Husb has SCC that originated inside mouth. Now has fairly large tumor showing on his check & neck area. Has had no treatment & chooses not to. This past week I have found several spots beneath his full beard, that appear to be draining just a bit. Each day these appear a bit larger. My main worry at the moment is that he may have a bleeding out that I can't control. I have been told that this "sometimes" happens. Wondering if these spots are indicitive of him having a bleed.
I want to be prepared as best as possible.
Emma, wife of 77 yr old husband with SCC & alzheimer's.

Emma- i don't believe the spots are bleeding. They are probably tumors. My husband has a large one in his neck. It is quite deep and drains continously. The bleeding issue comes into play when the tumor invades the arteries in the neck. Do you have a doctor you can call? I know your husband is not having treatment but maybe you could see someone to help manage the condition.

Sue

Emma, I am sorry that you have this to consider. (one of the many things in "the manual of life" that they forgot to give us at birth).
As his cancer advances, fistulas (openings) can develop which is natures way of getting the bad stuff to the outside of the body. These can drain and sometimes the matter that drains will have an odor. You should mention anything unusual to his doctor just to be sure. As far as bleeding goes, yes this could happen if the cancer invades one of the many major blood vessels in the neck. I don't know if a doctor can really tell if this is going to happen in a specific patient. The tumor growth might also cause breathing difficulties which can be relieved by a Tracheostomy.
I can't think of anything that makes this easier for you except the age old "take one day at a time" and in this case maybe one moment at a time. I would also offer that pain control should be something your doctors are very keen on.

Take time for yourself too....