Morning, or should I say afternoon to everyone in the UK,
My wife (who is British) and I (American) live in the US, but her parents who are both English live just outside of Peterborough. At the beginning of this year her father (78) was diagnosed with Lung Cancer and immediately received a round each of Chemotherapy as well as Radiation, spaced out of course. Over the past 6 weeks we've been waiting for his most recent scan to only find out that the tumor has grown in size. They were coming to the States for Christmas to visit their grandchildren and if he goes through more chemo, probably won't be physically capable of a long journey, nor will his immune system be strong enough to endure all the potential viral germs going around. Furthermore his oncologist seems to be tired, worn down, and has lost any kind of motivation and empathy due to the nature of her work environment. And her attitude has seem to spread to my in-laws.
But we haven't lost all hope, because I feel as though there are avenues we have not yet explored. SO because I am completely unfamiliar to the NHS, or resources readily available to anything Health/Wellness in the UK, I am asking if anyone ANYONE at all has any suggestions on what we can do?
I feel like my father in law at this point just wants to give up and I am determined to find some way of bringing not only hope but a solution to him. We feel completely helpless being so far away and would take any consultative resources or suggestions that ANY may have.
Hi MavpatUS welcome to the group, but sorry to hear about your father in law. It must be extremely difficult for you and your wife, supporting him from such a distance. I don’t know how many rounds of chemo or radiotherapy your father in law has had, but 6 weeks is very soon to get any real results from radiotherapy. Radiotherapy does not work instantly, it builds up in your body for weeks sometimes months after treatment has finished, so a true scan result would not be possible for at least 3 months.
I am really very concerned that you feel that your father in laws oncologist has given up! Have you seen any evidence that this is the case? I have only ever known any oncologist to have the very best intentions for their patients, whether this is to extend their life for as long as possible, or give their patient the best quality of life to be able to enjoy what time they have left. NHS oncologists are passionate about their work, and if your father in law was to go private, he would probably come across the same oncologist.
Your father in law can ask to see a different oncologist if he is not getting on with his current consultant. He can discuss this with his oncologist, or his GP if he prefers.
Although immunotherapy is a wonderful treatment, it is not a suitable treatment for all cancer types. Has your father in law shared his consultation letters with you, so you can see what type of cancer and what stage he is?
