Here is my story. My husband is a 48 yr old white male,who was diagnosed on October 15, 2003. He lost 35 lbs, was choking on food all the time, his hemoglobin had plummeted to 5.6, and was continually belching. He had radiation for 6 weeks and also two types of chemotherapy, 5FU and Sysplatin. His tumor was from the esophogus into the stomach and took up about 1/4 of the stomach. On February 5th, 2004 he had the surgery, they let him drink 4 days after the surgery but the surgical site was leaking and he got sepsis and had emergency on February 14th and almost died. For the next 80 days he was in a drug induced coma and got sepsis one more time - all in all it is a miracle he is alive today. He had 5 chest tubes, a trachaetomy and lost 50 lbs. When he began in May of 2003 he weighed 227 and is not at 129.5.
On May 10th 2004 he came home, barely able to use a walker, mostly bed bound, on tube feedings during evening hours (and still is)and was having a hard time just moving, and had various infections. In the hospital he had been on every antibiotic known to man including Ampetericin B (hope I spelled it correctly) which was a last resort. He had many infections including his blood getting infected. He had pneumonia for the whole 95 days in the hospital.
My question is, since he has been home one of his chest tube areas began leaking pus. They put him on an antibiotic for 10 days, but then about 2 weeks later he got an abcess along the same side. They lanced it, did not put him back on antibiotics and we have been packing it for the past month. Now, a few days ago, his feeding tube incision began have a sticky, white thick substance coming out of it and the side incision of his surgery began oozing pus and I pushed out about 1/4 cup of brownish white thick pus. There is no odor and he has no fever. It has now been almost 2 months since he has been home and he has this infection this whole time. I am afraid that in his hindered condition that this might just do him in. We are having another Petscan on Friday to see where the cancer is since there was still some in the lymph nodes after surgery.
He feels sick all the time, has a minimul appetite (has lost 11 pounds since he has come home although is getting 2000 calories a day with his evening tube feedings). I am at the end of my rope.
Has anyone else been through this? If so, what worked if anything.