Hello, I’m Jane, Happy New Year to you.
In March 2024 I was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. I wasn’t given a time scale and, to be honest, I’d rather not know so I’ve not asked. I do know that I’ve got less than 5 years but I might have just a few months, weeks or days. I’ve got no idea.
Anyway, some background - the last time I saw the consultant oncologist was 25 September and I had a follow up telephone appointment with his useless assistant on 20 November. On both occasions they said they would arrange palliative care to get in touch with me but no one has contacted me yet! On 10 December I had a CT Scan with contrast. Nobody has contacted me about that either. My feeling is that I have just been cast adrift by the NHS to die alone. I live alone although my brother, who lives 17 miles away, has been taking me to appointments and has been as helpful as it’s possible to be for someone in his mid 70s with a family of his own to take care of. To be honest I don’t know what I would have done without him.
For a number of months I have been suffering from constant, i.e. 24 hours a day, nausea. It has been getting worse and at the moment its so bad I haven’t eaten anything for four days. I forgot to mention that as well as the tumour in my lung I have a cancerous lymph node in my neck which makes me cough. Just lately the cough has been so bad it’s been making me vomit but because I have eaten nothing all I have brought up is water which is all that I drink at the moment along with the very occasional glass of lucozade and cup of camomile tea.
Is there any advice you can give me to help with the nausea and the cough. I’ve had oramorph prescribed for the cough but it has had no affect.
At the moment I just want to die quickly.
Kind regards
Jane x
