Chapter 2
Living with a Stent

Chapter 3
Living with Palliative Care

1)
Introduction
Background
Endoscopy
2)
Initial Diagnosis
3)
Telling the family
4)
First Appointment
Taking the tests
5)
Second appointment after tests
6)
Treatment -Chemotherapy and Radiation
7)
Remission
8)
Coping at Night
Coping with Fear
9)
Relationship with Doctors
Keeping Track of Medications
10)
Deciding on a Stent
Conclusion

Last Revised, 05-Nov-2002
Copyright © 2002

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Coping at night

        I find that bedtime can be a difficult time. I make use of a drug prescribed by my doctor to help me sleep at night. If you have trouble getting a good night’s sleep, see your doctor as he can help. Not getting a good night’s rest can “wear” you down and you will spend your days exhausted.

        If I do find myself waking up during the night, I do not allow myself to lie in bed “just thinking”. I found it was too easy to start worrying instead! I cope with waking up in the middle of the night by having a radio/CD Player by my bedside. I pre-load the CD trays (it holds 3), plug in the head phones and have the remote ready. If I find myself awake and do not readily fall asleep again, I set the “sleep” for 1 hour, and tune in stations with the remote or listen to my CDs. I find I usually fall asleep long before the sleep timer runs out. I also have a TV with the remote handy. I have never had to use it yet. Do not allow yourself to lay “thinking” in the middle of the night. Use some distraction such as music, reading or other aid either to help you get back to sleep or fill in the time.

Coping with Fear

        One day I had bumped my right heel lightly while going down the basement stairs. I noticed that my heel was a little sore the next day and over the next few days my heel was sore enough that it woke me up at night. I had forgotten about the light bump I had given it a number of days previously and it was not long before I began to believe that the cancer had spread to the bone in my heel. My wife pointed out to me that I had hurt my heel before and that it would clear up. I spent a week or so worrying about it and of course by time I got to the appointment with my Doctor, it had stopped hurting and has never returned. In a similar fashion, I have managed to convince myself that the cancer had spread into my neck because my neck was sore deep inside. My wife pointed out that I was sleeping in a sitting position and my head was “flopped “ over and it was that that gave me a sore neck. I was not convinced and I worried about the cancer in my neck. It was shortly after this that we received our electric bed which solved the “floppy neck” and the pain in my neck ceased.

        This brings out another point. The cancer can and does spread over time and it is natural that you will have fear of this spreading and the associated problems it could create. You must remember that we constantly get aches and pains and almost all of them are due to ordinary problems and getting older.  Don’t waste your energy and destroy what otherwise would be a good day or week with unnecessary worry. If you have concerns or have been told to lookout for specific symptoms, contact your doctor and have the concerns addressed. Don’t hide your concern or fear from your doctor as he will be able to alleviate your worry or in the worse case address the new situation. Hiding symptoms from your doctor because of fear that it is the cancer worsening will cause you unnecessary suffering and is dangerous to your health and well being.

        Unfortunately I have suffered on a few occasion in my life from attacks of a condition called “Acute Generalized Anxiety”. It’s cause is unknown and there are no specific triggers that set it off. When it strikes, it makes life almost unbearable. It was only recognized as a specific disease a few years ago and still many Doctors don’t know about it or just treat it as something trivial. Untreated, it rapidly can become disabling. One morning I awoke with this overpowering feeling of anxiety accompanied with trembling sweating etc. I immediately called the doctor and had an appointment arranged almost right away. My family doctor took my complaint seriously and treated it effectively and thus prevented it from becoming a very serious problem. If you do run in to problems or complaints that really worry you, bring them up with your doctor and let him deal with it and don’t try to fight it out alone.

        This brings me to another important factor in your treatment, your relationship with your doctors.
 
 

Contact
livingwithec@yahoo.com

Note: This email address is only occasionally checked, and due to volume, I am unable to respond to all messages. Nevertheless, feel free to send your thoughts, experiences, or comments.