Hi Lynneco, so sorry for what you and your Dad are going through.  I know how frustrating it feels when decisions are taken regarding our loved ones and we are left in the dark.  I nursed my mum when she was dying of cancer and I had to get a bit forceful with her Oncologist and practically demand to know what was going on with my mother, and he told me the truth:  Her cancer had spread so far that there was no treatment that could save her...........naturally I was devastated, but I needed to know the truth........maybe you should ask your Dad's consultant for the truth?  Take care, Violet, x

Hello Lynneco,

                       sorry to hear of the distress you are going through,feeling that you have not been made aware of the reasons behind the facts is no help.

You do not say how much chemo your dad has had to date,but l would assume a fair amount.Given that its effects are cumalative its possible that a break was needed to allow for his body to regain strength before more treatment.It maybe that his current treatment has reached its limit of usefulness,and monitoring it will show if it has been effective or a different treatment is required..l am no expert just a previous recipient ,but it occurs to me that you cannot switch immediately from one strong drug to another without there being some kind of conflict between the two,so the four month hiatus may allow for the first treatment to degrade and leave his system to a lower level where a switch could be made,,remember it will still be working until gradually falling away..First hand experience has shown me these chemo drugs take you right to the edge of what you can tolerate.

You could try contacting your consultants secretary and make her aware of your ignorance as why things are happening,my experience is that consultants can be busy and assume everyone knows of their skills and why they are doing such a thing.His secretary has a more human outlook and may well be able to supply a suitable response to your questions.Another option is to call the nurses whose phone number is on this site,they may well be able to help your understanding a little more

l hope you are able to get some answers and that your dads condition stabilises over the coming  months,

                  Take care,

                                     David