stage iv lung cancer what to expect at the end - Cancer Message Board

mustangladie · 07-07-2008, 11:07 AM

stage iv lung cancer what to expect at the end

tiggertoo2174 · 07-07-2008, 01:49 PM

Are you asking as a paitient or as a family member or friend?

Tigg.

mustangladie · 07-07-2008, 01:52 PM

Hello There....I am asking what to expect as my very close brother who is only 53 was told he had months to live...it has spread to the lymp nodes, adrenal glands, etc......I am his sister who is very concerned we are only 11 months appart.....

Marie1973 · 07-07-2008, 08:35 PM

I'm sorry to hear about your brother.My 84 yo father also was diagnosed w/ end stage lung cancer in end of May.He has a tumor the size of a baseball in his left lung.

On June 13,he was sent home after a 1 week stay in the hospital to be on hospice,given 2 weeks.

I have seen him deteriorate rapidly.First he lost interest in food(this was going back a month or so-but we didn't think much of it).He just likes ice cream & sweets.He also just wanted a cold drink most of the time.
His respirations were up to 40 per min.(normal is 12 -20).
What brought us to the hospital was that he had coughed up blood-so we went to rule out a blood clot.(you can find my whole story on the board)

Anyway,the last few weeks he was sleeping more than awake.He doesnt urinate as much anymore.
But the last few days he had alot of energy-compared to what it was.
He's up,walking around (as much as he can without getting short of breath) feeding the dogs,answering the phone-it's kind of like he's getting better.

He's still haning in there-thank God and I'm grateful for each day I have with him.

I guess the docs "guesstimate" the best they can-but only God knows.

Good luck to you & your family.

tiggertoo2174 · 07-08-2008, 05:03 AM

I'm sorry to hear about your brother, this is one of the most difficult diseases to deal with. I've been through this twice, first with my Father in 1991 and last fall with my husband's brother. I would suggest talking to your brother about what kind of care he wants now, while he is still able to. He will need to decide if he wants interventional care at the end (assisted breathing etc.) or if he wants to have a living will specifying that he does not want to have CPR or other interventional care. It would also be a good idea for him to give someone medical power of attorny so that they can speak for him if he is not able to do so himself. Someone in the family will need to be his advocate to ensure he receives proper pain management and other comfort care.

My father was cared for at the end in a hospital and I felt that they did a very poor job of pain management. Also, all the roooms were doubles and there was no privacy or any practical way for a family member to remain around the clock at the end. They simply were not set up for handling this type of care well. My husband's brother was inpaitient in Hospice House and every effort was made to make sure he was comfortable. I would suggest that you contact Hospice where you live and get some information from them. They have very good information that is given to paitients, family and friends.

Tigg.