My mother is in her mid 90s. She has severe pain all over her body due to a variety of issues relating to her spine. She has complained of excruciating pain in her abdomen and lower abdomen for several years, which has been getting worse. The GP went down the urological route, but scans and ultrasounds revealed nothing. The doctors say her stomach is soft and they can’t feel a mass. About 15 months ago a stool test showed blood and she was referred. Before we could make an appointment, she was admitted to hospital because of an infection and the doctors told me they had seen several shadows and that she might have cancer but at her age they didn’t want to do invasive tests. She has excess calcium and has been diagnosed with hyperparathyroidism as well as poor kidney function.
We therefore don’t know if she has cancer or not and will not find out. However, she has been losing weight recently, doesn’t want to eat as much as before and says the pain is terrible. Doctors have tried morphine, tramadol and other pain killers, but they don’t seem to help. She now just takes codeine and paracetamol.
What symptoms should I be looking out for and what might indicate to me that it is a form of cancer?
