As you all know, my grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer about a year ago. She had a few surgeries, chemo, and radiation in attempts to get rid of it. On Monday she had another PET scan and it showed that the cancer had grown in her arm and had spread to her lung.
She had previously stated that she wouldn't go through that stuff again and that she'd just let it run its course. As such, the doctors told her that within 6 months she'll feel pain in her arm and will need to be on pain medicine. They also said that she should contact hospice because she'll be needing it. At this point they don't know how quickly this will progress though. They said it's possible that she could go 1-2 years with no other symptoms or that it could spread much faster than that. Why they can't be more specific I don't know.
What they do know is that it's in her arm and at least one lung and in her lymph nodes. They only scanned her upper body, so they said it could be in other areas also. I don't know if they're going to do another scan. At this point I don't really know much of anything other than now she has a terminal illness. There's no cure and she's not going to attempt to delay the inevitable either.
3 comments:
I'm so very sorry to hear this. My thoughts are with you and your family.
Good luck to you and your family, Tim. These things can be very emotionally draining. I think your grandmother is taking a very brave approach to this. Once breast cancer gets into the lymph nodes it is extremely difficult to deal with. The likelihood that it is in more places than the doctors saw is very high. Your family should make sure she gets the medication she needs to deal with the pain. Either a cancer or pain specialist who is familiar with cancer pain should be found if that hasn’t been done already. My grandfather suffered so much the last month he was alive, it was unbearable to watch him. Hopefully she can enjoy the time she has left.
Your grandmother and your family will be in our prayers.
I'm saddened by this, Tim.
I've said this before, there is no easy way to watch a loved-one die. If you don't know it's coming and it's fast, it's painful, if you know it's coming, it's still painful.
You guys will be in our prayers.
Post a Comment