My husband was diagnosed last October. Finding it hard to keep his pain managed today so will call the nurse.

id be happy for any information on help we can get financially and in any other way.

thankyou 

Hi Maxine.

I'm sorry to hear you're having trouble helping your husband manage his pain today but I'm glad to hear you've contacted the nurse. I hope they were able to come out and help.

I know you're looking for information about any financial help or support you can get in your situation so I just wanted to let you know that we have a section about this on our website here if you want to have a look. Our cancer nurses will be able to help with any other questions you may have about this so do give them a call next week if you would like to discuss this with them in more detail. Their freephone number is 0808 800 4040 and are available Monday - Friday between 9a.m - 5p.m.

Best wishes to you both, 

Steph, Cancer Chat Moderator

Hi Maxine

Welcome to the forum though sorry for the reason that brings you here.  My hubby had Mesothelioma (it also bought me to the forum) and I really hope the nurse will be able to help with your Dad's pain issues. There are many different options and it is always best to keep the medical team aware of changes.  On average my hubby was assessed every three months unless we felt the need to contact his GP/Nurse or Consultant.  Of course pain levels are different for everyone.  I do not know where you are based but when my hubby was diagnosed his consultant and support worker pointed us in the direction of a voluntary organisation called HASAG who helped us complete all relevant documention (free of charge) by visiting us at home.  They have a website where you can access their contact information and it could be worth giving them a call for guidance even if they are outside your area.  Hope you can get all the support you need at this difficult time.  Regards  Jules

P.S.Am happy to chat if it helps

Hello I am really sorry for your dad diagnosis , its horrible 

My dad got diagnosis sarcomatoid mesothelioma and awaiting chemo. I wondered what treatments did your dad take ? 

Thank you 

Looking forward to hearing from you 

Hi Laura

Welcome to cancer chat.  My post on this thread was in reply to another forum user. In my situation it was my husband who had Mesothelioma and following his diagnosis (at age 60) he did receive some chemo as part of his palliative care (he was not suitable for surgery).  He made the decision to opt for the offered chemotherapy but unfortunately his treatment was stopped half way through the course as it made him too ill to continue. It did however give him probably an extra year with me and the family.

Hope you have good support from family and friends around you but this forum was of considerable help to me as somewhere I felt safe to vent my own feelings during difficult times.

Best regards.  Jules 

Hello thank you for replying. After long 6 months they finnaly gave us his diagnosis which is Mesothelioma Sarcomatoid , I am not sure if your husband has  the same? My dad is also 60 years old . We are awaiting chemo , but doctor said says that there low chance of it working!

I wanted to ask you what do you have any advice ? How to keep him alive ( sounds horrible) as long as I possibly can??

Any thoughts on private cancer hospitals , or alternative treatments ? 

Thank you very much 

Hi again,

My husband had pleural mesothelioma.  To be honest all forms appear to be horrid and depending on how early it is caught may respond better to the treatments that may be offered.  My husband was told at the time of diagnosis (after  four months of various tests) that this was a terminal disease and that possibly chemo could prolong his life.  We were guided by our cancer specialist and looked at no private care or alternative therapies as this was not something he was interested in.  My husband decided to undergo chemotherapy and unfortunately this did not improve his quality of life though it may have extended it by a few months.

As a family we did out best to spend his remaining time as normally as possible which though not easy was how he felt most dignfied.

Happy to try and answer questions you may have but you may also like to use the Ask the Nurses section of the forum.  All the very best at this difficult time.  Jules

May I ask how long did he live with this disease? Did you do anything special? Like diet other.. ? My dad was diagnosed after 6 months after all tests and his is stage 4 they did say is terminal but I want to do anything I can to prolong his prognosis so looking for any advice information. So sorry about your husband , it's horrible horrible no word to describe this disease.

Thank you again for your reply 

Hi Laura,

So difficult watching someone close to you suffering with this type of cancer.  My hubby survived just under three years after diagnosis and it was not an easy journey.  The only special things we did all related to spending as much time together as a family as we could.  His diet became more difficult as time progressed and it was more a case of whether he ate or managed liquid drinks day to day. Me, our children and grandchildren listened to what he wanted to do and did our best to follow his needs.  What we wanted took second place.  

I'ts hard giving advice as every journey is different but we asked for help whenever we felt it necessary and my husband's GP and specialist palliative care team were very supportive.  Jules