Hello, I find myself here after finding out my dad has advanced bowel cancer following a biopsy after a kidney operation.
He collapsed back at the beginning of May and was admitted to his local hospital suffering with severe anaemia and bleeding from his back passage. He ended up in hospital until the end of August, received a total of 7 units of blood in this time. Many investaigations later (but not a colonoscopy that they said they were going to do) they attempted 3 operations on his kidneys to no avail.
He was transferred to hospital for a last chance operation. The Consultant told us that when he opened him up it looked like a bomb had detonated inside him so took a biopsy which the results came back in October. On 18th November we were told he has approximately 6-8 weeks left.
He finally came home on 26th November. He has been bed bound since 24th September and has weakened so very much, especially in the last few weeks. He hasn’t eaten since last Friday and is barely drinking now either. He finally had a syringe driver fitted on Wednesday which is making him more comfortable but nothing is stopping his dreadful sickness and nausea. It’s heartbreaking to see him waste away, he has some good moments where his sense of humour shines through but there are also many tears. I had never seen my dad cry until the day he was told he has cancer.
Back in March he was finally signed off from his heart consultant in Oxford after 7 years of problems including 2 heart op’s. He and mum were planning a holiday now that he had a clean bill of health.... Just weeks later our nightmares became a reality. Even at the beginning of September they spoke about going away next year once dad’s kidneys had recovered from his forthcoming operation. He had been told he would probably be in hospital for 8-10 days following op for recovery, over two months later he came home essentially just to die. Mum and I are really hoping and praying he will be here for both Christmas and my eldest son’s birthday on New Years Eve but it feels wrong and selfish to have such hopes when it will only prolong his pain.
I’m finding things very difficult right now despite the fact that two of my good friends both lost their dads to cancer within the last five years. This is very reminiscent of when my father-in-law died from prostrate cancer 19 years ago. We were told on Boxing Day 1999 that he wouldn’t last the week but he held on to see my sons first birthday and died on 6th January 2000.
