Dad dying of oesophageal cancer

Thank you for the honest information, as we are now in this stage with my husband - he has mucosal melanoma that has spread to many places - bones, liver, stomach, sub cutaneous, face and neck ... maybe his oesophagus too... The retching to bring up foamy mucous, sometimes with blood or his last Fortisip drink, and is where we are at. Spent 25.5hrs in A+E this week checking out whether it was being caused by an infection, but there were no answers or solutions suggested. Having our advanced care planning session with the hospice people later - it helps me to think about these things before we get asked the questions. Hope your Dad is at peace and the family all pull through their loss.

I am so sorry to hear about your husband. Big hugs to you and to him. The palliative team and hospice will look after him. Think hard if they offer a stent. (It extended dad’s life, I am sure, and he could eat again for 5 or 6 weeks, but it was uncomfortable for him and, I’ll be honest, he wished sometimes he’d not had it.) Try to help make sure he is not in pain, go with your gut instinct on that, if he can’t communicate so well. When you need to, get him referred to the hospice sooner than later. Make sure they give him enough medicines early enough for any pain. If he is struggling, talk to them about what they can do for him to make it easier. And be kind to yourself and take time to rest. Lots of love.