Father Is Declining

Hi all,

I just found this message board and it seems to be a great resource. My father was diagnosed with PC in April and is inoperable. The tumor is wrapped around arteries, so no surgery. He has completed a round of radiation and is now awaiting treatment of Gemzar. We are scheduled for 4 months of Gemzar, with 3 weeks on and 1 week off. 

 He's lost a good deal of weight and can only drink glucerna (he's also diabetic, but we've stopped insulin). He's lost more than 30 lbs. His pain has been bad and he's tried everything from Darvocet, Loratab, Fetanyl patch, and now Morphine. 

 Last night he started throwing up and is extremely weak. We're considering taking him off the morphine b/c of the vomiting but I know that his pain will be unbearable. So here are my questions:

1. Does anyone think the morphine is causing the vomiting and should I switch him back to Loratab?

2. I have no idea of what's going to lie ahead. Will Gemzar help or actually make him worse. He is so weak that we are concerned that the Gemzar will affect him negatively. 

3. Is morphine the beginning of the end?

Any advice would be helpful. I know each person is different and reacts differently to treatment, but at this point and time I'm just grasping at straws. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Tara,

Thank you for your reply.

We took my father off of the patch, b/c of the horrible side effects and he is strictly on morphine, but we are considering just putting him back on loratab which was not the most effective at relieving his pain. So, he's just on morphine now. 

Thanks for your words.

Willieb93,

Sorry, meant your father, not your husband.

Joan 

On 7/4/2008 willieb93 wrote:

Hi all,

I just found this message board and it seems to be a great resource. My father was diagnosed with PC in April and is inoperable. The tumor is wrapped around arteries, so no surgery. He has completed a round of radiation and is now awaiting treatment of Gemzar. We are scheduled for 4 months of Gemzar, with 3 weeks on and 1 week off. 

 He's lost a good deal of weight and can only drink glucerna (he's also diabetic, but we've stopped insulin). He's lost more than 30 lbs. His pain has been bad and he's tried everything from Darvocet, Loratab, Fetanyl patch, and now Morphine. 

 Last night he started throwing up and is extremely weak. We're considering taking him off the morphine b/c of the vomiting but I know that his pain will be unbearable. So here are my questions:

1. Does anyone think the morphine is causing the vomiting and should I switch him back to Loratab?

2. I have no idea of what's going to lie ahead. Will Gemzar help or actually make him worse. He is so weak that we are concerned that the Gemzar will affect him negatively. 

3. Is morphine the beginning of the end?

Any advice would be helpful. I know each person is different and reacts differently to treatment, but at this point and time I'm just grasping at straws. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Hi willieb93 sorry your father has cancer. I know, what I’m going to tell you will help you and your Dad  as it’s not only helping me but other  prostrate cancer Patients here  I live in Queensland Australia. A few other prostrate cancer patients. Including My self, have had good results with  taking 1000 mg tablets of vitamin BI-O C I take two 1000mg tablet at ever meal time. That 6000mg of vitamin C a day) I get them here from Big W super market. I don’t know if you can get them from the drug store. IV been told by my GP that the Vitamin C can be taken with chemo one of the cancer patients had a PSA of 300 mine was only 9.8. We have also been getting good results from eating the fruit Pawpaw it more power full in the capsule form you can order them from the net, or see if your local drug store caries them

Sounds like your father might have MDR (multiple drug-resistant) cancer cells) because most tumors contain a small percentage, approximately 2%, of multiple drug-resistant cells (MDR cells). Chemo is not effective against these cells. After the first round of chemo, if the chemo is effective, all of the cells that are not MDR are destroyed. Since this accounts for the vast majority of the tumor mass, the tumor will appear to be effectively destroyed. However, the MDR cells remain and start to multiply. Eventually, a new tumor is formed that is entirely MDR. The next time chemo is used, none of the cells will be destroyed because they are all MDR. Pawpaw is the only cancer treatment that has shown effectiveness against MDR cancer cells. I thought Gemzar  was use for the treatment of  advanced ovarian cancer I’m was also on Saw palmetto to help me empty  my bladder but now I don’t need Saw palmetto  any more. I hope this helps God bless you and your Dad Take care Ray