't give us a fighting chance at all...
I want to thank you—all of you, whether we've actually met or not—for the advice, the help, and the support when things got heavy. You know how much that truly means.

To anyone else out there fighting their own battles, I'm rooting for you with everything I've got!
I'll drop back in once I've had a moment to collect myself and write something meaningful; maybe it'll help someone else down the road.
Sending love to you all.

I am so sorry. Please accept my deepest and most sincere condolences.
Hang in there. Things will eventually settle. Lay him to rest in peace.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy J5 using Reddit

silentbison17 said:🙂

I am so sorry to hear that....

My mom just had surgery. The surgical diagnosis was a neuroendocrine tumor... now we're just waiting on the pathology report. How long does that usually take?

About ten days.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy J5 using Reddit

Robin Diaz4, I am so incredibly sorry about your dad.
Forgive me for jumping in out of nowhere like this, but I just had to say something. It gets harder and harder every single time I read about someone losing their fight.
I’ve been following you all and reading your stories for a long time now. I’ve learned so much from this community, and honestly, you guys have meant more to me than you probably realize.
Look, I’ve got a couple of my own sad stories to tell—one of which is still playing out, though I'm hoping for a better ending than the first one—but I'll save that for another time.
My heart goes out to everyone who has lost a loved one. To those still in the thick of the fight: I'm rooting for you. Stay strong. 🙂

Robin Diaz4, please accept my sincere condolences. I am so incredibly sorry 🙂

Robin Diaz4... let him rest in peace. Please accept my sincere condolences; I am truly sorry for your loss.

frozenharbor18 said:Robin Diaz4, honey, I am just so incredibly sorry about your dad...
Sorry if I’m kind of crashing your space like this, but I just had to say something because honestly, every time I read about someone losing their battle, it just hits me so hard...
I've been following you guys and all your stories for such a long time now, and I've learned so much from this community, and you all have meant way more to me than you probably even realize...
Of course, I've got my own two sad stories too (though one is still ongoing, and I'm really hoping for a better outcome than the first one), but I'll save that for another time...
My heart just goes out to everyone who has lost their loved ones, and to everyone still fighting right now, I'm sending you all the luck in the world, please stay strong 🙂

I spent basically the whole time during my dad's illness following this thread, soaking up every single bit of advice, and it taught me so much—especially about how to handle the situation and what to actually expect when things get tough...
My dad passed away five months ago, and I'm still struggling to wrap my head around it and dealing with that heavy feeling of helplessness that's been stuck with me since the very first diagnosis...
I still follow this thread closely, and just like you said, it's just so heartbreaking to read when someone loses their fight...
Sending you all the strength in the entire world

Greetings

My father is battling small cell lung cancer. It was first detected and diagnosed last year, back in July.
He’s gone through radiation, chemo, all of it—plus various alternatives and endless check-ups. Everything seemed relatively stable until a few months ago when he started losing his appetite.

As of today, the situation is dire; he can't eat a single thing, absolutely nothing. Even a simple glass of water results in him vomiting.
A CT scan from about ten days ago didn't show any specific issues with his stomach, but it does indicate liver involvement, though we've known that for quite some time now. We've explained to the doctors that he can't keep anything down and that he keeps vomiting, but of course, they just handed him some pills that turn out to be completely useless. He ends up throwing those up too, and frankly, he can't even bear the sight of them anymore.

Two days ago, he lost consciousness, and since then, he's been put on two IV drips. Now, he just lies there, utterly exhausted.

I would truly appreciate it if anyone out there dealing with a similar situation could tell me how to get him to eat something, or offer any other advice whatsoever.

THANK YOU

Drew Ward7 said:Greetings,

My father is battling small cell lung cancer. It was first detected and diagnosed last year around July.
He went through radiation, chemo, and all the other standard treatments and alternative therapies, and everything seemed to be holding steady until a few months ago when his appetite began to fade.

As of today, he can’t manage to eat a single thing—absolutely nothing; even a glass of water results in him vomiting.
The CT scan he had about ten days ago didn't show any issues with his stomach, but it did confirm that the liver has been affected, though we were already well aware of that. We told the doctors that he can't keep anything down and keeps vomiting, but they just gave him some pills that are essentially useless; he vomits those up too, and frankly, he can't even bear to look at them anymore.

Two days ago, he lost consciousness and has since received two IV infusions. Now, he just lies there, completely exhausted.

If anyone here has dealt with a similar situation, I would truly appreciate it if you could tell me how to get something into him or offer any other advice whatsoever.

THANKS

You might try picking up some Ensure or Proshure nutritional shakes from a pharmacy; they act as meal replacements and are packed with vitamins and minerals. You can often get them via a doctor's prescription as well.

Drew Ward7 said:Hi

My dad is fighting small cell lung cancer. It was first caught and diagnosed last year around July.
He’s gone through radiation, chemo, the whole nine yards—plus all the various tests and alternative options—and things were actually holding steady until about a few months ago when he started losing his appetite.

Now, the situation is pretty grim—he can't eat anything, absolutely nothing. Even a glass of water just comes right back up.
The CT scan he had about ten days ago didn't show any issues with his stomach, but it does show that the liver is involved—though we already knew that. We told the doctors he can't keep anything down and that he keeps vomiting, but honestly, they just gave him some pills that haven't done squat. He ends up throwing those up too, and frankly, he can't even stand the sight of them anymore.

Two days ago, he lost consciousness, and since then, he's been on two IV drips. Now, he's just lying there, completely exhausted.

I'm reaching out to see if anyone here has dealt with something similar—any advice on how to get him to take in some nutrition, or really just any guidance at all.

THANKS

Vomiting and passing out... that sounds like one of the symptoms of brain metastases. Have they done a CT or an MRI of his brain yet? If they haven't, you need to push for it!

My dad also had small cell, and for him, the nausea and vomiting combined with losing his balance were the only signs that the cancer had spread to his brain.

Did the scans show the liver metastases are progressing, or are they stable?
For the nausea, you might want to look into Ondansetron tablets—I know, more pills, I get it—but they were a lifesaver for my dad during his chemo sessions.

There's also Aloe Vera, which comes in injectable form, but if I remember correctly, you'd need a specialist's prescription for that, and it can be pretty pricey.

Using Ensure or Prosure isn't a bad idea, especially since he's lost so much weight and can't eat solid food, but if he's feeling nauseous and vomiting constantly, none of that matters if he can't keep it down.

My best advice? Get that brain checked immediately if it hasn't been done already. Talk to his doctor, and if you have to, go to a private clinic to skip the wait times—don't waste time sitting around.

Robin Diaz4 said:Hey everyone,
my dad passed away... it’s just too much right now—it feels like God didn't give us even a fighting chance...
I want to say thank you to all of you (even if we haven't met) for the advice, the kind words, and the support when things got rough—you know better than anyone how much that actually matters.

To everyone else out there fighting their own battles, I'm rooting for you with everything I've got.
I'll check back in once I've gathered myself enough to write something meaningful; maybe it'll help someone else down the road.
Sending love to you all.

Robin Diaz4, I am so sorry for your loss. 😢

redranger2 said:Maybe try picking up some Ensure drinks at the pharmacy to replace a meal? They’re packed with vitamins and minerals. You can even get them via a prescription from the doctor.

I appreciate the advice, really, I do, but we’ve already tried that and he can’t even manage those.😢

Drew Ward7 said:Hello,

My father is battling small cell lung cancer. It was first detected and officially diagnosed last year, around July.
He’s gone through radiation, chemo, and everything else—alternative treatments, various scans, you name it—and things were actually holding up relatively well until just a few months ago, when he started losing his appetite.

As of today, his condition has taken a turn where he can't keep anything down—absolutely nothing. Even a glass of water results in him vomiting.
The CT scan he had about ten days ago didn't show any specific issues with the stomach itself, though it does indicate liver involvement, which we already knew from before. We've spoken to the doctors about his inability to eat and the constant vomiting, of course, but they’ve only given him some tablets that honestly feel like a total waste of time—he just vomits those up too, and frankly, he can't even bear the sight of them anymore.

Two days ago, he lost consciousness, and since then, he's received two IV drips. Now, he's just lying there, completely exhausted.

If anyone here has dealt with a similar situation, I would truly appreciate it if you could tell me how to get some nutrition into him, or if you have any other advice at all.

THANK YOU.

Has he had any brain imaging done yet?
Did they perform any preventative radiation on the head?
And what about a chest CT?
This damn disease... when it strikes back, it hits you right in the head.
You should ask the specialist overseeing his care for a prescription for supportive medications.
My husband actually has the same diagnosis, and they managed to save him early on when he started vomiting.
For him, everything started with him throwing up everything he ingested, and that's how they finally caught it—the tumor was pressing against his esophagus, making it impossible for food to pass through. So, it wouldn't be a bad idea to request a chest CT or perhaps an MRI of the head.

Robin Diaz4 😢
I am so incredibly sorry. I honestly thought your dad had finally reached a stable point, even with his weakened immune system; I really believed things were on an upward trend.

Please reach out whenever the initial shock settles down a bit. Take care of yourself and stay strong.

Drew Ward7, there's a very real possibility that the issue has spread toward the brain. It was much the same with my father... we had to administer his anti-nausea medication intravenously or via intramuscular injection. When he took them orally, he absolutely had to take a stomach protector alongside them because, on top of the pressure in his head, he was also dealing with gastritis.
There are several pharmacies around town where you can pick up whatever you need without any hassle. Just keep in mind that if you order something specific through a pharmacy, it unfortunately takes a few days to arrive.
The bigger hurdle is that a specialist needs to officially prescribe the therapy before they'll administer injections.

I’m not sure what stage of treatment he’s currently in, but it is quite possible he might need cranial radiation. If you call 911, they will likely just give him Reglan, which is f***ing useless for nausea of this nature—it won't do a thing if the issue is centered in the brain. You should go straight to the ER; they can run imaging on his head, and if there is swelling, they can administer dexamethasone, which will help reduce the pressure from the lesions and alleviate the nausea.
Send me a private message if you need any help at all...

Robin Diaz4 - I am so incredibly sorry.