Evening, my father has been battling bowel cancer (primary) and liver cancer (secondary) for about 3 years now. Initially he went through chemotherapy and the liver cancer shrunk. The bowel lesions, however, seemed to remail. After various months / scans, he went through radiotherapy, with a chemo pill. Again the liver seemed to be fine but the bowel didn’t fully. Fast forward to 5 weeks ago where he was admitted for surgery to have part of his bowel removed and a stoma fitted.
The surgeons / consultants continue to say, the initial operation went well. But he needed further surgery 2 weeks into his stay to repair a leak and all this time (5ish weeks) he hasn’t eaten, been on feeding tube, and saline / hydration, as well as insulin due to being a type one diabetic from teenager. He can’t eat without throwing up and I’m getting really worried.
My father is an ex professional football and has always kept good health, but I see him in hospital now with a broken mind because he’s so tired of the slow progress in recovery. The doctors are monitoring him closely, but I’m fearing the worst.
Everything I’ve read seems to suggest he should be home recovering now, but that seems like a long way a way. I suppose my question is, is the slow recovery normal for a 70 year old man. Has the chemo / radio therapy damaged his immune system that much that progress is nigh on nil. I am trying to be strong for my mother who goes in every day to hospital. But I am at a loss what optimism and positivity I can offer. Is there hope for any sort of recovery :(
