Hi Spurs

My husband had terminal cancer of the lung linings and to be honest it is not easy to know what and when things may change as every patient reacts differently.  From my experience we had to be guided by what my husband said he felt like.  He wanted things kept as normal as possible for as long as possible and  then when a change occured we informed his GP/hospital consultant at the regular check ups (these were intially three monthly with the palliative care team at our local hospital and with the GP in between as and when necessary).  My husband did not wish to go into a hospice and he stayed at home with extra care when it became necessary from a good team of community nurses arranged though our GP.

As your Dad is now under a new area I would expect that all his notes will have been forwarded and if you have concerns you should contact his GP surgery for guidance in the first instance.  We were given a contact number at the hospital to ring and this may be information that your Dad has been given. As you mention some confusion in your Dad on occasion this could be linked to his medication and it may be an idea to talk to his doctor about this as very often types/dosages of medication can be altered to help symptons. 

Most of the changes we noticed during the latter stages of my husband's illness were with lack of appetite and fatigue with the level of pain being kept under control but he was certainly able to make his own decisions throughout his illness (he was in his early 60's) which, in some small way, helped us to cope together.

Our local hospice offers support to all family members, not just the patient, and as Brain has said it could be worth you talking to them as they will be a great source of helpful information during difficult times.

Take care. Jules54 

Hi Spurs

My husband had terminal cancer of the lung linings and to be honest it is not easy to know what and when things may change as every patient reacts differently.  From my experience we had to be guided by what my husband said he felt like.  He wanted things kept as normal as possible for as long as possible and  then when a change occured we informed his GP/hospital consultant at the regular check ups (these were intially three monthly with the palliative care team at our local hospital and with the GP in between as and when necessary).  My husband did not wish to go into a hospice and he stayed at home with extra care when it became necessary from a good team of community nurses arranged though our GP.

As your Dad is now under a new area I would expect that all his notes will have been forwarded and if you have concerns you should contact his GP surgery for guidance in the first instance.  We were given a contact number at the hospital to ring and this may be information that your Dad has been given. As you mention some confusion in your Dad on occasion this could be linked to his medication and it may be an idea to talk to his doctor about this as very often types/dosages of medication can be altered to help symptons. 

Most of the changes we noticed during the latter stages of my husband's illness were with lack of appetite and fatigue with the level of pain being kept under control but he was certainly able to make his own decisions throughout his illness (he was in his early 60's) which, in some small way, helped us to cope together.

Our local hospice offers support to all family members, not just the patient, and as Brain has said it could be worth you talking to them as they will be a great source of helpful information during difficult times.

Take care. Jules54