Hello Anne-Mary.  I am also terminal, so I understand your fears.  Do you have a MacMillan nurse that you can talk to about this?  At this stage of your illness, MacMillan should be involved.  My brother-in-law died of cancer a couple of years ago and he received excellent care at home, when he was in the last few months of life.  He was asked if he would like to go to a Hospice but he had already decided that he wanted to die in his own home, and as I said, he was given very good care right up till the end.  

No. My only experience of MacMillan nurses was when my husband was dying in 2007. They worked 9-5 and not at week ends so we were left alone as my husband died in the early hours of a Saturday morning. I have been introduced to specialist cancer nurses I don’t know if these are what some people call McMillan nurses but these are hospital based. 

Hello again Anne-Mary.  I am surprised that you have not been referred to MacMillan, but here is their phone number and they will be able to advise you on home care. or anything else that you need to know about.   0808-808-0000.   Also, you could ask the specialist nurses at your hospital what will happen to you and explain that you have no-one to take care of you, and you could also speak to your GP about your situation.  Good luck. 

Hi Ann-Mary, I too have metastatic cancer, I was also in healthcare for many years, 5 of which were  in palliative care,.

I got myself referred through my GP, to my hospice and their palliative care team and the district nurses.

Please don't think they are only for people with very little time left, I have had mine 15 months, the palliative team are there to support you and manage your pain so you can make the most of your time.

The district nurses can access specialist  nursess, support and equipment, as well as services available for you where you are.

Your council and ageUK, should be able to help but call your local ageUK,  as the national number doesn't know what's available in your ares.

Good luck my friend, if I can help, please let me know.

Eddie xx

Hello and thank you for posting.

I am sorry that you are going through this, and I can understand why you are reaching out for information. It looks like you have had some good advice and support from other forum users.

When someone is unwell and at home it is not unusual to be referred to a palliative care team (sometimes called Macmillan nurses). They are based in the community and work alongside the GP and the district nurses to provide support and symptom management. It may be worth talking to someone in your hospital team or your GP about a referral if you think this hasn't already happened.

The palliative care team are experts in pain control and would advise and prescribe the medicines as and when needed when someone is at home and terminally ill.

When someone needs care at home sometimes social services are involved, or when very sick packages of care can be organised again by the community teams. Once you have been referred to your local team they will talk through end-of-life care, how it can be managed, and what your wishes are.

There is more information, that may be difficult to read, on our website that may answer some other questions you have. Marie Curie also has information on getting care if useful.

Take care and I hope you get the support you need. If you want to talk things through with the nurses on our helpline on freephone 0808 800 4040, lines are open mon -fri, 9-5.

Sarah.