Long weeks short months meaning

Hi LondonGal70 and a very warm welcome to the online community which I hope you'll both find is both an informative and supportive place to be.

I'm so sorry to read that your mum was diagnosed with ovarian cancer earlier this year and that her oncologist has said that you are looking at "long weeks short months". It must be devastating news for you both and I can understand you wanting to know what sort of time frame this actually means.

I haven't been given this sort of time frame so can't help with your question but I noticed that your post hadn't had any replies yet. It might be an idea to join and post this question in the supporting someone with incurable cancer forum as then you'll connect directly with others who may have a loved one who has been given the same 'long weeks short months' prognosis.

If this is something that you'd like to do just click on the link I've created and, once you've joined the forum, you can start a new post in the same way as you did here and join in with existing conversations by clicking on 'reply'.

Does your mum has a cancer nurse specialist (CNS), sometimes referred to as a keyworker or Macmillan nurse? If she does then, with your mum's permission, you could give her a call as she should then be able to give you a rough idea of what the oncologist meant.

Sending virtual (((hugs)))

Anne

Hi LondonGal, 

I am sorry to read that your mum is having palliative care. I understand by the expression long weeks, short months that you take one day at a time and the week feels veryy long but it is short months because the time you have is limited and actually no much time has passed.

My dad was told he had no more options of treatment at the beginning of February 2020. I thought he had months left and I could take him home but because of the nature of his cancer, leukemia, he died two weeks later without having left the hospital. I used to think I could predict how many weeks some one had left as I worked as a staff nurse in a hospital and took care of many terminal patients, but nobody can Iredict it, I am afraid. 

It was a privilege to take care of my dad. I used to fly every six weeks to Barcelona from the UK during school holidays. He waited for us, me and my children, to say goodbye and then he went. 

Your mum is very lucky to have you. Rally all the help you can for your mum, yourself and your family and pace yourself. Not only for these last few weeks/ months but also for the time after. 

Take care.