Don't borrow trouble for yourself by assuming the worst. The likelihood that your symptoms will match up perfectly to those listed in a book, on a website or in a description given by a poster on a message board is tiny. The bottom line is you need a doctor. Don't try to self diagnose.

Put Dr. Google down, it's only going to freak you out. As others have suggested, you should see a GI for a colonoscopy. GI problems can be very difficult to diagnosis, so set your expectations accordingly. It may take some time to get answers and you may have to advocate for yourself. With some docs...

It's easier said than done, but try not to play the guessing game before the scan. Ultimately, the scan will tell you what you need to know and you'll act accordingly. Trying to read the tea leaves now will just stress you out. If all signs point to a good scan and it's bad, you'll feel let down. If...

Most of my Dad's docs treat stage IV as an all bets are off sort of thing. Regular standards don't apply. I think it's a good example of when medicine is more art than science. I don't think this is necessarily a fair generalization, but in my experience PAs tend to be less flexible. I think this ha...

If you ask around, you can probably find a pharmacy or doc's office that would be able to re-direct unused meds. If you end up disposing of the meds, definitely don't just dump them. Where I live, the police department periodically has a collection day where you can bring in unused meds. There's no ...

I haven't read it, but I think it might be great for new caregivers. While it may be basic to the max, that's exactly what many new caregivers need. I think a lot of new caregivers are overwhelmed by how their life changes. In many ways, what happens probably isn't all that surprising, but I doubt m...

This is a little OT, but if you ever wonder how powerful music can be, check out this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKDXuCE7LeQ It shows the impact of music on an alzheimer's patient. The man seems nearly catatonic when you first see him. He's then given an ipod to listen to his favorite musi...

When I saw him he was "drinking his dinner". A friend of mine had a sibling die unexpectedly (he was young and seemingly in good health). The whole family turned to alcohol. Many friends of the family, including me, were concerned because that just seems like a recipe for making it worse,...

So sorry you're going through this. My opinion is probably a little different from some others. I'm just offering my perspective, but ultimately you have to do what you can live with and only you can decide what that entails. I think this sort of situation is very difficult for caregivers because, o...

A lot of what you can expect from a clinical trial depends on the phase of the trial. For example, Phase 1 is very different from Phase 3 because, Phase 1 trials focus on establishing toxicity of a drug whereas Phase 3 is about determining efficacy. The best way to know what to expect from a clinica...

Yellow skin is usually a sign of jaundice, which would be concerning. But usually the yellowing skin would be all over, not just one part of the body. Have you looked at the whites of your husband's eyes? If it's jaundice, the white of the eye would turn yellow. I think it would be reasonable to ask...

I'll be interested to hear how it goes for you, Ashlee. Sweet has got to be better than metallic. Apparently there is some clinical research being conducted. One study suggested the tablet works for about 70% of chemo patients who experience the metallic taste. Here's some more info: http://blogs.sc...

This is sorta random, but a friend of mine is a biochemist, we were talking about cool things in biochemistry and she mentioned something called Miraculin. It's basically a natural sugar substitute that can turn sour tasting things into sweet tasting things. Miraculin itself doesn't taste like anyth...

So sorry you're going through all this. Seems like you've been hit with a lot of things all at once. Hopefully the docs will have good ways to address each issue. Good memory, yes, my Dad has had bile duct stents. What do you want to know about it? Overall, it's fairly safe and provides good tempora...

How long have you had these symptoms? It could be a partial obstruction. One thing that might help is eating a low residual diet. But check in with your GI or oncologist because they can tell you if it's obstruction or something else