It was May 2002, when my father complained of an uneasiness in his stomach, he was experiencing slight pain in generally the lower abdomen. My father was a healthy person otherwise, with no major complaints apart from aches in the leg which we normally attributed to his walking long distances, as that was his hobby and he was very environment conscious in the times when people were not talking about environment or it had not become a fad to talk about.
We gave him the usual home therapy for uneasiness, but the complaint persisted hence we took him to our family physician who was also like a family member. She immediately suspected something fishy and asked us to get a sonography done. The result was shocking for our family. My father was suffering from a unique syndrome atleast at the time we thought it was unique, his stomach was getting filled with fluid, and there was literally water slushing around, the only difference being water was not inside his stomach it was in the outer membrane of the lining of the abdomen.
One thing led to another and within a week we came to know that he was in an advanced stage of cancer and the prognosis was he had 6 months or less time. This was even a bigger shock. Our entire family went into a hyper mode, no expense was spared no doctor worth his salt was left unconsulted, cousins sprang into action, with one motto how do we save this man.
Doctors said there was only one last recourse "Chemotherapy" and the chances were about 2% of survival in hindsight we now know that when doctors said 2% they were saying look this person is certain to die 98%, but we hung on to that 2% and convinced, cajoled and pushed our father into accepting "Chemotherapy" or "Chemo".
The rest is history, our father who looked and was health till 15th of May 2002, died in exactly 95 days of starting the treatment, but the death was very painful because "Chemo" and other treatments took its toll on his body. He lost 60% of his weight, he was 75 Kilos and 6 feet tall, a personality to reckon for at his death bed he was 35 kilos, had lost all his body hair, not only on the head but every where on the body including his eyebrows.
We have never seen anyone Nauseating so much, Vomiting Somuch, he could not eat nor drink water, he could not withstand any smells be it of a perfume, cooking, incense, he became silent, he had hiccups all the time.
The medicines we gave on doctors advise to stop abdominal cramps attacked his Kidneys, his bile was now green in color, he could not pass stools, the last 3 days we had to drain fluids in his stomach twice, and the way to drain fluids is similar to puncturing a rubber balloon. Yes, a qualified MD would stick a needle attached to a IV tube in his abdomen and drain out fluids from his stomach, little did we know the fluid being drained was precious nutrients and his organs which were dissolving rapidly in a soup.
The effect could have been combined and enhanced by the Chemotherapy treatment given to him. This is not a blame game I am writing about, what I am trying to do here is that people who are ignorant should know what is Chemotherapy and how to deal with the side effects.
It is now 8 years since my father has passed away but the spectre is still fresh in my mind, its an experience which I hope no one should undergo but I know for a fact that many cancer patients will personally go through it and their family members will have to be on the side and see her/him slowly wither away.
Note: This book is not intended to slander any treatment, Physicians, Doctors, Drug Companies, I am not naming any Doctors, Drug Companies, Physicians, or anyone connected with the treatment of Cancer Patients, as they are fighting a losing battle, they are doing their best, but sometimes they forget that they are treating a human being and not a subject.
This book is written to serve as a guide to the unknown who will tread on the path of Chemotherapy and hope that they get well and give hope. The book is available here http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004HFRJ1W
We gave him the usual home therapy for uneasiness, but the complaint persisted hence we took him to our family physician who was also like a family member. She immediately suspected something fishy and asked us to get a sonography done. The result was shocking for our family. My father was suffering from a unique syndrome atleast at the time we thought it was unique, his stomach was getting filled with fluid, and there was literally water slushing around, the only difference being water was not inside his stomach it was in the outer membrane of the lining of the abdomen.
One thing led to another and within a week we came to know that he was in an advanced stage of cancer and the prognosis was he had 6 months or less time. This was even a bigger shock. Our entire family went into a hyper mode, no expense was spared no doctor worth his salt was left unconsulted, cousins sprang into action, with one motto how do we save this man.
Doctors said there was only one last recourse "Chemotherapy" and the chances were about 2% of survival in hindsight we now know that when doctors said 2% they were saying look this person is certain to die 98%, but we hung on to that 2% and convinced, cajoled and pushed our father into accepting "Chemotherapy" or "Chemo".
The rest is history, our father who looked and was health till 15th of May 2002, died in exactly 95 days of starting the treatment, but the death was very painful because "Chemo" and other treatments took its toll on his body. He lost 60% of his weight, he was 75 Kilos and 6 feet tall, a personality to reckon for at his death bed he was 35 kilos, had lost all his body hair, not only on the head but every where on the body including his eyebrows.
We have never seen anyone Nauseating so much, Vomiting Somuch, he could not eat nor drink water, he could not withstand any smells be it of a perfume, cooking, incense, he became silent, he had hiccups all the time.
The medicines we gave on doctors advise to stop abdominal cramps attacked his Kidneys, his bile was now green in color, he could not pass stools, the last 3 days we had to drain fluids in his stomach twice, and the way to drain fluids is similar to puncturing a rubber balloon. Yes, a qualified MD would stick a needle attached to a IV tube in his abdomen and drain out fluids from his stomach, little did we know the fluid being drained was precious nutrients and his organs which were dissolving rapidly in a soup.
The effect could have been combined and enhanced by the Chemotherapy treatment given to him. This is not a blame game I am writing about, what I am trying to do here is that people who are ignorant should know what is Chemotherapy and how to deal with the side effects.
It is now 8 years since my father has passed away but the spectre is still fresh in my mind, its an experience which I hope no one should undergo but I know for a fact that many cancer patients will personally go through it and their family members will have to be on the side and see her/him slowly wither away.
Note: This book is not intended to slander any treatment, Physicians, Doctors, Drug Companies, I am not naming any Doctors, Drug Companies, Physicians, or anyone connected with the treatment of Cancer Patients, as they are fighting a losing battle, they are doing their best, but sometimes they forget that they are treating a human being and not a subject.
This book is written to serve as a guide to the unknown who will tread on the path of Chemotherapy and hope that they get well and give hope. The book is available here http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004HFRJ1W
