Small Cell Lung Cancer now spread to liver

Hello cmb89 and thank you for contacting the online community.

I’m sorry to hear about your mum’s diagnosis, how is she just now?

Her hospital team may have made a referral to the local palliative care team so it might be worth checking with them to see if this has happened. Her GP will have overall responsibility for your mum’s care while she’s at home, so they are the main source of support. They can help with pain/symptom management and make referrals for district and palliative nurses.

Macmillan nurses are palliative nurses who specialise in pain and symptom management as well as offering emotional support and helping to co-ordinate care. They work on a referral basis and again, this is something your mum’s GP would look to arrange if they feel it’s necessary at the moment.

Our booklet Looking After Someone With Cancer gives tips on how carers can look after themselves while supporting and looking after someone with cancer. It talks about who can help support you and your mum, the practical, emotional and financial issues you may face, and how to cope with them as well as ways you can help your mum manage symptoms or side effects.

I appreciate this must be a difficult time cmb89, how do you feel you’re coping just now? Do you have support around you? People you can talk to?

We’re here for you of course and we have a team of nurses on our support line too so please stay in touch if it helps to talk or if you have any further questions.

You can call in on 0808 808 00 00 (7 days a week, 8am – 8pm), web chat or email if you’d prefer.

Take care.

Hi Alex, 

Thanks for your reply. She seems well in herself, which has been the case through her treatment, she has been very lucky in that she hasn't really had many side effects to the chemo or radio. She has a very hoarse voice which has been ongoing for a while, nobody can seem to tell her why, but it may be where the cancer is located as it is also in the lymph nodes in her neck.

Her GP called yesterday for a different matter, but she explained that she has now been discharged. The doctor didn't really tell her much as they haven't received her letter from the hospital yet. He did mention that as she is already speaking to a doctor at LOROS regarding pain management, that he may be able to advise further. She has no intention of going into a hospice, she would like to remain at home, if at all possible, so it's just a case of getting the ball rolling I guess with what will happen next. 

For myself I am still trying to process the whole thing, I seem to have a lot going on in my head and it's hard for me to organise my thoughts which is also affecting my sleep. I think once we know a bit more, it may put my mind at rest but we shall see. 

Thanks again for your reply, I have downloaded some of the booklets to have a read of.