hi all, my dad who is 61 was taken for scans due to fluid on his lungs and being out of breath. The consultant said the results showed worrying signs of asbestos. He was booked in to have his lung drained and had to have a drainage fitted and they also took a biopsy. Before he left hospital a macmillan nurse came to see him to show how his drainage worked etc. We have been told his results are due back within 4 weeks. So would a macmillan nurse only see him if they suspected cancer? As we havent really been told anything at all as to possibilities what it could be.
Thanks
Hi and welcome to the Online Community, although I am so sorry to see the circumstance that brought you here and so sorry to hear about the issues your dad is having.
These types of investigations do make the mind go into overdrive. Back in 2012 I went through basically the same investigations and yes I was diagnosed with Pleural Thickening and Pleural Plaque (Right Lung) - Asbestosis.
For me, this has not been a problem and is the case for many people I have meet as many types of Asbestosis is not classed as Cancer....... my main issue has been living with a rare Lymphoma since 1999.
You won't know the full story until all the results come in and you all will have to deal with this no matter the news.
I did have contact with a Macmillan Nurse during the lung investigation process as she was the Lung Specialist Nurse, but she talked with all respiratory patients cancer and none cancer.
Should you find that the results come back showing Mesothelioma then check out our Lung Cancer forum where you will connect with people who understand the journey your dad is on. You can ask the folks questions about treatments, what to expect and how to help him during this time.
Follow the link and join the group. To do this hit the ‘Join the Group’ tab just under the main group name. At this point go to the right on the group home page and select how you want to receive email notifications when someone answers your posts. If in the future you don’t want to receive notifications just switch off the email notifications tab.
The best way to get support is to go to the 'Start a Discussion' tab just under the main group name. Set up your own Discussion and Introduce yourself to the group - you could just copy an paste what you have in this first post.
Have a look through our various Macmillan Support Line Services then call them on 0808 808 00 00 to be very helpful covering Emotional Support and Practical Information. Clinical Information and Financial Support and Work Guidance mostly open 8.00 to 8.00 but check the link.
We also have our ‘Ask an Expert’ section where you can post questions to our mostly Volunteer Experts but please allow 2 working days to get a reply.
We also have our Online Information and Support Section where you will find some great pages covering the cancer diagnosis, treatment and information pages covering most types of cancers.
When you feel up to it thank about putting some information in your profile. This really helps others when answering. It also means that you don't have to keep repeating yourself.
To do this click on YOUR username, look to the left and select 'Edit Profile'. Put as much or as little in your profile and you can amend it at any time - REMEMBER hit the big green SAVE before you leave the page. If you're not sure what to write you can take a look at any members profiles by clicking on their username.
All the best.
