Hello all,
My mom ,Susan, is coming home tomorrow after 4 weeks in the hospital. She went in for arm/leg pain that turned out to be bone mets from her adenocarcinoma. Subsequent colon rupture and now 4 weeks have gone by... Her appt with an Oncologist is August the 9th. She told me yesterday she is feeling "bone pain" in her arm again. I cant stand the waiting! She is still weak from her colon rupture and subsequent infection.
Should I push for an earlier appt? Once there should I ask her Doc for radiation therapy to help with pain?
Also her appetite is really gone, she has gotten very thin, should I ask for medical mariquana prescription to help with appetite and pain management (we live in California) I am willing to do anything to help ease my mom's suffering.
Any thoughts are appreciated.
Blessings.
Tiffany
Reply # - July 22, 2012, 10:27 AM
Reply To: Home tomorrow (Sunday) after almost a month in
Tiffany, I hope your mom is home and comfortable. I know just being home must be a huge relief for her.
Is she getting adequate pain medication? If not she should be no matter when the next appointment is. There has been excellent posts written that I've linked to below. As far as medical mariquana if we had access to it I think we would have gotten it. Many believe it to ease pain, help appetite, relax and sleep more soundly. There is a solution called magace that helps appetite for many including my husband.
There should be no reason not to call the cancer center to understand the timing they have you mom on. Presumably it is to give her time to recover from hospitalization. They won't want to make her worse with treatment.
You're right radiation can reduce pain in bone mets. That is another reason to follow up with her oncologist and radiologist sooner.
good info on bone pain, http://cancergrace.org/cancer-treatments/2009/07/26/bone-pain-in-cancer/
and pain in general, http://cancergrace.org/cancer-treatments/tag/pain/
I hope these can be helpful when you call the cancer center. I hope Susan feels better soon,
Janine
Reply # - July 22, 2012, 06:24 PM
Reply To: Home tomorrow (Sunday) after almost a month in
I'm glad she's getting home. I hope she continues to recover and feel better.
It's most appropriate to speak with her own doctors about the timing of her followup. That isn't something that people who are less familiar with her case should override.
Here is a post about diminished appetite and oral intake, along with weight loss:
http://cancergrace.org/cancer-treatments/2009/02/16/acs-mgmt/
My experience in having patients use medical marijuana is that many, many adult (and especially older adult) patients really don't like it at all; many feel a vague malaise/dysphoria. While it can be helpful for some people, the fascination with it vastly exceeds its actual utility for the majority of my patients.
Good luck.
-Dr. West
Reply # - July 23, 2012, 01:22 AM
Reply To: Home tomorrow (Sunday) after almost a month in
Tiffany, I just wanted to offer an additional word of support. It sounds as if your mother has had a really bad time and it must be very distressing for you to see her suffering. In your situation I would certainly report the new pain - if you and her doctors can sort out the right pain medication, it ought to be possible for her to be made more comfortable. Best wishes.
PS - it might be that she finds it easier to eat at home, just because it is home and not the hospital - ie more relaxed and nicer things to eat.
Reply # - July 23, 2012, 06:39 PM
Reply To: Home tomorrow (Sunday) after almost a month in
Hi Tiffany:
Just wanted to pop in and say that I'm so sorry your Mom continues to have issues. If I were in your shoes, I'd call and let her docs know what is going on. 8/9/12 seems like an eternity away. At minimum, maybe they can give her something to boost her appetite, etc.
All my best to you both,
Laya