My mum was recently diagnosed with lung cancer, they found two nodules, one primary and one secondary in her right lung. The consultant has raised a concern with the hospital as the primary showed clearly on a scan 18 months ago but nothing was done or mentioned. They are unsure if the secondary is from this cancer, it is GATA 3 which is often from breast cancer but did a pet scan and couldn't find another primary or signs of any other cancer. The plan was to irradicate both with a course of radiotherapy. When we saw the oncology to discuss the radiotherapy, my mum told them about the chronic and disabling pain she was suffering in her neck. On looking at the PET scan a second time the consultant could see an area of concern there and sent her for a CT scan of the head and neck. The results came back showing a tumour on the C1/C2 vertabrae pressing into the spinal cord. Mum underwent 5 days of radiotherapy to reduce the tumour. Radiotherapy finished 13 days ago and she is in absolute agony. My mum is a very strong lady and has had to cope with pain all her life from a back issue where she spent a year in hospital. She is on 15mg morphine patches, oramorph, amitriptyline and has being taking steroids since last Wednesday but nothing seems to touch it and she is in so much pain she's struggling to talk. The oncologist said the pain is probably a flare up which should have eased by now and if the steroids haven't worked by the end of the bank holiday to ring the cancer nurse to see what else they can do. Has anyone else experienced similar to this and aware of anything else they can do for the pain?
