Am I right to feel let down

I lost my mum in May 2012 to  small cell lung cancer , something I can never get over . She was diagnosed in April just 23 days before she passed . They suspected it before but confirmed it in April . The doctor  refused to give her cemo even though she wanted it .basically sent us away with nothing . I never left her side from that day , I moved into her home went on leave from work . No macmillan or any form of doctors came to help me . Me & my family had to take her to doctors  ourselves for blood test as they wanted to keep an eye on her sodium levels . She was given no proper pain medication . All she had was tramadol which was prescribed before the cancer for something else . Which she refused to take , so she had no medication at all  . Was just me & my sister there when she died . We both had to be questioned by police . Doctor  to me blackmailed my sister , because she questioned their lack of care  towards our mum . He basically said if we wanted to ask questions , then he would not sign death certificate , and an autopsy have to be done . Which we knew my mum wouldn't want . So she agreed to leave the questions . Nobody did nothing to help us , while we was been full time carers for my mum. I hope nobody else has the same experience my family had . I miss my mum each & every day my pain has never eased. It gets worse as time passes I miss her more . 

  • Thankyou no I didn't want them to do an autopsy , I knew it was pneumonia what took her . I wanted them to tell my why they never gave her oxygen or any pain relief  when it was clear to see it was needed . Why the doctor never did an hone visit . And why did I have to take her to his surgery 4 days before she passed  when it was obvious she had pneumonia . And why did they treat her as she was nothing , when she meant everything to me & my family . And why didn't they support us or help us in any way . They neglected her and us . Me & my sister that stayed by her side 24 hours a day are not medically trained in any way . Could both see she needed oxygen and pain relief . Night before she died she was really bad , she was in and out of consciousness and very blue around her mouth . So my sister phoned doctor next morning  and demanded he came and visited her . After getting of phone with my sister doctor phoned my mums house number straight up . I answered he asked to speak to my mum .i told him she couldn't come to phone as she was sleeping after having a very bad night . And I wasn't waking her . Truth was she was already unconscious  and breaths was getting further apart . Could hear the death rattle . He said he would visit after surgery . Putting phone down I remember saying  you will be to late you b*****d .she died 10 minutes after that phone call. . Just me & my sister was with her .she stopped breathing . Her heart was still beating so we held her and spoke to her . We felt her last heart beat . It shouldn't have been like that . We shouldn't have had to cope alone , yes we cared for her better than anyone could have . We showered her with love but we should have had the oxygen & her pneumonia should have been treated properly  she should have had some sort of pain relief . If that had happened we would have had more time . 23 days before she was diagnosed with the cancer . And was only 5 days before she was told she couldn't have cemo and that it was terminal . Few months they said . x

  • Thankyou I will seriously think about it . 

  • Yes, I relate to your painful story in several ways.

      I was also the one who asked the questions in a naive attempt to stop other people suffering in a similar way.  I made it clear it was not a complaint just something the hospital PALS team could take away to make people more comfortable in final days. Too late to retract.once said.  As a result I have  not yet asked the GP what happened,. I didn't trust myself to say the right thing. I  started a letter to ask,  and review it every so often,  until it is suitably short and less emotive, I haven't yet sent it..  why terminally ill people are left on their own with no help or pain relief is  beyond my understanding but is a line in my as yet  unsent letter.

    PS I hope you get to talk this through with someone as others suggests, it takes a lot of talking. Virtual hug from someone who just wishes they could turn back the clock and change their parents last few days on earth and was so overwhelmed by it all XXX

  • So sorry for what you went through too hugs back at you xx thankyou for listening xx