Visited my father this evening who is in agony with a cancerous tumour on the kidney. He's in 24 hour care but nurses seem to be struggling to administer anything to make him comfortable. What is most effective in these situations?
I am very sorry to hear about your father's situation and I can appreciate your concern for him.
I think if you have not done this recently you need to contact the nurse team caring for him and tell them about this concern. If they are finding it difficult to sort out his pain they should speak with the doctor that is prescribing the pain medication to let them know about his pain, this might be a GP that works with the unit. The nurses may be able to refer your father to a community based team such as a palliative care team. Palliative care teams are often made up of specialist nurses who are experts on dealing with cancer symptoms such as pain and help support him at what must be a difficult time.
You could also ask the nurses to contact the hospital based urology team that is caring for your dad. He may have a specialist cancer nurse, often they are called a Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) that your father's nurses or you good contact to let them know about his pain.
It can sometimes be difficult to deal with pain and it can be made worse by worry and stress, so I do hope that this can be made better for him.
Please get back to us if you need any more information or support. You may find it helpful to talk things through with one of the nurses on our helpline. The number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.
I am very sorry to hear about your father's situation and I can appreciate your concern for him.
I think if you have not done this recently you need to contact the nurse team caring for him and tell them about this concern. If they are finding it difficult to sort out his pain they should speak with the doctor that is prescribing the pain medication to let them know about his pain, this might be a GP that works with the unit. The nurses may be able to refer your father to a community based team such as a palliative care team. Palliative care teams are often made up of specialist nurses who are experts on dealing with cancer symptoms such as pain and help support him at what must be a difficult time.
You could also ask the nurses to contact the hospital based urology team that is caring for your dad. He may have a specialist cancer nurse, often they are called a Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) that your father's nurses or you good contact to let them know about his pain.
It can sometimes be difficult to deal with pain and it can be made worse by worry and stress, so I do hope that this can be made better for him.
Please get back to us if you need any more information or support. You may find it helpful to talk things through with one of the nurses on our helpline. The number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.
