Hi, can anyone give me any advice about my mum. She finished her radiotherapy to her left lung 6 weeks ago ( large tumour pressing onto spine snd nerves) . Her main problems were utter exhaustion, iron depletion, no appetite and feeling sick. All these seem a bit better but the pain which did seem a bit better is now awful again but no longer in the arm but now all in her back. She is very intolerant of the many drugs ( gabapentine for nerve pain made her hallucinate, long acting opioid made her dopey) , she’s just on paracetamol and liquid morphine…. Any suggestions if she is still likely to get more benefit from the radiotherapy? Or should she have reached her peak ? Any suggestions to any other more tolerable painkillers ? The GP phones about 1 x a fortnight and mums getting a bit tired of phoning the specialist nurse at the hospital all the time , who then has to keep getting back in touch with Gp. It’s all a bit disjointed ! Any help greatfully appreciated !
Hi Fi 21 I am sorry to hear that your mum is in pain. As you probably know, the radiotherapy will be continuing to build for some weeks after the treatment, so it could be this causing your mum pain. It is really hard when you are intolerant of drugs, I am the same, I cannot have any opioid medications, which does limit what I can have. 6 weeks post radiotherapy is still early days, but it is not nice to see your mum in pain.
I don't understand why your mum's specialist nurse will be contacting the GP. I would be phoning her and asking to speak to the oncologist about this. Yes the GP can give pain relief, but the Oncologist is the expert. I have had radiotherapy, and I know how painful and tiring the healing can be, the radiotherapy can make things swell inside, and it could be this causing the pain, but I think she really needs to speak to her medical team to tell her if this is to be expected.
