• Registered: Wed, 06 Sep 2006
  • Posts: 47

Topic: Intense pain a sign of something positive - is it possible?

My dad (intrahepatic cc Jan06) had a weird experience last night.

He's had a very tough last 3 weeks, basically started the day after his first session of gemzar.  Before he started chemo again, his bili was coming lower, cbc's were improving, proteins were up, and edema was pretty non-existent.  Then, the weekend after his chemo, literally all things got worse.  Cbc's nose-dived, bili shot up a point and a half, hiccupping started and he had the worst edema and ascites (along with bowel gas) he's experienced since diagnosis.

Anyway, he started water pills about a week ago to try to help with the edema but they didn't seem to be working.  Finally, in the last couple days, he started urinating some more.  However, he stayed very distended and feet were very swollen, with things moving up to his ankles.  Plus, hiccuping was still a problem.

Then at about midnight last night, he woke my mother up with complaints of extreme pain in his abdomen.  Up until now, he has never said anything was worse than a 4 but last night, he said it was a 9.  Mom wanted to take him to the ER, but temps and blood pressure showed normal so she gave him a fentanyl patch and he went to sleep right away.

This morning, dad woke up with no complaints of pain.  This might be because of the fentanyl, but I thought that it took awhile to really take effect.  What's more interesting though is that the edema in his feet/ankles completely disappeared (they were pretty bad before bed last night), his distension is noticeable smaller than last night, and hiccups are gone.  Both mom and I find the coincidence to be very strange.

Has anyone experienced anything like this?  Is there a medical/clinical explanation?

I like to believe that the brief moment of intense pain was the hand of God entering dad's body to make things better.

2 Reply by JeffG (edited by JeffG Wed, 28 Nov 2007 16:33:07)

  • JeffG
  • Moderator
  • Offline
  • From: Kansas
  • Registered: Mon, 16 Oct 2006
  • Posts: 1,242

Re: Intense pain a sign of something positive - is it possible?

Richard, I have more than one time told my wife this chemo seems to be working or doing something as it is causing pain in liver and lungs.  I've told my Doc about this and a couple times he kinda agreed but it was temporary in my case.  I really do think if the chemo regimen is working or doing good for you there will be some pain.  I have been to ER several times before becoming a chemo Pro  Ya Ha!  I surely do believe in miracles as well.  My wife brought it up first but last week I was having trouble sleeping and went to the living room to sleep.  That Night my wife said she saw my Dad at the foot of the bed as clear as day and he told her all was going to be okay.  I saw a quick vision of something in the living room and felt the presence of my Dad.  My wife never talks about anything like this.  It was just so unexplainable both of us experienced this on the same night at the same time.  God works in mysterious ways!
God Bless,
Jeff G.

Take it to the Limit,One More Time! (Eagles)