My mum is 58 and in the final stages of life. She was diagnosed with Stage 3 Ovarian cancer about 21 months ago, she has had a lot of different surgery and chemotherapy but the type of cancer she has is very fast growing and is now resistant to all chemo drugs.
She was given about a month to live 3 months ago and is still here at the moment and still suffering :-(
What I need help with is her constant fear and panic about the physical part of dying, I feel if I could somehow stop the anxiety she is suffering the last part of her journey would be far less traumatic for her.
Any advice gratefully received...... She worked as a nurse before she became ill and has seen many many cancer victims die.
FormerMember
Hi Emma,
I'm so sorry about your poor Mum, and it must be very hard and frightening for you too. Have you got any help with nursing her? Macmillan nurses are very experienced with end of life care, so even if your Mum is visualising all kinds of horrors, I'm sure they could help her to find a bit of peace. If you haven't got one, do get in touch with either your Mum's GP or the cancer nurses here (the freephone number is below this post, and is open Mon. - Fri., 9am - 8pm). Another option is to get in touch with your nearest hospice, because very often they have a "hospice-at-home" service which can be invaluable in giving the kind of care and reassurance your Mum needs.
What about medication - has she been prescribed anything for the anxiety? Some quick-acting sedatives would help her I think.
And what about yourself? You're clearly having a dreadful time so you need to take care of yourself too. Have you considered joining the "Being a Relative" group here? You will get lots of suport through this from some lovely people who can identify with your difficult situation instantly.
I do hope this has helped a bit. Don't forget we are always here for you, and if you need company during the night, there's the live Chatroom.
If you click on 'Cancer Information' on the banner above and then click on 'End of Life' and follow the links that you need for the information. You find a lot of comforting facts which you can either relay to your mother or let her read for herself. It is a very hard time for you too and you may find comfort from these wise words too.
