What does a few months mean?

my lovely 82 yr old mum was first diagnosed with stage 1 bowel cancer that was removed 5 yrs ago. She was cancer free until about 18 months ago when it had spread to liver and a speck on lungs.  Was a slow progressing condition and although couldn’t be cured managed to sustain palliative chemo. That was until jan 19 when trouble with her veins meant she could no longer tolerate the weekly canula.  She had a scan before Easter to discover the extent of her cancer and the results are devastating. The spread is liver, kidneys, lungs, pelvic bones and abdominal tissue.  The consultant has told her she will not be here for Xmas, however when he called me he said realistically a few months.

i live 200 miles away and want to do what I can for my mum, but what does a few months mean?

she is very tired and had a blood transfusion last week but feels much worse than before the transfusion.  Is this deterioration or recovering from the transfusion.

struggling to cope in an apparent haze of living and dealing with forthcoming loss.

  • Hi lovely,

    first of all may I first say how I am rooting for you and your mum. Having had cancer before, she will probably know how’s difficult it’s is. My grandma was diagnosed last year. Her chemo stopped working, and her cancer became terminal. The thing is, nobody knows how much a few months is. My grandma is like my best friend and the thing is, she wouldn’t have to be for me to worry like I do. I completely understand the way you feel. The important thing is to ignore the results as much as you can. I know it’s hard, and seems impossible- it is for me too. But you are not alone. There are people out there for you and your mum. The best thing is to not focus on what will happen, but what is happening. It’s  understandable that you want to do your best for her but because you live so far away, you struggle. Call her whenever you feel down. Tell her you love her and want to be there. Support her. Ask how she feels. Cancer might kill sometimes, but it can only strengthen love. Make the most of everything, and keep your head up.

    if there’s in anything thing I can tell you, it’s that she will never die. Every second, every day of your life, she will watch over you and be proud. 

  • Thank you for your kindness and of course you are right.  I am just so sorry my mum does not get the ‘going to sleep and not waking up’ passing that we all want. We lost my brother when he was 47 and then we lost my dad 9 mths later, all of this she has had to bear and now it seems so unfair that she has to suffer as my dad did.  I don’t want to lose my mum, but I can’t bear to see her so defeated.