Stage Iv Stomach Cancer Mets To Spine, Adrendal & Lymph Nodes

Hi. I've spent the morning reading the posts on this site and have found them to be both helpful and supportive.

On 9/14/06 my 65 y/o husband Ray was diagnosed with Stage IV Adenocardenoma of the stomach with mets to several spinal locations, right adrendal gland and several lymph nodes in the stomach. Complicating things, the mets cancer to the spine deteriorated the C2 to the point it has fractured. Ray underwent 9 radiation treatments to the C2. These treatments made him really nauseous. He rested a week from radiation and began chemo last Monday. Every 21 days he will be infused with Cisplatin and Epirubicin. He also wears an infusion pump with 5 Fluorouracil M-F. These treatments have intensified the nausea. Ray basically hasn't eaten since the diagnosis began, and especially the radiation and chemo treatments started. He has lost 25 lbs in 5 weeks and is extremely weak, to the point it is challenging simply to get him to the bathroom. The drs have him on Zofran and Phenergan (both tablets & suppositories). Home nurse came yesterday & today for IV fluids, IV Zofran and IV steroids to help alleviate the nausea. Nothing seems to help very much. I think it's time for the hospital so they can give IV nutrients and find something that will alleviate the nausea. He can't go on like this for long. The dr has already said that he doesn't think he will restart the chemo on Monday and is looking at adjusting the dosage. Has anyone else experienced this level of nausea and total inability to keep food down or even very little fluids? The drs want to put him in a halo brace for the fractured C2. Right now he is in a Minerva brace or cervical collar. I'm afraid he is too weak to undergo the surgery for a halo and would then have much difficulty with the extra weight and balance issues of a halo. Any thoughts? I feel so helpless while watching him go through this. Thanks for any help.

Hello, My 68 yr old Mother was diagnosed with stage IV stomach cancer about the same time as your husband. Her mets are all throughout the abdomen and to several lymph nodes. She had her chemo of cysplatin and epirubicin last Wednesday and was supposed to start Xeloda on Thursday. Her nausea is also very bad and has hardly eaten or drank anything since Wed pm. We had to stop the Xeloda after one day. She is on Phenergan and Ativan for nausea (oral), but all she does is sleep. Surgery is not possbible since it's so widespread. There has been no talk of radiation. We hope with every passing day that the nausea will subside, but it doesn't. I am sure that she will be receiving IV fluids soon. I guess I am not much help to you, but at least I know that my Mother is not the only one so sick. You're right, it's awful to feel so helpless and not know what to do. Is there anything that your husband wants to eat? Is there anyone out there has actually been through this? Help!

Buckoo(wayne)
My thoughts and Prayers are with you as you struggle with this dreadful disease. I have just signed on to-day, for the first time, after losing my wife of 21 years to stomach cancer four weeks ago. I won't go into too much personal detail about Carol as I have posted. Suffice to say all of us, who have posted a personal message, are dealing with Cancer and the toll it takes, on the person it attacks, the loved ones and families. It wrecks havoc on every-one and all we can do is go try and go on with the best medial care available, support, hope and Prayer that there will be a positive outcome and if not, a peaceful and gentle passing of the loved one.

I am so very sorry for your loss. I will not begin to try to understand your pain, but please know that you will be in my thoughts and prayers and I will pray for the healing of your pain.

Brenda,
I wanted to let you know that I was on the exact same chemo as your mother. It has helped a bit with the stomach cancer. An upper GI showed improvement, but it has spread to the adrenal gland too.

I never had much nausea as they gave me Emend to take the day I started chemo and for two days after. It truly helped. I had ativan that I took as needed, too.

They had to stop by chemo after 5 treatments (15 weeks) due to side effects, but at least it helped give me more time!!

I hope your mother is feeling better and able to eat and engage in some quality activities. Quality of life is so important to us at this time.

Blessings,
Marlene

Don S.

I wanted to respond to your message. I had the same symptoms as you. Fatigue, belly ache, fullness and pain whenever I ate more than a few bites of food. They did THREE endoscopies before they found that I had linitis plastica. The last endoscopy was an ultrasound-endoscopy and they took deeper biopsies. Linitis Plastica is very hard to diagnos. It was very frutrating. One doctor told me that a simple upper GI would have shown the cancer months before too.

I have been on a chemo of cisplatin, epirubicin and Xeloda. They had to stop at 5 treatsments (I was scheduled for 6) due to side effects, but an upper GI just showed improvement. I know it's just a matter of time (for all of us, I guess), but I'm feeling optomistic...

Take good care
Marlene

Thank you Marlene, for your kind and encouraging words. You just do not know what it means to me to hear of someone else suffering the same. Mom was doing better until Tuesday. She began to have severe pain in her chest, back, and right arm. Thankfully it is not cardiac, but unfortunately it just the cancer. They did drain fluid from ther abdomen and she feels better, but now her white and red blood cell counts are down and she is sill in the hospital. Hopefully, she will come home on Monday.
I am glad to hear that you did not have much nausea. They gave Mom the Emend too, but I'm not sure she took it early enough the day of her first treatment.
I will pray that you will continue to have good days and many, many blessings
Brenda