Hi, very briefly I lost a Brother at age 46 (diagnosed at 44) to primary bowel, secondary liver cancer. My surviving Brother was diagnosed with same primary bowel a year or so later which some 7 years later we thought had been successfully treated and in remission. Last year we received the horrendous news from him that somehow it gone to the liver and 'hidden there' for some years being undiscovered by all his annual check ups and tests etc. From there it had moved onto his lungs too where he has several in each lung. He was advised there was 'no cure' and 'no surgery' or anythign like that... however he could perhaps manage its progress (in his head even halt it indefinitely) with a new regime of chemotherapy at 3 weekly intervals. Nearly a year later all that's happened in reality is he has become sicker and weaker through the chemo; fallen foul to the hideousness that has turned out to be extreme Mucositis and for some months now has barely eaten a morsel or drunk a thing. He has been in and out of hospital because of the mucositis and just late onset of extreme breathing problems and infections.

As his family, and having gone through this once before with our other Brother we recognise a lot of things only too well now. Myself and my sisters feel 'he hasn't got long now' in all honesty, though it would appear nobody has yet broached this with him directly (and we certainly haven't).  We have numerous emotional, logistical, financial, practical and 'family political' issues all revolving around this too at the same time and the whole thing is a living nightmare for those of us trying to help him, love and support him when he is the least forthcoming person you could ever meet in terms of 'himself'. He is just wonderful to everyone else:)

In every aspect of his treatment since diagnosis he seems to keep falling through various cracks and we keep finding things out 'after the fact', things like stuff he has been entitled to even etc. His first visit from a McMillan nurse was nearly a year later when someone asked how regularly he saw his and we advised he didn't have one. Same with district nurse, same with things to do with prescriptions, same with information on other stuff too.

I'd like to probably post in various areas of the forum once i've read through some more and become familiar etc, as there are so many things i'd like advice on perhaps (for myself and my sisters) and dont know where to begin.  For the moment though, thank you for reading this far and thanks in anticipation. x