Oh my. I'm so sorry your friend has all this to deal with. But please remember it's his call about if his daughter should know. It seems pretty clear from your post that he doesn't want her involved. He's had plenty of time to consider this. I know you may have other ideas, but he's trusted you with this private information. Please don't go against his wishes. He needs friends right now. He'll have his reasons for dealing with things this way. 

Regards, gamechanger

Hi there ... I worked in a couple of care homes years ago ... One thing always surprised me ... I'd finish a shift for a couple of days thinking someone was really near the end ... And just taking sips of water and hardly breathing ... Came back after couple of days and remember the lady was sitting up in bed eating toast ... But another one who looked o.k had died ... 

It's so hard ... I would no matter how hard just live in the day ... If we had a Cristal ball but then would we really want one?   Chrissie x

It's great that you've respected his decision to not contact his daughter.  None of us ever know what has really gone on in other people's families.

As for how long he's got, there genuinely is no way of saying.  From what you've said it sounds like he would possibly die of malnutrition before anything else.

My friend was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer 18 years ago now.  She is still with us, has had two children since that prognosis and is living a very active life.  Another friend died within months of discovering she had a similar brain tumour.

Sadly all you can do is ask your friend what his prognosis is.  Even then it could be way out.

Sorry that's not much help :|

LJx

Hi Chriss, thank you for taking time to reply.  I appreciate you sharing your experience, and I gotta say our friend Frank is experiencing exactly what you are describing.  Some days he is visibly fatigued, and other days he is more energetic and wants to go on a walk.  One thing we have noticed about Frank is that if he is in pain or not feeling well, he tries to push himself to be even more active (like a man who uses a walker tries to excercise and do push-ups!!). Nowadays he just wants to live sooooo much.

Knowing his condition, is Frank doing himself more harm by pushing himself physically to move and excercise?  

As for his eating, Frank still has cravings for different types of food.  He takes pills 30 mins before eating which he says helps him digest his meal, and in most cases he still throws up his meal and says it feels like he is throwing up his entire stomach in the process (food, blood, mucus,etc).

The other day he says he feels the end is near, which broke our hearts.  It turns out Frank was diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer (secondary to lungs, and likelyto other areas) 2 yrs ago (not one) and given 6 months to live.  Although he is still able to eat some and move around, is it possible for his condition to get worse very suddenly.  If so, what are some possible signs/symptoms we should be looking for?  Should we be looking into hospice care soon?

Thank you again for any input/opinions you may have on our situation