Near the end

My grandmother has stage 3 lung cancer, COPD and alzheimers, currently  we think she might have an infection aswell. For the past 3 days she has not gotten out of bed, does not want to drink or eat anything all she does is sleep. It sounds like she has mucus in her lungs and throat but can't cough it up. In addition she is loosing control of her bladder and can barely stand up on her own without getting shortness of breath and going into a panic mode due to the fact she cannot breath. It feels like she is near the end, how long do you think she has left? 

  • Hi there and thank you for your post

    I am very sorry to hear about your grandmother, this must be such a difficult time for all the family.

    Unfortunately as no one here is directly involved in her care we can't say what this sudden deterioration of health is being caused by or if she is definitely end of life.

    It would be best if she is assessed by the doctor or nurse involved in her care who can give a little more context to what may be going on. You mention that you think she may also have an infection which can also make people feel unwell, loose their appetite, sleep and sometimes having less control over bodily functions, so this also needs to be checked out.

    In an emergency or if you can't get in touch with the team call NHS111 for advice.

    I hope you know more soon but do get back in touch if needed. If you prefer give us a call on 0808 800 4040, we're here weekdays 9-5.

    Take care

    Naomi