Confused

My dad was told he had lung cancer in April and there was nothing they could do. Five months on he is still with us, they have told me he has brain mets and one has become a large tumour, he also has heart failure. My emotions are all over the place. He is in a hospice. One day I visit and he is asleep the whole day but another day I go and he is awake and quite jolly. He eats and drinks. I have gone today and they have said his breathing is laboured, but he seems the same to me, however the base of his finger nails have started to go a grey/blue. I get so confused with how up and down he is. Is this normal? Any advice would be so appreciated. 

Parents
  • Hi Bunni,

    I'm afraid the word normal doesn't seem to apply in these situations, but your description sounds very much like my Mum's condition in her final weeks of life. She would be very lucid and alert one minute and then sleep for hours.

    I hope this helps.

    Best wishes
    Dave 

  • DaveK

     

    Thank you so much for your reply, I am so sorry about your mom. I think maybe I am hoping it is a sign he is improving even though deep down I know he isn’t. I had this picture in my head that he would just sleep more and more and it would be obvious he was going. I just feel confused and a little helpless. 

    Xx

Reply
  • DaveK

     

    Thank you so much for your reply, I am so sorry about your mom. I think maybe I am hoping it is a sign he is improving even though deep down I know he isn’t. I had this picture in my head that he would just sleep more and more and it would be obvious he was going. I just feel confused and a little helpless. 

    Xx

Children
  • Hi again,

    I think it is sad that none of us seem to know what to expect these days. Hollywood movies and TV dramas inform our expectations and the reality is almost never as dramatic or as neat as we expect it to be. Make the most of his jolly days and help him enjoy them by sharing them with him.

    Best wishes
    Dave :-)