[micky]

My brother has been diagnosed with Metastic Esophageal Cancer Stage 4, Cancer is also in his stomach and liver, It is inoperable and incurable. He lives out of state and we talk on the phone often. He openly tells me about treatments, side effects etc. and I try to give suggestions, emotional and spiritual support. Recently he had a Port installed in the neck area and doctors changed his chemotherapy to a new type. It is two different drugs, one is IV for 2 hours and the second one is IV for 40 hours at home. He had severe weakness, fatigue & vomiting. He is still trying to work but did take a day off this week and slept for the whole day. Is there a drug for weakness & fatigue for chemo patients? I encouraged him to tell his doctor immediately and perhaps he can help him with something.
It is clear to me that my brother is in denial as he can't even look at the Port that was installed and never talks about the fact he is stage 4 nor does he mention the tumors other than saying the ct scan showed no improvement on the last round of chemotherapy (the treatment that didn't work).
I am trying to cope with this long distance and it is very difficult to get a handle on this whole matter and keep my sanity at the same time! I have been hoping for an improvement of some kind but since this latest information I am feeling the need to pack my bags and go see him.
Does anyone know if there is any type of drug or treatment for weakness & fatigue?
Any other tips?

[Xarial]

*HUGZ* I know your post was a while ago. Is your brother still with you?

[micky]

In answer to your question: Is my brother still with us...No he is not. The Lord took him home, on July 28,2009. I had the good fortune to have renewed my bond with him over the 9 months of his suffering and got to be with him on the last weekend of his life, he passed away 2 days after I last saw him.
What I wonder about is: After several months of chemo, there was one improvement early on and that was he was able to eat without having pain after swallowing. Other than that he went downhill swiftly and I can't help but wonder if the chemo didn't make everything else worse or did the chemo prolong his life only months...it didn't alleviate his suffering at all.
My brother maintained his sense of humor, his brain function was never harmed and who he was..didn't get compromised.
I urge everyone to get checked whenever you have "acid reflux" symptoms that is what brought him to the doctor, although doc diagnosed him as having "Acid Reflux" he had to see a Specialist in order to get the true diagnosis.
In the end, I still question "Chemotherapy" and it's value. My son had Testicular Cancer and did receive Chemo along with 2 surgeries. He is alive and well today only has permanent damage to
his memory and serious reactions to cold in the winter to his fingers. Did chemo kill his cancer?
We are told it did...I guess it depends on what the stage of cancer is and if the disease is caught
early.