My dad has cancer. Need to know more.

[boxman]

Hello everyone, my name is Alan and my dad, Humberto, was just diagnosed with Stage III Colon cancer around the beginning of November 2013. He went through an open colectomy towards the end of November and he is recovering now. We are about to start chemo around January 2nd 2014... I am the oldest (24) in our small family of 5. My mom Sandra, my two sisters, Genny (22) and Janett (15) are all in awe about this stupid disease... I want to be as informed as possible to help my father, and my family, feel better as we go through this horrid path... My father is going to start 12 cycles of FOLFAX in January. I wanted to see how other's experiences have been. What are your recommendations when it comes to pain management, time, and anything else you can think of? What to do when the breadwinner can no longer work...? Life management? Any advice would help... Thank you.

- Alan

[rogerhansen]

Alan,

Im sorry this is happening to your dad, its a tough time in all of your lives. Cancer doesn't just affect the person that has it, it affects his or her entire circle of influence. I am currently going through the treatments myself, and I am the bread winner for my small family. It's my wife, my oldest son who is 4 and youngest son who is 2, and me. I am willing to answer any specific questions you may have. As fsr as the ones you have asked I have been using Tylenol for pain management, and being the bread winner I have been working as much as I can, sometimes overduing it, but you do what you have to, to survive. If you think of anything else feel free to email me i would be glad to get more specific with you and help where i can, feel free to email me at RLHansen83@gmail.com. Good luck

[Lee]

Hi Alan,

WELCOME, sorry for the reason you are here. You have joined a wonderful site for help and support. I was diagnosed with stage III rectal cancer almost 10 yrs ago. I too took FOLFOX, it's not that bad, side effects are accumulative, so keep watching for possible reaction and keep Onc informed.

The best thing your dad can do now is walk even of it's just around the house.. It really does help in the healing process and decrease pain issues.

You will find a lot of help info on this site, so just start looking at all the threads.

Lee

[Marian1961]

I landed here the middle of Sept. The "search" feature at the top of the page is your friend. There is a ton of info on the site and wonderful people to answer questions. I am a caregiver, not a patient, but my brother handled FOLFOX pretty well. Fatigue was the biggest issue. He worked most days. I wish the best for you and your family.