my dad was diagnosed with Stage 3 Esophageal Cancer nearly 3 years ago. He had the surgery and was cancer free for 12 months then docs discovered metastatic nodules/tumors in his lung and 2 in his abdomen. He now has a tumor that is pushing on his bowel and blocking it, they have put a stent in.
My dad was given only weeks to live around 2 weeks ago and has ceased any treatment. He is still up and walking around (with his walker), pottering around in his room (i built in under my house for him). Even goes to the corner store on his mobility scooter.
He eats a small amount for dinner and sometimes has a snack during the day.
Since he has moved in with me, i have noticed a decline in his health. He's 36kgs, very weak, tired a lot of the time, gets out of breath very easily, has trouble sleeping even with his sleeping tablets. I now have to put his pants, shoes and socks on. I see the tell tale signs that death may be near. During the day however, he is quite active.
My question is, can someone be weeks from death and still be quite active? It's worth noting that his oncologist upped his steroid dose to 2 tablets every morning from 1/2 tablet, informing him that this may allow him to live an extra week or 2. Is this why he seems to have more energy during the day?
I'm so confused as I have been mentally preparing for him to have only weeks and he seems to be ok?
I've been trying to google if this is common in people close to death but no answers. Hoping someone can shed some light.
Hi my only experience is of my partner who has the same cancer as your Dad, he’s only 51 and couldn’t have the surgery as it has spread too much by the time it was diagnosed. He’s on palliative care but has been for a couple of years now. He’s not been given a time frame, all they said was that only 3% of people with that cancer get passed 5 years. He has declined a lot on the last 6 months or so. Very thin now. Your Dad sounds like he has more energy than my partner in some ways.
We don’t live together and he is still managing his personal care but think it is a bit of a struggle. I’ve noticed he’s taking naps a lot more during the day. Your Dad is doing well if he’s going to the shop. My partner went for his vaccination and I couldn’t take him so he walked round the corner to the doctor but needed a quick nap after and felt tired the rest of the day.
