Father’s recurrence. Stage IV.

My husband is stage five since oct 2011.  we have had 2 gamma knife surgeries for brain mets. completed all 4 yervoy treatments and know is on zelobraf and is having a few side effects but it is bearable. Lots of new treatments that are really working for stage 5. never ever give up or give. God does miracles and he is still in buisness. praying for you im a daddys girl to.

My husband is stage five since oct 2011.  we have had 2 gamma knife surgeries for brain mets. completed all 4 yervoy treatments and know is on zelobraf and is having a few side effects but it is bearable. Lots of new treatments that are really working for stage 5. never ever give up or give. God does miracles and he is still in buisness. praying for you im a daddys girl to.

My husband is stage five since oct 2011.  we have had 2 gamma knife surgeries for brain mets. completed all 4 yervoy treatments and know is on zelobraf and is having a few side effects but it is bearable. Lots of new treatments that are really working for stage 5. never ever give up or give. God does miracles and he is still in buisness. praying for you im a daddys girl to.

hi,  I can imagine how difficult it must be for you… being so far away.  My husband is stage 4.  One of the best things his children can do for him is call or drop a note.  They don't have to discuss his trials, just let him know he's in their thoughts and let him in on what is going on in their world.  This keeps him smiling all day long.  Take care.. good thoughts and prayers to you and your father. 

hi,  I can imagine how difficult it must be for you… being so far away.  My husband is stage 4.  One of the best things his children can do for him is call or drop a note.  They don't have to discuss his trials, just let him know he's in their thoughts and let him in on what is going on in their world.  This keeps him smiling all day long.  Take care.. good thoughts and prayers to you and your father. 

hi,  I can imagine how difficult it must be for you… being so far away.  My husband is stage 4.  One of the best things his children can do for him is call or drop a note.  They don't have to discuss his trials, just let him know he's in their thoughts and let him in on what is going on in their world.  This keeps him smiling all day long.  Take care.. good thoughts and prayers to you and your father. 

I, too, live far away from my brother who is Stage IV with mets in the lungs, intestines, and brain. I find that there are a lot of things I can do to help him. Of course, a lot depends on your father's condition, side effects, and personality, but maybe my experience can give you some ideas.

Mostly what I do is to handle as many of the annoying and confusing complexities of being a cancer patient as I can. With his permission, I do research on various treatments and clinical trials and give him a digest of the most important information. I make doctors' appointments for him and arrange for the medi-van to transport him (with brain mets, he can't drive). I got him set up with home hospice, I obtained and filled out all the forms (except for his signature) for him to get financial assistance from the VA, Medicaid, and anyplace else I could think of. Because of some brain damage from WBR, he gets very confused about numbers. So he added me to his bank account and I access his account online to pay his bills for him and advise him of his balance. Finally, when I visit I pay careful attention to any problems or difficulties I observe. For example, I noticed that he sometimes forgot to take his pills because he was sleeping (he sleeps a LOT). So I went online and found an alarm clock specifically designed to ring at the same time of day every day (up to 4 times a day) so he would wake up and take his pills. My brother forgot (or was too tired) to take out the trash. So I asked the next door neighbor to take out my brother's trash every Wednesday and the neighbor was happy to do it. 

So, basically, if you are aware that your father may not be feeling well, or may be chronoically fatigued, or may have little patience with endless medical run-arounds, telephone trees, and "hold" times for medical centers and social service agencies, you can find a lot of little things you can do to make his life easier. Even from a distance. 

I, too, live far away from my brother who is Stage IV with mets in the lungs, intestines, and brain. I find that there are a lot of things I can do to help him. Of course, a lot depends on your father's condition, side effects, and personality, but maybe my experience can give you some ideas.

Mostly what I do is to handle as many of the annoying and confusing complexities of being a cancer patient as I can. With his permission, I do research on various treatments and clinical trials and give him a digest of the most important information. I make doctors' appointments for him and arrange for the medi-van to transport him (with brain mets, he can't drive). I got him set up with home hospice, I obtained and filled out all the forms (except for his signature) for him to get financial assistance from the VA, Medicaid, and anyplace else I could think of. Because of some brain damage from WBR, he gets very confused about numbers. So he added me to his bank account and I access his account online to pay his bills for him and advise him of his balance. Finally, when I visit I pay careful attention to any problems or difficulties I observe. For example, I noticed that he sometimes forgot to take his pills because he was sleeping (he sleeps a LOT). So I went online and found an alarm clock specifically designed to ring at the same time of day every day (up to 4 times a day) so he would wake up and take his pills. My brother forgot (or was too tired) to take out the trash. So I asked the next door neighbor to take out my brother's trash every Wednesday and the neighbor was happy to do it. 

So, basically, if you are aware that your father may not be feeling well, or may be chronoically fatigued, or may have little patience with endless medical run-arounds, telephone trees, and "hold" times for medical centers and social service agencies, you can find a lot of little things you can do to make his life easier. Even from a distance. 

I, too, live far away from my brother who is Stage IV with mets in the lungs, intestines, and brain. I find that there are a lot of things I can do to help him. Of course, a lot depends on your father's condition, side effects, and personality, but maybe my experience can give you some ideas.

Mostly what I do is to handle as many of the annoying and confusing complexities of being a cancer patient as I can. With his permission, I do research on various treatments and clinical trials and give him a digest of the most important information. I make doctors' appointments for him and arrange for the medi-van to transport him (with brain mets, he can't drive). I got him set up with home hospice, I obtained and filled out all the forms (except for his signature) for him to get financial assistance from the VA, Medicaid, and anyplace else I could think of. Because of some brain damage from WBR, he gets very confused about numbers. So he added me to his bank account and I access his account online to pay his bills for him and advise him of his balance. Finally, when I visit I pay careful attention to any problems or difficulties I observe. For example, I noticed that he sometimes forgot to take his pills because he was sleeping (he sleeps a LOT). So I went online and found an alarm clock specifically designed to ring at the same time of day every day (up to 4 times a day) so he would wake up and take his pills. My brother forgot (or was too tired) to take out the trash. So I asked the next door neighbor to take out my brother's trash every Wednesday and the neighbor was happy to do it. 

So, basically, if you are aware that your father may not be feeling well, or may be chronoically fatigued, or may have little patience with endless medical run-arounds, telephone trees, and "hold" times for medical centers and social service agencies, you can find a lot of little things you can do to make his life easier. Even from a distance.