Lung and liver cancer

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My 87 year old mum lives alone has had lung  cancer for 4 years without any treatment, she started with back pain lung area and ended up in hospital for a week recently  whilst there they found lung cancer had spread to her liver . She is home now on morphine but is still in pain in her back mainly when she move’s  she’s gone very frail has carers twice a day and other than her own GP no one else seems to be involved with her . I’m just wondering if she should be having other services going in to help her with pain and day to day living with it.we’re lost as to what else we can do to help her.

  • Hi Carole H,

    Thank you for getting in touch with us and welcome back to our online community. I’m Lorna one of the cancer information nurse specialists on the support line.

    I’m sorry to hear that your mum is becoming frail and struggling with the symptoms she has been having. When your mum is at home all her care will fall under her GP.

    You don’t mention what your mum’s prognosis is for her lung cancer. Usually when someone has advanced cancer, a referral is made to the community palliative care team. This can be Macmillan nurses, Marie Curie nurses or sometimes a nurse that is attached to a hospice, depending on who is covering her area.

    Palliative care can offer advice and support and manage any symptoms like pain, that your mum might experience. Her GP will be able to make a referral for her, in the meantime district nurses should be able to help.

    It can be overwhelming looking after someone who has cancer and its important to look after yourself at this time too. You might find our family and friends forum supportive. Or you might find Maggie’s information helpful too.

    I hope you find this information helpful. Please do get back in touch with us if you have more questions. The Macmillan Support Line offers practical, clinical, financial, and emotional support. You can call us free from landlines and most mobile phone networks on 0808 808 0000, you can also chat to us or email us 7 days a week, 8am – 8pm.

    Kind Regards,

    Lorna

    Ref: LB/DK

    Lorna-Macmillan (Cancer Information Nurse Specialist)