Good morning MacMillan.
I'm Dan, and my father was diagnosed Malignant Mesothelioma 2 years ago, this April. He currently resides in North Cyprus, and has received surgery of the right lung to remove lesions, plus Pemetrexed and Carboplatin. After the first round of treatment he was told he was in remission, however it returned late last year.
He has spent most of the past two years in debilitating pain due to the surgeon's decision to use vicryl mesh at the operation site. To top it all, my dad has been previously diagnosed with depression, for which he was prescribed relevant anti-depressants.
The past few months have been increasingly hard on his partner, and as such they are returning to the UK for further treatment, having been told by the oncologist that he will need a maintenance dose of chemotherapy every 21 days. We're concerned that his mental health has taken a turn for the worse, as you can imagine, due to hoping for remission again, and being told he will never be in remission. The oncologist was very... forthright in his approach. It did not go down well.
I guess my questions are; can he receive these treatments on the NHS, and how do we go about setting up support for his condition? He has lost so much weight through this, due to appetite and change in tastebuds. I've tried to help with nutrition, as thats where my degree background is, but he needs more comprehensive help, such as physiotherapy... counselling... I don't know where to start.
Please send halp.
Kind regards,
Dan.
