Organ(ised) Breakdown

It was in Feb 2013, that dad started encountering problems in passing motion and gas, despite having the stoma, and as a result of it intense abdominal pain. Initially on pain killing injections and laxatives, it was dismissed as a small hitch. Little did we know it had a deeper darker side to it.

Dad was admitted to the Intensive care unit, with severe intestinal bleeding. He lost 6 units of blood and was transfused with 4 bottles of blood in turn. His blood counts were all haywire. He was finally diagnosed with ileus and intestinal obstruction. Both of which never went away.

The tumour had resurfaced again. And this time was growing as a big mass inside dad's rectum. It pressed down on his bladder, and caused urinary problems. His blood urea and creatinine levels, both of which indicate the kidney functioning, were up. As a result of the bladder not draining well, his blood was full of impurities , thus pushing up the urea/creatinine levels. He was operated on for restoration of his kidneys, and ended up with tubes being pulled out of his back, to drain the ureter, called ureter tubes. When he was unfortunately told that he would not live long, he returned back home, a crushed person. The indication? He stopped walking.

We were told , that the intestinal obstruction/ileus would keep dad in and out of hospital, and the only hope we had was to keep him on liquid diets until the ileus cured by itself. Surgery was risky and ruled out. Dad was put on liquids. He lost weight.

He was given a nasogastric tube, through which the contents of his stomach could be drained, as his intestines had been obstructed. Keeping in line with his wish to not go to a hospital, we kept him on the NG tube, and made sure we provided whatever nutrition we could in liquid form, with a regular check on his blood counts and electrolyte levels.It came to a point where we had to give dad nutrition intravenously to keep his blood counts regular. We put him on TPN (Total Parenteral Nutrition), which is to be run intravenously over a 24 hour period.

Pointers for caregivers/families

1. Talk to your oncologist about what best you could do for your loved one at home, if the patient wishes to not go back to the hospital in the last stages.

2. Make sure you have a well informed nutritionist who can advice you on what can be given in terms of their diet and nutrition.

3. Keep your loved one happy, at peace and most of all, ensure that you are around all the time. It makes a huge difference.

4. Have their vital parameters checked regularly and at the slightest warning signs, make sure corrective measures are taken.

5. Prepare yourself mentally and those around you.