Information that will be given at first appointment

Hello Stomamoma

Thanks for getting in touch. My name is Helen, I’m one of the Cancer Information Nurses on the Macmillan Support Line. Welcome to the online community.

There is a lot going on for your mum right now and it’s great to know that she has your support through it all.

Usually a secondary cancer would be treated under the primary cancer team, however, your mum’s primary cancer has not yet been established, so she is currently under the respiratory team until the primary cancer can be found. At that point I might expect her care team to then move from the respiratory team to the primary cancer team – such as the colorectal team (the bowel cancer team) if this is the where the cancer first started.

I agree, the up-coming appointment will be to discuss your mum’s lung health and the tumours that have already been seen on the chest x-ray. In addition, they will likely be able to discuss the results of the CT scan, which has been done to establish that the cancer has not moved anywhere else.

Also, the team might want to discuss a biopsy of the lung tumours to get a better understanding of the cell type and how they are developing. This information can help when deciding on a treatment plan.

I have popped a link to our information on understanding secondary lung cancer and hope it will help in thinking about questions to ask the healthcare team.

You asked if the respiratory team will be discussing your mum’s bowel investigations. They will be aware the scope that you mentioned is under discussion and will be speaking to the medical team who is organising the tests, but they won’t necessarily be leading on the investigations, as this is not their field of expertise.

Waiting for results is such a difficult time, so gathering information and thinking about questions to ask is helpful in ensuring the appointment can work for you and your mum. Perhaps understanding a little about treatment decisions will also help get your questions ready.

Do make some time for yourself, won’t you. It’s easy to forget to eat well, get good quality rest and look after ourselves when we are caring for someone. I wonder if joining Macmillan’s friends and family would also help in getting additional peer support for you.

I hope you find this information helpful. Please don’t hesitate to get back in touch if there is anything else we can support you with.

Best wishes,

Helen

Cancer Information Nurse.