dad has stomach cancer he now weighs 6 stones chemo stopped how will he die?

Question

he is 79 was very fit been not well for adout a year took ages to get diagnosed in december too advanced for surgery started chemo in feb stopped 2 months ago because it was making him weak. now very frail keeps falling wants to stay at home isnt aware of & doesnt want to know prognosis weight loss is alarming but not surprising as he can barely eat how much longer can he survive?

Answer 1

Medically, a person can only survive about seven days without food & water but I have seen them survive much longer. (I am an RN/retired). Only God & your father will determine the length of survival. I have lost two parents & a sister to cancer. I'm sorry for what you are going through.

Answer 2

My grandfather passed away just under 2 years ago. He was a very strong...very active guy at age 76. Walked 6 miles a day regardless of weather conditions. He was diagnosed with cancer in mid-March. He passed away in mid-August. So...6 months after diagnosis? He started spending more time in bed around a month before he passed....really only getting up to use the bathroom. He ate less and less. His cancer was found in the liver, but was spread throughout the abodominal cavity. It also spread to his lungs. He was on morphine quite a bit towards the end. He had told me he could never have imagined such pain could exist. This coming from a man who had a triple bi-pass surgery 15 years before. It was really sad to see this man I always perceived to be the strongest guy I knew wither away. Near the end, tumors begain to appear on his stomach on the outside. I was told that the tumors were eating through to the outside and that sometimes they would break open and bleed. Sorry to paint a grim picture, but watching my grandfather go through this was one of the most difficult things I've ever experienced. Ultimately, he went into a coma and then passed away a day later.

I advise you to make peace with the man while he is still able to talk. Say anything that needs to be said. It's a hard talk to have, but on the plus side, you have the opportunity to say goodbye. Some people are stolen away from us without us ever having the chance to say goodbye to them. If he is on morphine, as the dossages increase, his ability to talk and reason will diminish greatly. You should have the goodbye talks before it gets to this stage.

My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Answer 3

His organs will eventually fail. He might be in some pain. You can get hospice nurses to come in and help with all that. It's a horrible thing to watch and you will feel even more horrible once he dies and you are relieved not to have to watch his suffering anymore. But everyone who watches someone die of cancer feels that way.
Just spend time with him, hold his hand, let him know you are there and you love him.
I'm very sorry for you. I did this with my grandpa. You aren't alone.

Answer 4

If you are not already dealing with either McMillan or marie curie nurses then I suggest you should. They are wonderful, they'll give you and your father all the support you will need. There are also loads of support groups out there. Look on the internet for any in your local area. once you find them, use them.
Hope you find all the help you need.

Answer 5

My aunt was the same way and about a month after she stopped eating she died from fluid going to her lungs. Sorry about your father.

Answer 6

I can't give advice about this - if he is strong enough he will get well. Give him reasons to be strong.

I wish I could say or do more but I feel helpless... as always...

Answer 7

It might not be too late. I have seen several terminal cases turn
around in weeks.

Answer 8

We will all die one day.

He will die knowing that his family loved him.