Stage 3 a ovarian cancer

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Hi, I’m looking for a bit of advice regarding my mum. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer but has developed clots on her lungs, developed peritoneal disease and now has pulmonary nodules. Does this mean the cancer has spread?

Also I’m worried because she’s got confused with her medication even though I put it in a daily box for her and is refusing to take one of her laxatives. 

any help or suggestions will be appreciated.

Many thanks Philippa x

  • Hello Philippa,

     Thank you for getting in touch. Welcome to the online community.  My name is Helen and I am one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists on the Macmillan Support Line.  

     I can see that you are a member of the Ovarian Cancer online forum, I hope you are finding this a useful resource. 

     I’m sorry to hear about your mum’s ovarian cancer diagnosis and that you are worried about her. 

    You mention that she has been confused.  With any new, increasing, or worsening symptoms it is important to report these to your mum’s hospital team today. This allows them to make a full assessment and decide if she requires medication or further investigations to manage these symptoms. They would want to hear from you and know if your mum is struggling 

    If you find it difficult to make direct contact with the hospital team, you should contact her GP or 111. They will be able to provide support & will undertake an assessment and check for causes of confusion and discuss any medication issues with your mum and yourself. 

    On the Support Line we don’t have access to NHS records and are unaware of what treatment your Mum may have received or how she is responding. Therefore, any questions that you may have relating to cancer spread or progression need to be directed to the Gynae-Oncologist and Gynaecology cancer Specialist Nurse at the local hospital. They are best placed to discuss your questions about your mum’s condition.

    A cancer diagnosis can be devastating and it is common to have many different emotions . There is a range of help and support which is available to both yourself and your mum.    

    If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch again. We often find that we can help people more by talking to them directly. A conversation may make it easier to explore complex or emotional issues. 

    You can speak to one of our experienced cancer information nurses by calling our free helpline on 0808 808 00 00 or by Webchat seven days a week 8am – 8pm. You can also email us back and we aim to reply within two working days. 

     I hope this information helps. Please feel free to get back in touch if you want more information or support.

    Best wishes,

    Helen W

    Cancer Information Nurse Specialist 

    Ref: FP/HW

     

  • Hi thanks so much for the advice. I’ll call the number directly as you say it would make sense.