Stage 4

My husband was diagnoised in March of 2005 with stomach cancer.  He had been told by his other Dr. for a year it was an ulcer and no deffentive test were ever run.  My husband couldn't have his stomach removed and the cancer has invaded the wall of his stomach, and instine.  He has been a good canidate for chemo, and his blood work is usually good.  In June of 2007 he had developed a blockage in his lower bowel and they bypassed the tumor (which they had to leave in), and now he is back in the hospital with the same symtoms, of which he can't keep anything down and lost 7 lbs within 4 days. His Oncologist said the last CT Scan showed that fluid is starting to go around not in his lungs.  Does anyone know if this is the very last stages of this disease?  I guess I still feel there is so much hope and more things than can be done.

Thanking anyone with some help in advance.

Sorry to hear about your husband.  I thinks stage 4 that is a last stage.  My father passed away last month Dec 3, 07 as my father stage 3, he had a tumo blockage his stomach to intensitive, the surgery was not sucessful, when doctor removed a tumo 2.5 x 2.5mm and 3 out of 5 lymp nodes,  when my father got pain as the food did not go down, it made my father stomach got bigger.  We felt so sad and bad, if doctor told my father about this situation.  He told us he did not know when he was surgery and biopsy.  We felt we made a mistake did not find 2 or 3 oncology doctors for seconds opinions to save my father.  If he can live couples year, we will be happy.  My father 66 year old very healthy and still worked.  Try to let your husband eat the warm soup, lightly like chicken soup, milk, When a surgery did not sucessful, fluid came out everyday, I believed it came out to my father lung, and blockage.  Spend much times with your husband.  Try some Honey, I heard it helps to someone had a stomach cancer, but you have to used the natural Honey.

http://www.manukahoneyusa.com/ http://www.benefitofmanukahoney.com/

http://www.dr-gonzalez.com/regimen.htm
I pray for your husband.

Hello! I hope today finds your family as well as can be! How are things with your husband?  Have the doctors said anything after the readmittance to the hospital. I'm so sorry you, your husband, and your family  are having to deal with this bastard of a disease.  I lost my father to stomach cancer in Nov 2007. A lot of his problems were fluid build up, not being able to eat, etc.  I would not know if your husband is in the last stage, as my father was already Stage 4 when he was diagnosed, but I would find out from the doctor if they have made any changes to his prognosis.  Just stage wise, as you might be able to explore different approaches to his treatment to help him (i.e. tube feeding, etc) Keep your head up!

 

On 12/30/2007 tripid wrote:

My husband was diagnoised in March of 2005 with stomach cancer.  He had been told by his other Dr. for a year it was an ulcer and no deffentive test were ever run.  My husband couldn't have his stomach removed and the cancer has invaded the wall of his stomach, and instine.  He has been a good canidate for chemo, and his blood work is usually good.  In June of 2007 he had developed a blockage in his lower bowel and they bypassed the tumor (which they had to leave in), and now he is back in the hospital with the same symtoms, of which he can't keep anything down and lost 7 lbs within 4 days. His Oncologist said the last CT Scan showed that fluid is starting to go around not in his lungs.  Does anyone know if this is the very last stages of this disease?  I guess I still feel there is so much hope and more things than can be done.

Thanking anyone with some help in advance.

 

There is always hope. I'm going through the same thing. My husband is only 38 (i'm 29). He started out with a 'golf ball' sized obstruction in his small intestine. After doing the bowel resection surgery around Christmas 2007, they diagnosed him with cancer. It is a rare cancer (adenocarcinoma) of the small intestine. He started chemo ( 5-FU, cisplatin, etc) all with no success. He went from 210 lbs. to 140 lbs in about 9 months. Recently, we were told that the cancer has spread into the stomach and it is inoperable and incurable. They offered us a Hospice service where they will manage his pain as I watch him die. I told them NO I will not rest until we try something.....anything! I believe we will still beat this and your husband will too. Doctors love to say things like that when they are stumped. But our husbands will be the exception.

We will seek a third, fourth, and fifth opinion if we have to. Avastin may be good in decreasing tumors of the intestine. We are currently trying that chemo treatment just so he is able to eat. Its only been four days but he is keeping things down.

Please dont give up, get another opinion if you have to. I need someone ....anyone going through this crap to stay as strong as possible. Because reading these messages give me hope and inspiration.

Thank you very much for your reply.  Your husband is so young!  Was he ever in the military, and if so, overseas?  I would be interested to know that. 

They had David on Avastin also, but he got worse and I had to hospitalize him over New Years, along with the same day I had to put my dad in the hospital, he had a small stroke.  Lucky for me they were both in the same hospital. 

If you would like to correspond further I am on Yahoo Messenger as Sheila Horonetz or momsbirds.  My e-mail is

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David has become so weak from the chemo.  I have cut back working to 3 days a week.  He has also become very quiet.  Hospice has not been mentioned yet, but our Dr. did say there will come a time when he will no longer respond to chemo.  I can only trust God's will, but sometimes it is so hard.

God bless the two of you.

Sheila