Reply With QuoteSo sorry to hear about this. Has a staging scan been carried out and results back?Originally Posted by jpjsavage
One of our close family has just had a cancer diagnosis - lung cancer spread to the liver. Only received today as a result of a scan following admission to hospital with pneumonia. Dr Google suggest that this is pretty bad news all round. Anyone had to deal with this? Advice?
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So sorry to hear about this. Has a staging scan been carried out and results back?
Thank you. Not to my knowledge. I'm guessing this would be one of the first steps in a more detailed diagnosis?
From my experience with my mother, on a different type of cancer, this scan was the one after which we had the full picture of what we were dealing with and what the likely outcomes or treatment plans would be.
Lung cancer spread to liver is at least Stage 3 and probably Stage 4 so i am afraid probably not good news.
In fact a friend of mine died a couple of months ago at the age of 55 with the same cancer and given six months and died after three months so i feel your pain.
Sorry to hear your news just lost a close friend that was diagnosed terminal cancer mid 2021 with liver cancer and then bone cancer he gave it a good fight as much as he could but lost the battle 1st June this year so to be fair he had around a year and was around his family all that time ,
Every body is different and he didn’t want to know how long he had he just wanted to carry on regardless
Devastating news! Nothing is over until it is over though. We are all heading to the exit. My father was re diagnosed and given 3 to 6 months to live about 4/5 years ago now. Absolutely smashed it since and positive mind set has been why he’s still here imo. Stay positive, keep things in perspective, see what alternative medicines you can find for the cancers in question and one step at a time. Good luck to your relative!
The old man had a similar diagnosis, had treatment and went into remission for 5-6 years, unfortunately it came calling again, he had a second round of treatment but it was looking to be less successful than the first case and he decided it was time to exit under his own terms.
It’s a horrible disease. But it is beatable, my thoughts go out to them and your family.
Eat well i.e varied diet ... to feed the microbiome which will boost the immune system. Lots of advice available online to improve / boost the microbiome , e.g.:
https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-hum...ur-microbiome/
https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsu...-my-gut-health. .... note "30 different plant based foods per week" recommendation
Maintaining a healthy microbiome is unlikely to remedy liver / lung cancer, but will help keep infections e.g. pneumonia at bay. Cancer treatments can compromise the immune system ... so sensible to give it a boost via a nutritious 'maintain a healthy microbiome' diet.
Last edited by sundial; 20th June 2022 at 01:16.
"Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"
Really sorry to hear this.
My mums going through lung cancer at the moment
Small cell which is the nasty aggressive type.
With chemo nowadays the cure rates are getting better. Good luck
And keep fighting
I often think that the one thing that is never mentioned in these threads is the motivation of the person concerned.
If I had cancer at the age of say 50, I would fight it tooth and nail. Today I am 73 so I have done my 3 score years and ten and if I got cancer I would just accept it and let nature take its course. Being nursed through the treatment of chemo and radiation at 70 plus just puts a strain on the family and that is something I would not wish to do.
Does your suggested 'let nature take its course' include e.g., "no pain prevention nursing", and "no pain relief nursing"? Family would likely be much happier knowing that a loved one is comfortable and pain free during their last weeks/days. Both 'pain prevention' and 'pain relief' require professional / specialist nursing skills.
"Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"
Yes no pain treatment is a given. I had two friends who took this course.
Your choice ... However, most terminally ill patients, if experiencing agonising pain, would likely appreciate pain relief / pain prevention ... as would their families. No point / sense in a person's death, leaving their family with a 'picture / memory' of their loved one's agonising demise ... agony which could go on for days.
"Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"
I said no pain treatment is a given. I mean that the treatment is palliative and painless.
I believe it depends entirely of the type of cancer, and the prognosis.
Some cancers have a very decent one with treatment. Others, at your age, can evolve slowly without medications. Others will be debilitating and you will regret your decision. Finally you have others to think about, and how they will do when you go.
It is deeply unfortunate but the longer you take to die, the worst it is for you but the more time you give those who love you the time to prepare. That is of course if you are not (too much of) a burden on them and they know/feel you're comfortable enough.
I believe that any comment such as yours, even if held deeply, is posturing until it happens, because we still have this reptilian brain that will do anything to keep us alive even when reason says "let it go".
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
When you hit 73 you will probably have a change of heart. Being treated for cancer at that age is debilitating and it does put a burden on everyone around you. Even if you get over the cancer you are weakened and will probably die prematurely of something else, so why prolong the inevitable.
Some people will agree with this and some will not but I would prefer to just go sedated up to the eyeballs.
My uncle just went, last Friday morning at home with my auntie, he did have cancer among other thinks, they 'found' it a couple of years ago, he would've been 79 or 80, but he was too old to treat it so they said...though I shouldn't think it will be THE cause of death...I understand morphine made his passing painless, at least I hope it did.
We generally seem to prefer our pets not to suffer at the end...just from observation, totally reasonable imho to extend at least this much consideration to people.
Statistically speaking iirc, 1 in 2 born after '70 will receive some kind of cancer diagnosis. I've had some skin cancer diagnosed and removed already, that's me done with any luck...but you never know, live long enough and something'll get you.
Last edited by Passenger; 20th June 2022 at 10:56.
So sorry for your family members diagnosis.
I can only speak from our experience as everyone else is so different but my wife over the last 13 years has had cervical cancer (stage 3) Non Hodgkin's lymphoma and lung cancer.
We found great help from Macmillan, talking on the phone and the forums that's full of help, advise and support but not for everyone.
We were told not to Google anything as you'll end up thinking the worst and the best if that makes sense?
A positive attitude is not always possible but does really help, again it did for us in our situation.
If you ever need a chat or anything please feel free to pm me.
Big hugs, love and prays for your close family member and all the family.
Pat
I'm personally still none the wiser on whether you would accept treatment to reduce pain or not. These comments are ambiguous on a topic it's probably worth being clear about!
Yes I accept that the wording is ambiguous. I would most certainly accept treatment to reduce the pain as only a fool volunteers to die in agony.
Basically at my age I would chose to die but doped up so as not to suffer pain.
[QUOTE=jpjsavage;6012632]Anyone had to deal with this? Advice?[/QUOTE ]
I have been on the receiving end.
I had my own personal experience with the big C aged 35, 18 years ago. Testicular cancer, which is normally cured by lopping off a bollock, and then you carry on with life the next day, except when you ignore a tumour on your testicle for a few months.
I guess I was lucky as I only got to stage 2b, which meant large seeded tumours in lymph nodes (where your testicles start off when your are in the womb) near my spine. If I had have left it any longer it would have been onwards and upwards to the lungs and then brain.
Three months of weedkiller (chemo) and two surgeries (one major) sorted me out. But, that is not the end, as the emotional roller coaster of regular checkups play on your mind for years after, especially as your hospital appointment time nears. 18 years later and I still have biannual blood tests at the Royal Marsden as my ongoing 'preventative maintenance'.
My kids where 5 and 2 at the time, and it was a truly horrific experience. Winner takes it all. It was the first thing I thought about every morning when I woke up, and the last thing I thought about going to bed, and every moment in between.
Unless you have had it, I'm not sure you can fully appreciate the true mindfcuk. But, somehow it was probably worse for my wife who had to watch me, and support me going through it.
I can only hope your relative has hope of a cure however small. With hope comes a fight, even if the outcome of the fight can be out of their hands.
My advice is that whatever happens, time is the only true healer.
Wishing all the best to your relative. My thoughts are with them.
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noTAGlove nailed it. I was going to add my own similar saga of stage 4 bowel cancer some 20 years ago but he says it all. My only add on will be that however it plays out, just be there. The biggest gift you can give is time.
I will never forget those who made time when it was hard for them on so many levels, both practical and emotional.
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