Hi,
The first thing that pops into my mind is that he may be having diarrhea because he is getting blocked. I know that sounds contrary to what seems logical, but before my treatments for rectal cancer, I would have bouts of diarrhea and then bouts of small, almost constipated like bms. Do you know what stage the tumor is at? How big & where it is located?
Normally, a person would try Immodium, but I would hesitate to say that it would be a good idea without talking with his doctor. If his tumor is restricting his bm and the only way he can have one is a diarrhea like one, then you would hate to "plug him up". You can try the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) but it all depends on WHY he is having the diarrhea.
I know that it seems hard to accept your dad's decision regarding radiation & chemo, but he is the one to have to make that decision. I would strongly suggest, however, that you try and tell your father to read some of the posts here about the treatments. While I am not saying that they are a piece of cake, they aren't as bad as some.
A lot of people have preconceived notions about cancer treatment. We hear about people having chemo treatments where they lose all their hair, are in bed all the time or in the bathroom throwing up and while those scenarios do happen, they ususally don't happen with the chemo for rectal cancer. There is an oral form of chemo called Xeloda that is easy to take and has very little side effects. It is the same formula that the infusion chemo is. Many colorectal cancer patients also get infused with Oxaliplatin which can cause some unpleasant side effects such as tingling in the fingers/toes and sensitivity to cold, etc. However, in the case of your father (and I am not saying this is the way it would be) the oncologist might very well say that he doesn't need to take that drug. The 5FU (Xeloda) has been the mainstay for colorectal cancer for many years and works well on its own. I tried one infusion of the oxaliplatin and had an immediate severe reaction so was unable to take it any longer. I did 6 cycles of Xeloda and only experienced mild side effects. Fatigue would be the worst & even that was relieved with a nap. Other side effects were easily managed and included diarrhea usually once a day which I controlled with one immodium and an over the counter lactobacillus pill to help replenish the good bacteria that our colons need to function.
Radiation is not that hard and again the symptoms can be manageable. The course of a 5-6 week treatment CAN (not always) become unpleasant after about the 3rd week or so. However, I did not get burned and controlled the very mild stomach ache by certain foods and the over the counter pills I mentioned above.
You should also let your father know that should he choose not to go the entire course of treatment, surgery, etc. that most doctors will at least do some radiation for palliative care. It's my understanding that this type of radiation is not as long of a course and would still have some benefit of shrinking the tumor. Obviously there is never any guarantee that any radiation (be it a short course or longer one) will shrink the tumor, but I believe the percentage of people who get at least a 50% decrease in their tumor is somewhere around 75%. Keep in mind that the majority of rectal cancer patients are older (over 55+) so those statistics are not solely based on younger, relatively strong patients. If your father would do some radiation along with the Xeloda, the benefits are increased.
Please don't misunderstand - I am NOT saying that the radiation will cure this. For patients who undergo the 5-6 week course AND the chemo at the same time, there is a 25% that the cancer will be eradicated-and even then doctors recommend surgery.
I can't stress enough that your father should at least entertain the idea that the treatments might help him. It doesn't sound as though he is doing very well right now with all the problems and it just MIGHT be something he would want to consider.
Really, he should talk to an oncologist & the radiation onclogist about what treatments they might offer. If he is unwilling to do surgery, then he needs to be open and up front about that. Maybe knowing that there is an oral form of chemo might make him feel a little bit easier about the whole process. As I said, I couldn't take the other chemo drug, did the 5-6 weeks of chemoradiation, 6 more cycles of Xeloda and my tumor was completely eradicated based on the pathology report. The chances that your father will see some relief from a modified regime are pretty good. Without anything, the tumor will continue to grow, probably make him uncomfortable & unfortunately spread to other parts of his body.
I don't mean to seem detached or cruel, but rather I want to dispel some of the myths of cancer treatment and maybe give you and/or your father some hope and encouragement.
Jaynee