My mum began with bowel cancer and it had spread to liver and lung. She had palliative radiotherapy for the bowel which went went. She began the palliative chemo and is in the process of having 12 treatments. Her Oncologist rang her and told her that she would be having another 12 weeks of chemo, which will finish approx August.
Mum who is 90 in July doesn't ask questions, she just accepts what she is told. This leaves my brother, sister and myself none the wiser to what is going on. Mum has had no scans during this first programme of chemo to see if the liver/lung tumours have got smaller, bigger or stable. So, now we are wondering why another 12 weeks have been prescribed?
We don't know what actual chemo she is been given either. I rang Mum's McMillian nurse to talk to her, but the nurse had to get permission from mum before she could talk to me. This went down like a lead balloon with mum. Now at the moment, the Macmillan nurses have changed and they are based at the hospital where chemotherapy is given. I know I could call them, but it upsets mum so much when the nurses ring her to ask for permission, that I am dubious about calling them to find out more. I feel as though I am floating in a cloud of worry and not knowing makes things worse.
Can anyone tell me in their experience as to why another 12 week programme has been described please, and any other advice would be really welcome. Thank you.
