Hi everyone. Our mum was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer late December. January stage 4 with metastatic cancer to the brain. In February mum was put through very risky surgey to remove the brain tumour. Because she has severe COPD on top of the lung cancer and only 30% lung cancer it was very risky because of her breathing faculties. But the neurological team were fantastic and managed to remove the tumour very quickly. Mum healed really well and recovered very quickly. Then we had lockdown and COVID in March. By April Mum was having the same symptoms as before with the brain tumour, headaches, dizziness, confusion. So another MRI was taken and Mums brain tumour had come back. Because of the covid situation it was too risky for lung surgery and chemotherapy. She didn’t however have two lots of radiotherapy. We are all so tired. This year has been an emotional rollercoaster to say the least. Mums condition worsened 2 weeks ago on her 60th birthday and she was very unstable with breathing, extra chest pain, we saw a huge decline in her mobility and she was having panic attacks in the night. She was struggling to take her medication and kept trying to change her doses and things and was struggling to eat and drink. We were told mum had weeks left. Then we needed more help so she was admitted for respite care in a hospice. Since being at the hospice. Mum has recovered well. She is able to move around more, no panic attacks, been eating and drinking, and pain Is under control. She is still smoking and up until being admitted into hospice care drinking vodka when we are not there. We are really concerned about her safety now as we have been told she will be discharged soon. This week she has been showing more dementia like symptoms, confusion, anger outburts, wandering, irrational thoughts, inability to make decisions and she just doesn’t seem like our mum. I’m very concerned that the hospice seem to think that it isn’t safe to discharge her Into a new home on her own, with carers only visiting twice a day because corn majority of this year she hasn’t needed the constant daily help of all of us. The stress, exhaustion, emotion of it all Is really starting Rob get to me. I have two children under 5 and my brother hasn’t 4 children and sister 2 small children too. We have been lucky to have been furloughed to help. But that can’t happen in the coming weeks ahead abs we willing need to go back to work and we have childcare issues also. I am really worried about her safety. I also do not know really what to expect over the coming weeks as we have seen quite a lot of deterioration weekly. This week it’s a mental deterioration. She forgot her Date of birth, didn’t recognise me or the sound of her mother’s voice. Obviously now there is no treatment available there is only going to be more deterioration. Does anybody have more experience of this?
