My grandad was diagnosed with cancer & 6 weeks left help

XxGGNO1FANxX2 · New User Joined: 13 Feb 2007 Posts: 6

He had a full body scan and found out from consultants that he had prostrate bowel bone spinal lmpthal cancer.
They gave him 6 weeks and he is on morphine, he as 2 tablets of morphine a day and every 90 minutes a spoon full of liquid morphine its like a break through or something they call it.
They asked him where he wanted to be a nursing home etc but we wanted him to be at home.He is also on cocodomols for pain.

However we went to another hospital which is supposed to be more specialised thinking we werre going for a meeting with my very sick grandad only to find out they wanted to do a biobsy but he had to stop taking his warfrin which he is on we do not know why he is on this....
the hospital did not know what the other consultant had told us before.

So now we have to go back 2moz still dont know why?????
they mentioned hormone tablets and have started to give my family hope?? which we dont know what to think can it be true??
so confused!

Vee Smith · Moderator Joined: 12 Feb 2006 Posts: 821 Location: UK

So sorry about your news and concerns.

Where do you live?

XxGGNO1FANxX2 · New User Joined: 13 Feb 2007 Posts: 6

[quote="Vee Smith"]So sorry about your news and concerns.

Where do you live?[/quote]
hi i live in south yorkshire
i have not got a clue what is going on they have sent him home with hormone treatment i just do nt get it!
my mum and everyone now think he as years 2 live i dont get it

Vee Smith · Moderator Joined: 12 Feb 2006 Posts: 821 Location: UK

Make a stand with the medics and insist on a meeting to be fully briefed on what the exact situation is and what treatment he is receiving and why. I am afraid we have to be much tougher now about how we are being treated, particularly with the continual insistence on economy. Before you go, make a list of the exact questions to which you want answers, and write down what you are told in answer to them. Have at least two people present, one to ask the questions, the other to make the notes. Keep your cool - but don't give up.

Please keep us all informed of how you get on.

XxGGNO1FANxX2 · New User Joined: 13 Feb 2007 Posts: 6

Thanks for that will do everyone seems to have a opinion the care worker told my grandma he as months to live why do they keep saying everything!

Zenos · Regular Joined: 08 Feb 2007 Posts: 14 Location: PNW

certainly prostae cancer can be slowed by drugs like Lupron (hormone manipulation) and for some of these tumors may slow the progression and even lead to some tumor regression. Utlimatley, over time, it will fail. If your Grandfather is on a baselin LA morpine tablet and has to take a breakthrough med every 90 minutes, he needs higher dose of baseline meds. Talk to the oncology staff about this. He shouldn't need his breakthrough meds more then a couple of times a day, or for activity. Prostate cancer can be very PAINFULL. So terminal patients can will be offered treatment that would not normally be offered.. in an attempt to control pain. Its called palliation. Some of these therapies will have response rates less then 15%, but they may help with pain. Ask the oncologist about a trial of Zometa. Aside from what it can do to prevent pathologic fractures, I have seen it provide amazing pain relief in SOME prostate ca patients. Don't be confused about words like treatment, response rates, treatable.... These dont nessessarly translate to increased survival. His intial diagnosis is probabaly correct

XxGGNO1FANxX2 · New User Joined: 13 Feb 2007 Posts: 6

[quote="Zenos"]certainly prostae cancer can be slowed by drugs like Lupron (hormone manipulation) and for some of these tumors may slow the progression and even lead to some tumor regression. Utlimatley, over time, it will fail. If your Grandfather is on a baselin LA morpine tablet and has to take a breakthrough med every 90 minutes, he needs higher dose of baseline meds. Talk to the oncology staff about this. He shouldn't need his breakthrough meds more then a couple of times a day, or for activity. Prostate cancer can be very PAINFULL. So terminal patients can will be offered treatment that would not normally be offered.. in an attempt to control pain. Its called palliation. Some of these therapies will have response rates less then 15%, but they may help with pain. Ask the oncologist about a trial of Zometa. Aside from what it can do to prevent pathologic fractures, I have seen it provide amazing pain relief in SOME prostate ca patients. Don't be confused about words like treatment, response rates, treatable.... These dont nessessarly translate to increased survival. His intial diagnosis is probabaly correct[/quote]

Ok thankyou for that i will ask!
he is in really bad pain can the hormone tablets show it down though when it as spread so far?

Zenos · Regular Joined: 08 Feb 2007 Posts: 14 Location: PNW

Assumimng his tumor is not hormone refractory, then he could expect slowing ,or even sesation of his disease for some time. If he has a particularly painful lesion, a well defined single area of pain, he may benefit from a short course of radiation....to/for that single area of pain. Radiation can not be given to all the areas of pain. Also single agent Taxotere can often be useful in controlling pain for some time. If his disease is widely metastatic and painful, then it may be time to say goodbye to the Urologist and hello to the Oncologist. Every treatment decision he makes at this point will have value and loss. He may need help in evaluating this. This can be complicated.

XxGGNO1FANxX2 · New User Joined: 13 Feb 2007 Posts: 6

[quote="Zenos"]Assumimng his tumor is not hormone refractory, then he could expect slowing ,or even sesation of his disease for some time. If he has a particularly painful lesion, a well defined single area of pain, he may benefit from a short course of radiation....to/for that single area of pain. Radiation can not be given to all the areas of pain. Also single agent Taxotere can often be useful in controlling pain for some time. If his disease is widely metastatic and painful, then it may be time to say goodbye to the Urologist and hello to the Oncologist. Every treatment decision he makes at this point will have value and loss. He may need help in evaluating this. This can be complicated.[/quote]they have not offered him anything like this he is at home in a bed downstairs and that we just keep hoping he as months not weeks!

Zenos · Regular Joined: 08 Feb 2007 Posts: 14 Location: PNW

It may take months for hormone therapy to work. These other options all come at a cost to his quality of life, and they may offer marginal benefit. Remember what I said. The intial diagnosis and prediction may very well be correct. The decision to be more aggressive should be made by your grandfather. If he seems content to stay home in relative comfort to the end... then you should help him do this. Daily painful trips to a raditation facilitly, or weekly trips to an oncology office will lead to "profound" fatigue, possibly nausea and vomiting, hair loss, neuropathy. And I don't know what benefit it might offer in his case. Like I said this can be complicated. It's not your job to save your grandfather. However, you can be his advocate, his voice, but you need to know what he wants. So, he must know about his options. If he is already flat in bed, needing heavy narcotics to control his pain, then he is not likely strong enough for a more aggressive attempt at tumor control (not cure)

Russ F · New User Joined: 16 Apr 2007 Posts: 1

Dimitri from Paris presents Cocktail Disco, worldwide release June 4th 2007. Double CD

Track listing

CD 1:

1 Blue Velvets - Summertime 04:25

2 The Vast Majority - Ocean's Apart 05:24

3 Ms Victoria Barnes - Never Too Late 05:39

4 Astrud Gilberto - The Girl From Ipanema (Disco Version) 05:52

5 Rhoda Scott - C'est si bon 6:21

6 Darcus - It's Got To Be Love 07:35

7 Marti Lynn - Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me) 08:01

8 Paul Mauriat - The Joy Of You 04:06

9 J Elliot Group - Disco Village 07:03

10 Charlie's Roots - Let Me Show You The Way 04:45

11 The Band Who Fell To Earth - Starflight 17:38

CD 2:

1 Cindy Rodriguez - What You Need Is My Love 07:42

2 Jobell - Never Gonna Let You Go 04:58

3 Ralfi Pagan - Take Me With You 03:48

4 Ritchie Family - Frenesi 07:49

5 Ray Martinez - Lady Of The Night 11:32

6 Serenade - Canteen 05:30

7 Nightfall - Keep It Up 05:26

8 Private Pink - Little High Things 03:15

9 Moses - Something About You 05:00

10 Night People - Again 04:56

11 Jonelle Allen - Baby I just wanna love you 05:58

	Cancer Forums Forum Index -> General Cancer topics	All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Page 1 of 1

A website for discussions about any type of cancer, including lung cancer, breast cancer, mesothelioma, prostate cancer, laryngeal cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma and others