Malignant bowel obstruction. Is it always bad?

[floridafam]

My BIL went to the ER on Monday because he had been vomiting for two weeks. They admitted him because he also had swelling in his abdomen. He has a bowel blockage. They put a tube in his nose to help clean him out and the stuff that came out was brown and looked and smelled bad, according to my sister. He had a colonoscopy this afternoon and they couldn't complete it because he has at least one large mass blocking part of his colon. I know I shouldn't, but I have googled and what I've read does not sound good. The Doctor is supposed to come in and talk to him in the morning with next steps. My sister is he are both mildly cognitively impaired and this has been incredibly difficult for them and it is sometimes hard for them to relay correct information. Not sure what I'm looking for.

 

[CarolynFH]

Is it possible for you to be there when the doctor talks to them? I fear the news won’t be good.

 

[floridafam]

Is it possible for you to be there when the doctor talks to them? I fear the news won’t be good.

No. They are in Michigan and I’m in Florida. I might be able to be on speaker phone. I asked my sister to ask the Dr to write down any info she doesn’t want my sister to forget. He must have been in a decent amount of pain because they gave him morphine yesterday.

 

[mommasita]

I can’t imagine the pain he is in .
If there is a way you can do a Zoom meeting, this is the time to do it.
Sending prayers

 

[CarolynFH]

No. They are in Michigan and I’m in Florida. I might be able to be on speaker phone. I asked my sister to ask the Dr to write down any info she doesn’t want my sister to forget. He must have been in a decent amount of pain because they gave him morphine yesterday.

I’m sorry to hear that. Prayers for y’all.

 

[Goldelpack]

No. They are in Michigan and I’m in Florida. I might be able to be on speaker phone. I asked my sister to ask the Dr to write down any info she doesn’t want my sister to forget. He must have been in a decent amount of pain because they gave him morphine yesterday.

A family member recently had similar situation - the (elderly) patient was in Michigan and the adult kids were in NY, Ill, California & Florida. It was a brain related cancer (dad) and mom has major memory deficits. Long story made short - they asked close family friends if they'd be willing to be there information gatherer. There were lots of phone calls to the Drs & hospital to get this approved. They nominated one of the siblings to be the main contact person with the medical team and family friend.
Hope for the best.

 

[tvguy]

A fraternity brother of mine had this situation in 1998 when he was 40. Surgery, chemo, radiation were rough but in 2003 he was declared in remission. Other than frequent colonoscopies, you would never know how sick he was 27 years ago. So there is always hope.

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

My BIL went to the ER on Monday because he had been vomiting for two weeks. They admitted him because he also had swelling in his abdomen. He has a bowel blockage. They put a tube in his nose to help clean him out and the stuff that came out was brown and looked and smelled bad, according to my sister. He had a colonoscopy this afternoon and they couldn't complete it because he has at least one large mass blocking part of his colon. I know I shouldn't, but I have googled and what I've read does not sound good. The Doctor is supposed to come in and talk to him in the morning with next steps. My sister is he are both mildly cognitively impaired and this has been incredibly difficult for them and it is sometimes hard for them to relay correct information. Not sure what I'm looking for.

Prayers for your family member. He has a journey ahead of him. Thankfully, he has seen medical professionals.

 

[AgentMama]

Until there is a biopsy, no way to tell if the blockage is caused by a malignant tumor. Hoping for the best for your family that it is not. Even if they cannot do a conference call, your sister should be able to out you on speaker to be part of the consultation.

Good luck, sending lots well wishes to your family.

 

[floridafam]

The Dr called me yesterday. They don’t have pathology back yet but they are certain it is colon cancer. They couldn’t do the colonoscopy because the mass was right there when they started. He had a CT scan with contrast and I think it said no metastasis to other organs. They gave him some liquids to see if they made it all the way through his system. If they did, he could go home and have an urgent consult with colorectal surgeon, if not, then transfer to a different hospital since the surgeon is on maternity leave. The Dr said that she normally would do the surgery but given the location of the mass, she wanted to refer to a more specialized surgeon. He is still in the hospital but managed a shower. Hopefully, we will know more today.

 

[floridafam]

Just spoke with the doctor again. He is all set to be transferred to the other hospital and the colorectal surgeon at that hospital will likely be doing surgery within 48 to 72 hours. The doctor mentioned that they could send him home on a liquid diet, but he would likely be back in the ER again in a couple of days so they have to get the blockage out of there.

 

[AgentMama]

Hope everything goes well and they're able to remove everything.

 

[CarolynFH]

Prayers for him as well as for your sister and you. Having no metastases on the CT scan is good!

 

[fla4fun]

I hope they are able to get it all and he has a full recovery.