Angela Wright said:Azab's kidneys are starting to fail. Once that swelling—that fluid buildup—reaches her lungs and heart, it’s going to be the end..
It is truly heartbreaking to see how much everyone is struggling right now. She is asking them to add morphine to her pain management protocol. I am keeping you all in my prayers 🙂
It's actually quite interesting that once the swelling in her feet finally subsides, there's still just that persistent edema left around the ankles... We've been steadily increasing the morphine dose over the last ten months; we started at 50, then moved to 75, then 100, then 112.5, then 125, and now we're at 150... we just keep ramping it up. On top of that, we have those Heptanon drops, but Mom can't swallow them, so we haven't been able to apply them... for the time being, we're just relying on the morphine and the injections, which don't seem to be doing much anymore either....
Michelle Kelly4 said:hollowridge88, how are things looking?
Hey everyone... I honestly don't even know where to start with this. On Thursday, Mom started vomiting this black fluid, and after that, it turned into what looked like blood clots. Then, out of nowhere yesterday, she had a massive nosebleed. We almost lost her on Friday because she couldn't catch her breath at all; we rushed to get her sitting up and waited for the paramedics, who ended up giving her Medrol and Tramadol... Right now, she's in excruciating pain, especially when she has bowel movements, which look like this dark brown mucus. She’s been dealing with intense abdominal pain since yesterday, too... I just don't know what to make of it. I'm assuming that black fluid and the blood mean there's some kind of internal bleeding going on, though I'm not sure about the stomach issues. She hasn't eaten in two weeks, and she's only sipping maybe two glasses of water a day. Her heart rate is constantly racing above 130. She’s always needing to run to the bathroom, and since she isn't at home, we're just trying to push through, though I have no idea how much longer we can hold on... Her legs are swollen from her feet all the way up past her knees, and they look so thin, almost like the skin is paper-thin. It's like she's lost all sensation from her knees down because her legs just collapse; they don't seem to hold any weight at all. I suspect her blood count is so low that her heart is working overtime. Her knuckles are darkening, her skin is peeling off in patches, her eyes are sunken, and she’s basically nothing but skin and bones at maybe 60 pounds. She even has sores on her backside where the bone is showing... Honestly, what can I even say? It is such a horrific, senseless struggle. My heart breaks seeing her suffer like this... she keeps pleading with me to help her, but I feel so helpless when even the injections aren't working anymore.
Things are getting really tough lately; I haven't had a decent night's sleep in three weeks, and if I can manage even a quick thirty-minute nap during the day, I consider it a win... I feel like I'm at my breaking point because there is just too much happening around me to handle this normally. I spend every single day alone with my mother, and she needs him by her side 24/7... I've been separated from my husband for a year now, and it feels like my own life has just completely stalled. I haven't even seen my child in a month because I sent them to stay with my mother-in-law so they wouldn't have to witness any of this... yet it feels like nobody wants to step up and help me... I wish my mother-in-law would just show up when she's needed, especially when I see how my mom is acting toward me... it truly breaks my heart.
I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for all the support and the wonderful conversations... I truly appreciate it so much... Since last night, Mom has been vomiting this dark green fluid, and about half an hour ago, she threw up more of that liquid along with what looked like a piece of meat or tissue... I feel completely helpless, does anyone know what might be happening? She isn't eating anything at all, just taking a few tiny sips of water here and there, and she’s started talking nonsense, saying things like "you've tied me up" or "let's go home"... it's like she's lost touch with reality. Her blood pressure was 100/41 this morning with a heart rate of 127... It's looking really bad, and today she actually found the strength to tell me that she's dying, asking me not to go too far away because she won't be here much longer—she says you just know when the end is coming. She had about ten minutes of lucidity today to tell me all of this,
Good morning... We're still fighting here, but things aren't going our way. Mom is dealing with severe dehydration, and the oncology team says they won't do any more IV fluids, and her primary care doctor feels the same. She went over 30 hours without a single sip of water; she only managed a tiny bit yesterday evening. Her hands are swollen, as are her ankle joints, and yesterday there was this clear fluid leaking from her nose and a white liquid coming from her mouth, and now she just sleeps. She’s urinating at least 10 times a day, and her bowel movements are frequent too... apparently, everything is just emptying out. Her blood pressure is sitting at 87-54, her heart rate is 130, and her breathing seems so strange. She isn't really talking, but when she does, it's about death or things like: I don't know what to do with my legs, let's just cut them off and put them in stew so we can eat them. When I try to talk to her, she doesn't seem to register me, like she can't even hear me... and she keeps calling me by different names. The veins in her head are bulging, and there's this eerie calmness in her face; she only wakes up briefly due to anal pain during bowel movements, which she isn't even having... There's no visible pain anymore, and for two days and nights she's been sleeping in the exact same position, which is so unlike her because her pain is usually terrible and we have to turn her every 20 minutes, but now, nothing... supposedly the home health nurse says it takes 72 hours to settle down... how long can this last, and what is actually happening? I am aware that the end is near, but is this what the end looks like?
Looking through the comments, I see many of you have lost someone to this beast, so some individuals here clearly know a lot. I’m facing a situation where I’m not quite sure how to handle things or even identify what the core issue is, so if anyone knows, please explain or offer some advice. My mother received an infusion on Thursday, and before we even left, she was vomiting green fluid; she continued doing so during the trip and after receiving the treatment. Yesterday, she was vomiting all day, and she hasn't stopped all night. She is currently bedridden and has open sores on her spine from being immobile. Whenever I try to move her even slightly, she feels nauseous and vomits, and this happens regardless of any food or liquid she tries to take. She seems terribly nauseous all the time, has severe heartburn, and is experiencing pain in her mouth, throat, and abdomen. I suspect the stomach might be affected by metastases, or perhaps her stomach is just getting used to the lack of nutrition since she's only been able to manage two small bowls of soup and sips of water for two weeks now. I would truly appreciate any advice on how to help her. What is the best way to manage this right now? I'm honestly exhausted from trying to diagnose everything and come up with solutions on my own just to be helpful... it feels like no one wants to react because it really does feel like the end...
I'm painfully aware of that reality, though deep down, I honestly wish I could just look the other way. Every single morning, I wake up and offer a quiet prayer to the Almighty just to see that she's opened her eyes... then I'll brew a pot of coffee and sit right there beside her, sipping my cup while she stays still, just enjoying the quiet moment together.
Good evening, everyone! I’m not sure if anyone remembers us, but my sister and I have posted here before about our mother, who was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer last November... We spent so much time typing away, sharing everything and searching for help and answers... Well, we have reached the terminal stage now. We tried absolutely everything—chemotherapy, radiation, smart drugs, more radiation, then oral chemo—but unfortunately, nothing worked. Mom took a fall in the hospital back in June and broke her hip, and ever since then, it’s just been one thing after another. We are in the final stretch now; for the last ten days, she’s only managed about two small bowls of broth a day because she can't swallow food or water anymore. She has a sore throat, and her esophagus feels infected, causing pain in her throat and chest. She’s only sipping about 10 ml of water, and while she’s severely dehydrated and on an IV, they aren't even helping her with that much anymore. A week ago, she experienced pains worse than anything we've seen (we were given some drops to help)... She has no appetite, she’s always cold, her skin looks yellow, and her head has taken on an oval shape. She weighs maybe 30 kg now, whereas just fifteen days ago she was around 45 kg. She sleeps constantly, has a vacant stare, can't concentrate, can't listen, and sometimes can't even speak... occasionally she says things that don't make sense. Everyone keeps telling us this is the end, that we need to prepare... is it truly the end? Could someone please explain this to me based on what I've described? Mom has adenocarcinoma of the lungs with metastases in the brain, lymph nodes, kidneys, adrenal glands, near the heart, in the bones, stomach, and even blood metastases in her arms... she also has sores from being bedridden, as she hasn't been able to get up for three months now. Please, if anyone could explain what this state means and how long a patient can survive without food and water in this condition... Thank you. I wish everyone healing and strength; it looks like we are going to have to say our goodbyes and let go soon.
It doesn't actually say anywhere in the paperwork. My Oncologist just explained to me verbally that it's meant to help boost her white blood cell count! But regardless, the main thing is that it helps her out. It definitely won't be for nausea, because she handled that second-to-last chemo session like a champ—no nausea or anything at all—so there was no need to give her any medication for that.
Here are some photos from her chemo session... and yep, she actually was given Dexamethasone to help with those white blood cell counts. If that doesn't do the trick, she'll be headed to the hospital to get them boosted manually.
She explained to us that it’s specifically meant to boost white blood cell counts. I actually stopped by my primary care doctor yesterday, and he agreed that it’s an excellent injection for raising those levels... basically, it stimulates the bone marrow to get things moving with leukocyte production. Anyway, we took a urine sample in yesterday, and it turns out there really is a urinary tract infection confirmed 🙂
We just got back from the hospital, and unfortunately, Mom's chemo session had to be postponed because her white blood cell count is quite low at 2.8. She was given a Dexamethasone injection to help boost those levels, along with some Pepto-Bismol for her stomach. We’ll have to wait until Tuesday to see if that does the trick. It looks like she also developed a urinary tract infection, which probably contributed to the low count. On top of everything, she’s been struggling with this terrible dry cough for three weeks now; it keeps her up all night, makes her feel like she can't breathe, and really irritates her throat... is this something typical with her diagnosis? For cough relief, we first tried some tablets prescribed by her primary care physician (I can't recall the exact name), then switched to Codeine, and now we're on Pholcodine. We even tried some over-the-counter syrup to soothe it... but nothing seems to be working effectively. Codeine helped just a tiny bit, but she isn't allowed to take much more since she's limited to one box per month. Does anyone have any advice on how to ease this cough? The strain from coughing so hard is causing her so much pain in her ribs, bones, kidneys, and legs... everywhere! She's just completely exhausted and worn out by it all. Thank you.
My apologies to our valued member hollowridge88 for the mistaken red card, which will be rescinded as soon as possible.
The card was actually intended for the post above yours, as discussing alternative treatment methods violates our guidelines here; we have a dedicated section specifically for Alternative Treatments instead.
Sorry for any inconvenience caused.
All posts regarding alternative medical methods have been removed.
No worries at all! I also want to apologize for my oversight... I didn't check properly before commenting. It won't happen again!
silvercanyon7 said:@hollowridge88/">@@hollowridge88 I see you mentioning that your mom is using Morphine and Advil, so I wanted to jump in quickly and share something that was incredibly important during my dad's care, though I can't quite recall the specific reasoning right now.
Once he started receiving regular doses of Morphine via IV drip, he didn't take anything else at all. Recently, Angela Wright mentioned to me that there's a chronic shortage of those types of IV drips here in the States. One thing I remember the doctor telling us—specifically when he transitioned to palliative care—was that Advil shouldn't be used alongside all those other pain medications. We were all pretty shocked by that, and honestly, I'm not even sure why she said it (since she gave us an answer back then). So, my dad never took Advil while on his other pain meds. Maybe Angela Wright can weigh in on this, because it might be just as important for your mom to avoid making that specific combination.
To give you some context: my dad was vomiting quite a bit for over a week, so perhaps using Ibuprofen would have made things even harder on him because of his stomach issues?
I'm not entirely sure, but she started with a stronger patch first, which turned out to be too much for her (they actually overdosed her slightly), so they switched her back to the old patch. After that, she was given 375 mg of Tramadol, but it just wasn't helping. We ended up taking her to the pain clinic where they prescribed Zaldiar, but she isn't allowed to use that along with the patch. She was taking 400 mg Ibuprofen, but that felt too weak, so she's moved up to 600 mg Ibuprofen now. She takes Nexium every day to protect her stomach since she deals with gastritis.
Michelle Cook83 said:It’s benign for now, but there is always that little risk of it turning malignant over a longer period of time, so doctors usually keep a closer eye on those kinds of growths.
Good morning, everyone! So, I just got my cytology results back from the biopsy on my left breast, and since most of these medical terms feel like a foreign language to me... I'm looking for a little guidance again. Microscopic findings show an evacuation of 3.5ml of clear liquid. Under the microscope, they found clusters of apocrine metaplasia cells, phagocytes, and some intact and hemolyzed erythrocytes. Impression: Apocrine cyst (C2). Honestly, the only thing that really put my mind at ease was seeing that there’s no mention of cancer... which I assume is a great sign! Thanks so much to everyone for your help and answers.
Hi everyone! I'm back again looking for some advice or maybe just a second opinion... As I mentioned before, my mom received her chemo treatment this past Tuesday, and she was experiencing intense lower abdominal pain that very same evening. On top of that, she spent the entire night struggling with severe kidney pain, which has unfortunately continued all through today as well. According to the doctors, there are two cysts on her kidneys measuring 19 mm and 26 mm. Could the pain be a side effect of the chemo, or perhaps related to the metastases on both of her adrenal glands, or could it be an infection? She’s been taking Ibuprofen 600 mg and is currently wearing a Morphine patch, but even after taking three doses of Ibuprofen today, we haven't seen any relief in her pain levels. Thank you!
Angela Wright said:Give the pathology department at Merkur a call and see what they say about it.
@hollowridge88 hang in there. It’s actually a good sign when those lumps under the skin start receding, because it means the therapy is finally making an impact. You know, cancer is a bit like a cornered animal—it fights back hard when it feels threatened. Just try to stay focused on getting through this and don't let your spirits drop, because if you lose heart, you're essentially giving the illness permission to take complete control over your life.
Thank you, Angela Wright We really do try our best to stay positive and keep our chins up, but whenever we get news that isn't what we were hoping for, there are moments where everything just feels heavy and we hit rock bottom... yet, even then, we stay optimistic and keep telling Mom, "Don't worry, honey, everything is going to be okay," putting on a brave face because being strong and holding onto hope is the only thing we can do, no matter how much people might doubt us or how hard it is to watch her struggle.
We headed out for a long chemo session yesterday... we arrived around 11:00 AM, but didn't actually get seen until about 3:00 PM. The crowds were just overwhelming, which made everything so exhausting and difficult for Mom, especially since she can't sit for long periods because of her bones. We went through the exam, and I showed the oncologist Mom's left breast. After checking the breast, the doctor looked at the large lump under her spine, and her expression just turned so heavy and sorrowful; she had this look of genuine distress that really hit home. For the first time in my life, I truly saw a doctor who actually cares about their patient and felt deep empathy for what Mom is going through. She immediately sent us for cytology, where they found a large cyst and drained 3.5 ml of fluid, along with something else that they explained wasn't quite the same as the cyst, though they still took a sample. The results should be in this Friday, and honestly, we are terrified because looking at everything together right now, nothing seems positive. Yesterday was a much stronger, more aggressive round of chemo; we’re just waiting for the side effects to kick in now. Usually, she gets two IV bags and one chemo dose, but yesterday it was two IV bags and four chemo doses, which tells us the side effects are going to be much harder... normally, these stretches last about two weeks where she can't eat or drink anything... it becomes a living hell that I'm starting to dread. My mom looks okay on the surface, but you can visibly see her wasting away on the inside. I hate Tuesdays, and I hate these days when fear takes over and I have to watch her like this knowing I can't do anything to help. It seems like the visible lumps (the metastases) on her body are slowly disappearing, but as they fade, it feels like they are moving toward her vital organs... that doesn't feel good at all. The doctor gave us a referral for bloodwork to check her creatinine and urea levels to see how much damage has been done to her kidneys. So, that's where we are. I'm going to go now and try to prepare myself mentally and physically alongside her for the rough side of this treatment... I wish you all the best luck in the world and hope all your dreams come true. Just like you, I have one dream and one wish, but mine seems to be fading a little more with every passing day. 😢
