My life partner is battling testicle/lymph node cancer.  We are in our second month of chemo, and just finished the week long of heavy doses.  He is only 37 and he is so weak, that he can barely walk from the bed to the couch and must sleep day and night.  Is there any way I can help him gain some kind of strenth back, and stop the dizzyness?

Joe

Dr. Geffen,

 My husband has stage 4 stomach cancer. He is unable to take anymore chemo because his body is too weak and there is not enough body weight left. His stomach and feet are both swelling badly. Is this a result of the cancer or could it be congestive heart failure. I am really worried about him. If you have any suggestions for us, it would be of tremendous help. His oncologist does not seem to understand what is going on with his body.

Sincerely,

Judy

 I am a 59 year old, female with a very similar situation to yours.  My tumor was 1.8 cmm and was estrogen positive and node negative.  My OncoTypeDX test showed me with a 3% improvement in my 10 year reoccurance rate which was 15%.  I decided against chemo and opted for Arimidex and lifestyle changes instead.  My oncologist said that I needed to be sure that if my cancer came back, I would not feel that I did not do everything I could.  I asked if it could come back even if I had chemo and she said "Yes".  That was all I needed to hear. 

This is a very personal decision with no guarantees either way.  That's one of the most difficult parts of this disease.  My decision felt right for me and I am at peace with it.  That's the most important thing.  I would recommend following your instincts.

Good luck and God bless you in your journey.