Just a rollercoaster - I think I just need to get it all out

QueSeraSera

Mom who is probably stage 6? But most of her symptoms are physical, not as much cognitive, other than short-term memory loss. She has regular blood tests so that she can continue to receive her RA medications - the last two blood tests have shown blood counts/ hemoglobin/platelets to be very low. We were making plans to get her in for a blood transfusion on Thursday morning when she began feeling ill in the evening. The next morning she is quite sick and had been vomiting - we took her to the ED and found she had a small bowel blockage. They inserted an NG tube to release pressure from intestines - it was painful and upsetting for mom. After 4 days they told us it wasn't working and she'd need a surgery that she more than likely would not survive, or we would have the option for hospital based hospice, but pain management would be hard so expect her to be lucid for just a couple more days. We flew in family from out of state to say goodbye. It was awful, but mom refused to decide on their timeline and the next day the blockage cleared. Hallelujah! Huge relief!!!

A few days later they gave her two transfusions at the hospital because of the blood counts - she clearly felt better after transfusions. During the discussions of her blood issues the physicians explained that they saw spots on her right lung that could be cancer.

I wasn't worried because she's had spots before. We came home after a week and mom has had a good appetite and in good spirits. She had hospital delirium that has completely resolved. But she's very weak and needs oxygen - which she's never needed before. Even with oxygen she's somewhat breathless. She's also developed a cough - I finally got her to spit into a napkin and saw that it is bloody sputum. So then I checked her old chest X-ray reports and saw that these are different spots, and they are larger. So the high of the blockage being cleared has been dashed by the probability that she has lung cancer. We have an appointment with the PCP in two days - I'm trying not to jump to conclusions, but she smoked for well over 60 years and it seems pretty likely that it has caught up to her. She's agreed to hospice - and god forgive me but I am in some ways relieved that she will likely pass from cancer, while still remembering the people who love her and with the ability to enjoy her family and friends.

ButterflyWings

Everything about this journey is hard. But honestly, I would be relieved as well, if my LO had an exit ramp sooner rather than later. Hospice will be a blessing and great resource to help you keep her comfortable and manage any pain. She sounds like a special lady who is lucky to have you.

QueSeraSera

Thank you - we had a doctor appointment just after I posted this and the lung cancer diagnosis was essentially confirmed, even though we won't be doing biopsy or anything. But now her oxygen levels are up even when she's not on oxygen, so who knows what will happen next.

M1

I know that news must have been hard to hear regardless. But hopefully they can keep her comfortable. Many things could happen with this, so it's hard to predict what the final event might be (I guess it doesn't matter, but I know it's hard not to think about). Very glad hospice is on board.