Hi
My nan has just been diagnosed with small cell lung cancer they have told her it is not curable. She can have chemo to give her around 12months of life or without she is looking at 4 to 6months.
I'm asking for any advice/experience of having chemo for lung cancer and what the effect where for people I know it's different for everyone but she doesn't want to go into it blind and then regret it. She is scared of getting ill and making her last month's of life unbearable.
She is relatively fit for 76 she has no cough or pain just feeling tired. Is it worth making herself ill with chemo for an extra few months? Any advice would be welcomed we are at a loss at the minute
Hi Coco10 and a very warm welcome to the Macmillan Community but sorry to hear about your nan’s diagnosis.
A cancer diagnosis in the family can be such a challenging and stressful time but getting support from others who are dealing with the ‘exact same' cancer type and support challenges will help a lot (I have a totally different type of cancer)
The Community is actually divided into dedicated Cancer Specific Support Groups (Discussion Rooms) so can I recommend you join and post in our Lung Cancer support group. This is a safe place to talk to others who may have a similar diagnosis, treatment experience, to ask questions and get support from family members who are navigating the same support journey.
As for the practical and emotional challenges of supporting your nan you may benefit from joining and posting in our Carers only and Supporting someone with incurable cancer support groups where you will connect with others navigating the exact same support challenges.
To connect with a group click on the “Bold Italic Links” I have created above then once the group page opens click on “Click to Join” when the black banner appears or “Join” under “Group Tools” (this all depends on the device you are using)
You can then put up your own post when you’re ready by clicking “+new” or “+” in the top right next to the group title. You can copy and paste the text from this post into your new post. You can also scroll through other members posts and click “Reply” to get involved.
It is an emotional time supporting family so you might find this Macmillan information your feelings when someone has cancer helpful as well as this link getting help with your emotions.
The Macmillan Support Line is open 8am-8pm (timings may differ across services) 7 days a week on 0808 808 00 00. This service provides cancer information, practical information, emotional support, benefits/financial guidance or just a listening ear.
We also have our Ask an Expert section but do allow a few working days for a reply.
Talking to people face to face can be very helpful so do check to see if you have any Local Macmillan Support in your area, do also check for a local Maggie's Centre as these folks are amazing and support all the family.
Do get back to me if you need further help navigating the community
Yes I just seen you have done this….. do also join and introduce yourself to the Carers only and Supporting someone with incurable cancer support groups as this brings a different dimension to the support you will get….. ((hugs))
