Hi Kellidavid and thanks for posting,

It sounds like you are having a worrying time at the moment.

There can be many reasons why your dad's chemo has not started, but because we are not part of your dad's care team we cannot tell you why this may be.  Chemotherapy can weaken the immune system. If someone has an infection or their wound hasn't healed following surgery then chemotherapy would be delayed until they have recovered.

We have some information on our website about bowel cancer here which you may find helpful.

It is hard when people tell staff who are caring for them not to tell their family what is going on.  Perhaps you could speak to your dad when you visit him, and ask him what is happening, or if he does not want to talk about it, ask if he could consider allowing the staff to do this for him. 

Hopefully you have support from other members of your family or some close friends.  I'm not sure where in the country you are, but often hospitals have a Macmillan hub or Maggie's centre that can offer support and information to people who have relatives being treated for cancer. 

Please get back to us if you need any more information or support.  You may find it helpful to talk things through with one of the nurses on our helpline.  The number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.

Take care,

Rachel