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Colon Cancer Diary
 This journal was written by a caregiver. My late husband, Charlie, was diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of 43, and the journey was very long & difficult.
Perhaps our story will help someone realize how important truth and honesty can be from your medical provider and even more important is "proper pain management". No one should have to tolerate lies and deception from their doctor nor suffer thru the pain than happened here.
There are lawsuits these days about lack of proper pain management. Families are now coming forward and showing the world that there is a need for compassion and a need for good pain medication, regardless of the legal issues that exist concerning drug abuse or overdose. The terminally ill should be treated with love, respect and dignity.
The chemo used for colon cancer is nearly 50 years old (5fu) and the newest one (cpt11) has been very harsh and being researched for lower dosage; it's not really doing anything but buying a couple of months of life, but is it "quality life" - my husband refused cpt because he chose "quality".
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We met when we were 16 and through all the years, he never went to a doctor; he was never sick & so those annual checkups that most have just seemed needless.
He and his brother started a business together in 1988 and on Christmas Eve 1996 they took the crew to dinner, and when he got home that evening he was experiencing severe abdominal pain. Trying the usual pepto and such did not bring any relief. He worried about food poisoning from the restaurant, thought about those stomach viruses going around, & hoped it would clear up soon. But it continued, and he began vomiting. This went on for a few days and the pain was still there.
By New Year's Eve he agreed to visit the ER, where they found him really dehydrated, gave him fluids, and ran an ultrasound & some Xrays. The doctor advised he see his family physician right away, as something showed up that needed immediate attention.
Our PCP, Dr. Ingram, referred Charlie to a surgeon while advising this could be cancer. Dr. Ingram and Charlie were good friends from high school & could talk very openly about his fears of doctors, hospitals, "needles". The thought of surgery really scared the hell out of him. We met the surgeon, Dr. Harris, in the ER where he was on duty that evening. After many questions, bloodwork, and such, he suggested a rectal exam to check for blood in the stool but NO WAY was my husband ready for this intrusion. More scans and xrays showed a very large mass, which was either solid or fluid. Thus the idea of a CT guided needle biopsy thru which a drainage tube was placed & worn for a few days. The first radiologist sent Charlie back to his room, due to his own fear of puncturing the colon, so the procedure was rescheduled with another radiologist the next day.
I sat outside the door during the procedure, heard him scream as the needle entered his belly, after which they allowed me to come in and talk. The tube ran down his leg, attached to a bag to catch the fluid which would be monitored.
We went home with instructions to measure and empty the bad daily, which had a most disgusting stench, and was most difficult to handle.
We soon learned that the biopsy was "lost". The mass appeared to be solid since so little fluid was draining into the bag. Dr. Harris wanted to do a Colonoscopy to get a better idea of what we were dealing with. He fully explained the procedure to Charlie and understood the fear that existed.
With heavy sedation Charlie was able to handle the procedure without pain or fear. The doctor came out in an hour or so showing me pictures which meant nothing to me, but advised this was a large solid tumor which was blocking the colon completely; nothing was able to pass thru, thus the pain and nausea. Surgery was set up immediately to prevent further problems or possible rupture. This was extremely serious, there were no options.
 
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