Subject: Bladder cancer, intestinal blockage
Forum: The Urology Forum
Topic Area:
Posted by Laura on March 20, 1998 at 04:07:19:

My Dad was diagnosed with bladder cancer early February, underwent surgery to remove the bladder (and anything else not nailed down, i.e, lymph nodes, appendix, prostrate). He recovered ok from the surgery, except they had to give him enema to get intestines going again after about 5 days. He was released on a Friday but my Monday, could not eat, nauseated, bloated and no b.m's or gas passed. He was admitted back to the hospital on 3/2 and is still there. Still no significant b.m.'s or gas passed. Has nasal tube, with long orange tube (I think 15 feet) feeding down to intestines to hopefully find blockage. Never stopped. Seemed to help with a couple small b.m.'s, but none for a few days again.
They have done many, many x-rays, sonogram (like for pregnant moms) and now just did a catscan, to find nothing. They can not see an "adhesion", blockage, loop, anything.
To top it off now he has 102.5 fever (from what they don't know... more blood tests...), he had a strange lump in his arm above the i.v. pick (so they moved it and that seems to have helped), constant hiccups now, and he developed a yeast infection in his stoma (I think from all the antibiotics they have pumped in). His throat is also extremely sore due to the tube. To put it bluntly, which I did to his doctor today, he is even worse today than he was 2 1/2 weeks ago when he went back in.

Now they want to do some white blood cell test to see if they gather up in an infected area, and another sonogram tomorrow (wrong word, but you know what I mean...)

I am extremely frustrated and upset to see my father continuing to deteriorate and lose his incredible patience and will to get better. Because this whole ordeal has been going on for a month, and he has had no food, and little drink by mouth in that time (he's lost 25 pounds) he has lost all sense of humor and hope of ever passing gas like a normal person again!

They think it is time to go back in and see what is wrong. What do you think? Should I try to get him another opinion? The nurses I talk to like his doctors, and I know they usually know the good from the bad. But, I'm afraid if something positive doesn't happen soon, he will slip off to a depression so that he doesn't even want to get well.

He's very afraid that they will go in, mess with the intestine, and end up on a colostomy also - he says he can deal with the pee-bag, but not a poop-bag!! (He refers to the lady that changes his bag, as the "bag lady")

Please give me some advice on this situation. I just feel like these doctors are just grasping at straws, and have no idea in heck what they are doing!

Thank you so much for your quick response, and I'm sorry this is soooo long!

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