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Mum's lung cancer diagnosis

Hat88
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Hi all, I've posted separately about my own concerns but this post is about mum and just wanting to understand anything I can do to make her pain more mangable. I'm in ongoing discussions with her treating clinic. She's on two types of morphine and is heading towards a CT guided biopsy this sat. The pain is currently ruining her quality of life. She can do very little on only a few weeks. I'm awaiting new meds tomorrow to see if they make any difference. 

Her appetite is non existent which is so unlike her. 

I wanted to ask if anyone was in a similar situation and if anything they've done has helped their loved ones with pain management? Vitamins, foods, cbd oil and the likes. Anything at all that you may have found worked for you or the person you're looking after? 

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    I've since spoken with the hospital and the cause of the pain is the tumour which is confirmed in size now as 8cm on the outer lung. 

    Equally if there are any prescribed pain med combos of particular use to someone you are looking after that helped Me please let me know. Ideally high impact on pain low impact on patient  - I know everyone is different but useful I think to have some names of stuff as a starting point. 

  • Offline in reply to Hat88

    Hello Hat88, 

    It's so hard to see a loved one in pain and it's so nice of you to come here to try and find solutions to make her pain more manageable. I am sure your mum will be grateful for your pro-active approach in trying to alleviate her pain. It's a good idea to be talking to her treatment clinic as they will be very much aware of your mum's condition and of the types of pain relief that would make a positive difference, I am so sorry to hear that despite being on two types of morphine, she is still in so much pain and it is ruining her quality of life. It's good that they have sorted new meds for her and I hope that these will be effective. I thought you might be interested in having a good read of our section on cancer and pain control where you will find useful information on treating cancer pain including the different types of painkillers your mum might be offered. If you find that something isn't working, it is worth having this discussion just as you are doing with her medical team to find out if there is something else that could be tried to make your mum more comfortable. I hope that you will also hear from the experiences of other members of our community who have also tried different drugs and found something that worked for them or for a loved one which, as you mentioned, would have high impact on pain without having adverse effects on the patient.

    It's such a shame that your mum has lost her appetite when she used to love her food if I understood you rightly. This is sadly also not uncommon after a cancer diagnosis and I hope that you will get some valuable tips from our community based on what worked for them. 

    If you also wanted to talk things through with our cancer nurses, they are available on this free number 0808 800 4040 - don't hesitate to call them Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm and they will be happy to offer further guidance and advice. 

    I will now let our members come and say hello and share their stories and give you some suggestions based on their personal experiences. 

    Best wishes, 

    Lucie, Cancer Chat Moderator 

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