Hospice

Hi I havent posted on here in a while so here it goes. My father in law was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in September of 2007 and he has been doing chemo and radiation (cyberknife) . He always expressed he didnt want to do these  treatments but, his kids wanted him to fight . Now in the last month his health has declined dramatically and he does not want to eat and feels sick to his stomach all the time. he is very weak in fact the only thing he did eat is one peice of chicken (leg) and a couple tablespoons of ensure in a week, so they took him to the doctors for his results from the pet scan. The doctor said he is full of more tumors (Im not there or I would of asked where the tumors are located) and chemo is not  an option any more as radiation., In fact they said  (I was told ) that the chemo made it worse?  can that happen? and I thought they would of put him in the hospital for some fluids etc , but they told my brother in law  to call hospice and they would take care of him. I was dumb founded because, he almost collasped going into the doctors office . Is this normal procedure for people who are dyeing of lung cancer? he is calling hospice today and I dont know how long it takes them to come out. Also when they put someone in hospice how long do they have to live ? sorry this is so long but Im feeling helpless at this point.. and I dont know what to do.. thanks

On 7/16/2008 ANNOD44 wrote:

Hi I havent posted on here in a while so here it goes. My father in law was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in September of 2007 and he has been doing chemo and radiation (cyberknife) . He always expressed he didnt want to do these  treatments but, his kids wanted him to fight . Now in the last month his health has declined dramatically and he does not want to eat and feels sick to his stomach all the time. he is very weak in fact the only thing he did eat is one peice of chicken (leg) and a couple tablespoons of ensure in a week, so they took him to the doctors for his results from the pet scan. The doctor said he is full of more tumors (Im not there or I would of asked where the tumors are located) and chemo is not  an option any more as radiation., In fact they said  (I was told ) that the chemo made it worse?  can that happen? and I thought they would of put him in the hospital for some fluids etc , but they told my brother in law  to call hospice and they would take care of him. I was dumb founded because, he almost collasped going into the doctors office . Is this normal procedure for people who are dyeing of lung cancer? he is calling hospice today and I dont know how long it takes them to come out. Also when they put someone in hospice how long do they have to live ? sorry this is so long but Im feeling helpless at this point.. and I dont know what to do.. thanks

Hi Ann

Hospice is called in when the doctor believes the patient has 6 months or less but that is not saying it can be less or more.  Hospice was called in when my husband was hospitalized the last time w/ lung cancer.  They had one woman who had been with them for two years but that is by far not the norm.  My husband passed away less than 2 months later.  They were outstanding - they even have the authority to increase pain meds, etc. without waiting to contact the doctor if their medical personnel deem it necessary.  Hospice personnel can also set up hydration infusions at home which would enable your father-in-law to stay in his own home where he would be more comfortable.  Hospice will do everything possible to ensure your father-in-law is free of pain and has the best care during his final days.  They were there the same day they were called in with my husband.  I can't say enough wonderful things about this outstanding organization. 

I'm sorry I can't give you any input about the chemo making things worse although my own personal experience has been that if I was told I was terminally ill and chemo would only buy me a little time - after living w/ the after effects of chemo I would never agree to it.  As many have said on this forum - your family should spend as much time as possible with your father-in-law in the coming days and tell him everything you need and want to tell him while you are able to.    

On 7/16/2008 ANNOD44 wrote:

Hi I havent posted on here in a while so here it goes. My father in law was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in September of 2007 and he has been doing chemo and radiation (cyberknife) . He always expressed he didnt want to do these  treatments but, his kids wanted him to fight . Now in the last month his health has declined dramatically and he does not want to eat and feels sick to his stomach all the time. he is very weak in fact the only thing he did eat is one peice of chicken (leg) and a couple tablespoons of ensure in a week, so they took him to the doctors for his results from the pet scan. The doctor said he is full of more tumors (Im not there or I would of asked where the tumors are located) and chemo is not  an option any more as radiation., In fact they said  (I was told ) that the chemo made it worse?  can that happen? and I thought they would of put him in the hospital for some fluids etc , but they told my brother in law  to call hospice and they would take care of him. I was dumb founded because, he almost collasped going into the doctors office . Is this normal procedure for people who are dyeing of lung cancer? he is calling hospice today and I dont know how long it takes them to come out. Also when they put someone in hospice how long do they have to live ? sorry this is so long but Im feeling helpless at this point.. and I dont know what to do.. thanks

Hi,

Doctors need to feel that the person has six months or less to live to be able to have hospice care.  Also, there can be no more treatment to save that person's life; hospice is about comfort care, only.  But-- It is possible to start with hospice, and if there is a change, to go off hospice and again try to treat the patient.  Sometimes hospice will go on for longer than six months.  Nobody really knows how long someone will live.

My mother also had lung cancer.  She was first diagnosed in January 2007 and had a lobectomy to remove a very small mass.  No follow up treatment was reccommended at the time.  Last August she started to run a fever and in September we learned it was caused by the return of her lung cancer which was now stage 4.  Radiation made her so ill that she ended up in the hospital and we brought her home the last day of November with hospice care.  This was arranged through the social worker at the hospital; a hospice nurse was waiting for us at my mother's house and a hospital bed, oxygen tank, etc. was set up immediately.  My mother was quite ill and I think the common belief was that she would have days to a few weeks, but she lived until the end of February.  I had a hard time choosing hospice at first, until I realized that it wasn't a commitment.  My mother had just finished her radiation treatments and the radiologist told us that radiation would continue to work for up to three months after the last treatment.  She seemed very surprised that my mother's main oncologist was reccommending no further treatment at that point.  So hospice felt like I was giving up on my mom too early.  But she was extremely ill when we brought her home and hospice was the highest level of care.  (And we still needed to provide 24 hour care, mostly family and friends, as well.)  Hospice was truly wonderful.  The home aids were amazing and it was so helpful to know that there was someone to call with any questions or if there was an emergency.  My mother's medications were delivered to the door whenever she needed them.  I can't immagine what we would have done without hospice. 

I hope this helps answer some of your questions.  Feel free to ask me anything you like.     Roz

Hello.

My mom was diagnosed with AdenoCarcinoma Lung Cancer stage 3b about a month ago. She underwent 2 weeks of Intense Radiation and was given 1 1/2 to 3 years before the treatments. During this time she became dehydrated and was hospitalized for a day to get some fluids in her. The weekend of her last treatment she was again hospitalized at a local hospital for a week because she was sick to her stomach and very dehydrated only eating Jello and a drink of ensure here and there. She then went to her check up on July 9th to start her Chemo but was hospitalized at her treatment facility for 3 days while they ran tests because of dehydration and her weekness. The Cancer doctor told her that she should go home while she is still in decent health and spend time with her family because the Chemo would only make her worse and she probably wouldn't make it. She sent her home with three months to live and we were devistated. We then called Hospice and they brought a hospital bed, oxygen, rearranged our living room so she could see outside to see the birds and out waterfall and made her as comfortable as possible. I've stayed there a few nights and had to call hopsice once at 3:15am because my mom had a fever and they helped me out. They basically call daily to check up and come about every 2-3 days. My mother is now eating 4-5 times daily. Drinks 5 cups of coffee in the morning, eats full meals and gets up once and a while to sit outside or sit in a chair in our porch to watch the waterfall. She is still kind of week and has a some what wicked cough but not near as bad as in the beginning. She continues to cough up "stuff" which the radiation killed. Does anyone know if this turn around may be a good thing? or will the doctors still say three months and no treatments? Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks!

On 7/18/2008 brandon_r wrote:

Hello.

My mom was diagnosed with AdenoCarcinoma Lung Cancer stage 3b about a month ago. She underwent 2 weeks of Intense Radiation and was given 1 1/2 to 3 years before the treatments. During this time she became dehydrated and was hospitalized for a day to get some fluids in her. The weekend of her last treatment she was again hospitalized at a local hospital for a week because she was sick to her stomach and very dehydrated only eating Jello and a drink of ensure here and there. She then went to her check up on July 9th to start her Chemo but was hospitalized at her treatment facility for 3 days while they ran tests because of dehydration and her weekness. The Cancer doctor told her that she should go home while she is still in decent health and spend time with her family because the Chemo would only make her worse and she probably wouldn't make it. She sent her home with three months to live and we were devistated. We then called Hospice and they brought a hospital bed, oxygen, rearranged our living room so she could see outside to see the birds and out waterfall and made her as comfortable as possible. I've stayed there a few nights and had to call hopsice once at 3:15am because my mom had a fever and they helped me out. They basically call daily to check up and come about every 2-3 days. My mother is now eating 4-5 times daily. Drinks 5 cups of coffee in the morning, eats full meals and gets up once and a while to sit outside or sit in a chair in our porch to watch the waterfall. She is still kind of week and has a some what wicked cough but not near as bad as in the beginning. She continues to cough up "stuff" which the radiation killed. Does anyone know if this turn around may be a good thing? or will the doctors still say three months and no treatments? Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks!

My mother's radiologist explained to us that radiation continues to do its work in the body for up to three months after treatment is finished.  Your mother's turn around could be due to that, plus the negative side effects from the radiation starting to wear off.  My mother came home from the hospital under hospice care and she did improve more than was thought probable.  Her appetite never really came back, but the nausea went away, as well as her fevers and her need for oxygen.  She had a terrible cough when she came home, but that eventually went away too.  We did start questioning at one point if it would make sense for her to go off hospice (which you can do at any time if you want to start fighting the cancer again), but she never seemed strong enough.  In retrospect, I'm glad that she never had to go through chemo which she truely dreaded.  The important thing is to find out what your mother wants to do and follow her wishes.  She may be happiest under hospice care, enjoying the time she has.  Or she may wish to start treating the cancer again.  It's up to her.  As far as the three months-- Nobody really knows how much time one has.  My mother's doctors were continually surprised by her responses, both positive and negative.  Although hospice is intended for people thought to have six months or less to live, there are some who continue past that time limit.  It is only a guess.      Roz