Cancer in the Family

You need to call the center for independent living.They can help you get him an aide to come in to help with those things
The number to L.I.F.E is ###-###-#### or 800 948 4824.

I see they have a care giver, but is sick. Is there another caregiver that is able to come? They may want to look into a home health agency or hospice to help Uncle Keith with his daily needs. The agency/hospice works around there schedule. Your Aunt and Uncle can tell them what days and times they need a caregiver. Also if a caregiver gets sick, there is another one that will replace the sick caregiver for that shift. Good luck to you and your family

Hi S.:

Don't really have any advice for you other than to tell you that Esophageal cancer is very serious. Most people don't survive. There will most likely come a time in the near future that the aunt will not be able to care for the uncle. It is a good time for your family to circle the wagons and come up with a plan.

Was surgery never suggested to him? My father had esophageal cancer and they went in and cut out that part of his esophagus and replaced it with a section of his large intestine. He went through chemo before that and is now cancer-free and living a perfectly normal life. He's in his 70's and still goes out and plays tennis several times a week! The surgery was done in Michigan and I could get you the name of the surgeon if you'd like to email me.

P.S. You're from Ohio? I bet you know how to play euchre. I'm from Indiana originally.

First, sorry to hear the news. Your best friend right now is going to be the internet. Just "google" and read everything about it. I'm sure there will be plenty of websites with info and support groups. My mom was recently diagnosed with Cancer. My prayers are with you.

Bless your heart. I know a little about this because I just sat with my Uncle for the last 4 months of his life because he had a stroke on top of having Lung Cancer.. I hope that someone can stay with them around the clock. If not a family member could the family pitch in and hire someone? It is important for them to feel that someone is near them. I can't stress this enough. Even when it gets to the point where they might not know or remember people. When my Uncle first got bad it was like family & friends wanted to remember him as he was BEFORE - not as he was then. He needed contact- any contact so I am going to share with you the poem I wrote to my family... Here goes

A poem to my Family

He’s had a stroke, but he’s not gone
He’s still Here
Just come Near

He has trouble talking, he has trouble walking
He’s still Here
Just come Near

By himself he can not eat
But you can help, just have a seat

As his mind tries to mend, His Body Bend
But He’s still Here
Just come near

Weather it be a card, letter, a phone call or his name in prayer
He’s still here
Just come near

You are in my prayers and I hope this helps.

T. Washington

As another poster said, the American Cancer Society is a great resource. Both to find out information about the cancer, questions to ask and treatment information, as well as caregiver resources. Some local branches also have transportation and services like that. We used them a lot when my father had cancer. Go to www.cancer.org or call 1-800-227-2345. My thoughts and prayers are with your family.

The American Cancer Society has tremendous resources. Their home county should have a branch. Also, their local senior services may have help available. I am from Ohio and have extensive family there. Email me and maybe I can find more info for you. I will be praying. ____@____.com

I am so sorry about your news and the last thing I want to do is scare you, but my grandfather died of esophageal(sp?) cancer. It was 20 years ago, so I am sure they have come a long way in treatment since then(and his was very aggressive). I would check into other care-giver options -they are great about working around your schedule. I will keep her in my prayers(and the rest of your family, too). Do you know how far along it is? You can contact me at ____@____.com if you would like. Take Care.

hi,
so sorry to hear about your family's illnesses. depending on where they live, you should look into the home health care possibilities. after i had my third child i had alot of complications from the c-sec. recovery, and i was unable to hold her or get up, etc...plus i needed "wound care" a few times a day...the doctors office set me up with visiting nurses who came a few times a day to help out...and some of these companies can also send people to help with small errands, house cleaning, etc...best of all, some of it may be covered by their insurance co...good luck to you!

S., this is a terrible thing to deal with, especially when you’re at a distance. If you or your family have never looked into alternative treatment for cancer, I would suggest that you do so. I will be happy to give more detailed advice but will suffice to say here that it is usually caused or manifested because the immune system is not working right. Free radicals are allowed to ravage various weak spots in your body and cancer results. And your aunt certainly has had enough stress to become very run down. Chemo, radiation and prescription drugs are NOT the only answer. We use an excellent product that will build up your immune system. Go to Springboard http://www.springboard4health.com/store/more_whollyimmune... and surf their site. On their home page, scroll down to see nutritional supplements most used in alternative cancer treatments. The particular product we use is called Wholly Immune produced Allergy Research Group. This website has educational information also and a great reputation. By adding this to their diets and taking them off all the prescriptions (that were in actuality making them stay sick), we prevented repeats of the chronic bouts of pneumonia in our very sick Mom and increased cognitive function and reduced blood glucose and blood pressure levels in our Dad. Dad is now paralyzed from a brain injury but his doctor approved this product to be fed through his gastric tube and he is never sick, much to the doctor’s and nurses’ surprise. Our parents have not had cancer, but our nutritionist gave it to them because their immune systems were shot from all the prescriptions and processed food they were taking in. You must treat cancer under the care of a reputable clinician and most M.D.’s don’t know how, but this product is only food and can be taken with anything. The ingredients list is on this page for the doctor to see that it is simply very nutrient-rich food. We used a Naturopath (licensed as a clinical nutritionist because GA didn’t license Nats when he moved here). A clinical nutritionist (NOT a dietician) who can do blood (and other) panels and prescribe supplements can help you but I would check out natural cancer treatment centers to receive a complete picture. Cancer is beatable but most M.D.'s believe that you have to almost destroy the body to treat it. Not so! Someone else mentioned Google – that’s been our lifesaver in the 10 years we have cared for elderly parents and helped many others on the road to total wellness. Do some research as your part in helping them deal with all this devastation and encourage them to find some alternative treatments. Your local health food store sometimes has staff who are trained in referrals and supplements, but stay away from the ones who just have salespeople. Look for only pharmaceutical-grade supplements – good question to ask. That way you have the standardized, purest form of the ingredients that combine the best of science and nature. Some people will tell you that supplements aren’t monitored or standardized but that’s a myth also; some of the good ones do receive patents and approval from the FDA. Keep in touch. I’m here with lots more information. And I will pray.