On 4/28/2008
Frandrick wrote:
Hi -
I'm posting for my husband who has colon cancer stage IV with mets to the liver. He now has partial bowel obstruction due to tumors that grew in his small intestines. And his doctor said the tumors cannot be operated because of the quantity and location. And only chemo is the only option to treat this. I wanted to see if there are anyone out there who has gone through this or if you know of anyone and if the chemo treated the partial obstruction and how long before they've seen improvement with their obstruction. My husband has gone through his second chemo since we found out that he had partial obstruction in March. He's running out of patience and have suffered a while. I just want to know if it will get better.
A lot to cope with. I am sorry your husband is in this predicament. I had a bowel obstruction because of adhesions after surgery to remove the primary cancer in the sigmoid colon. However this is different from your husbands situation.
The first thing I am thinking is, where in the small intestine are the tumours? And are they polyps or large tumours? When I have my colonoscopies done the colonoscopist sometimes goes past the ileo cecal valve and looks into the ileum. An experienced colonoscopist should be able to remove polyps in the lower ileum during a colonoscopy.And likewise I would have thought if they are in the upper part of the small intestine going via an endoscope through the stomach might be possible.. So knowing exactly where the tumours are, what size they are and if they are definitely cancerous is important information to know. And has radiation been recommended? I would have thought this option might be explored as well but you must find out the risks entailed and consider this.
I would also get a second third and fourth opinion. Different sugeons recommend different things. Get a copy of the scans and medical reports and send them off to somewhere like the Mayo Clinic for an urgent assessment and advice. Another surgeon might be able to remove the tumours. And also advise on different treatments for the liver tumour. I think it is essential you go to a large cancer center which has top of the range treatments available and see what they can offer.
Does your husband have a hereditary condition called FAP or HNPCC? The first one causes lots of polyps to grow usually in the colon and the second one which I have can also cause more polyps and can have an effect on the sort of chemo that is given. Has he been tested for hereditary conditions?
Time if of the essense. Don't feel bound to this one doctors advice and control. It is your husbands life at stake and I think you must get as many opinions as possible as soon as possible.
I went on the CAAT diet to control my cancer thru the A P John Cancer Institute and shrunk a recurrence with no drugs!!. But you must be very careful if there is a bowel obstruction already and juice the vegetables and I would recommend that you puree the other foods allowed on diet. This treatment has good success rate and costs about 900 dollars a month. It is based on the biochemistry of cancer cells and starves them of nutrients. It is good science and not alternative medicine as such.It can used with chemo.
Please look into the this but as i said you must be careful when there is a bowel obstruction but i did it with problems with an obstruction and it still worked!! I now have my next scan in about 10 days and am hoping the recurrence is still on the run. .
Good luck and all the best,
Hadassah.