Mom has metastatic liver cancer - what to expect at end?

Wendy115 · New User Joined: 05 Jul 2008 Posts: 2

Hi,
My mother has colon cancer that metastasized to her liver. She was put under hospice care nearly a year ago with an expectation of about 3 months, but miraculously, is still with us and mobile. She has shown a significant decline in recent weeks - severe swelling, especially of her left foot, breathing difficulty, and now, severe nausea. Her hospice care is compassionate, but even with medication for her symptoms and pain, she is miserable. My dad and I have no idea what to expect over the next few weeks, and all the nurse says is a vague "it's going to get worse". What should we prepare ourselves for over the next few weeks?

brainman

Wendy, it is very hard to know what to expect... especially in the situation that your mother is in... that is, she has already lived much longer than expected. I am very sorry about her recent decline. Have you or hospice consulted with either her primary care provider or oncologist yet?

I did move your topic to the colon cancer forum. You might get more replies here.

You and your mother are in my thoughts and prayers.
_________________
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Site Administrator and long-term cancer survivor
1992 Astrocytoma grade 2, left motor strip
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DulcimerGal

Wendy,

I am so sorry too to hear about your Mom.

In answer to your question about what to expect - you may want to look further down in the colon cancer threads, about half way down the page is an excellent thread called
"What does late stage look like?"

It's difficult and very sad to read, but really excellent as it describes for you what one persons's experience was at the end. God bless her for writing it, I've saved it I thought it was so very good.

I hope they can control your mother's pain, keep being an advocate for her. God bless

DulcimerGal
_________________
Rectal Cancer diagnosed Valentines Day 2008
Finished 6 weeks of radiation and chemo 4/23/08
Surgery to remove tumor - June 18th
6 months Chemo to follow

Wendy115 · New User Joined: 05 Jul 2008 Posts: 2

Thank you for pointing out that thread. It was very helpful. My mom has had many of the signs the patient in that thread had in his last couple of weeks, but she's had them for a couple of months and been in pain for what seems like forever. Her tumor is actually protruding from her abdomen and visible under her clothing. It's about the size of two bananas clustered together, and I'm not sure whether it's her liver or something else. It is so hard seeing her suffer.

Thanks again for your help.

DulcimerGal

Wendy,

how terribly sad for you to watch your Mom suffer, you really must keep after her team to help relieve her pain, be an advocate for her.

I seem to remember reading somewhere that once in hospice care all that happens is the focus is on providing a comfortable ending, and all other types of care stops. don't know if this is true in your mother's case or not. However it is worth reading what Darwin in Australia is doing for her ex-spouse - look at the thread called "radiotherapy for pain" - he is having radiation on his tumor to help with the pain, not with any hopes of a cure - but to shrink the tumor. You might want to ask your Mom's medical team about this.

My own big fears revolve around this pain business. I like to think that Hospice care is totally focused on keeping things pain free at the end. Make sure you keep asking about this for your Mom, and God bless you for caring so much about her.

Keep on letting us know how things are going,
Cheers
DulcimerGal
_________________
Rectal Cancer diagnosed Valentines Day 2008
Finished 6 weeks of radiation and chemo 4/23/08
Surgery to remove tumor - June 18th
6 months Chemo to follow

Queensland Girl

Hello Wendy,

I'm so sorry that your Mum is going to leave you. When I lost my Mum, I felt a huge hole in my life and heart. Life will get better though.

You mentioned that your Mum is suffering swelling. My Dad had that and it is known as ascites, where fluid leaks out of the liver into the peretoneal cavity. My Dad looked like he was pregnant with triplets. Anyway the doctors drained the liquid simply by putting a large needle in the space and sucking out the fluid. It is done in an OR as they use ultrasound to image the needle point. It was almost painless for Dad and only took a few hours. The relief he felt afterwards was immense.

If your Mum is well enough she might be able to have this procedure as well as it should make her more comfortable.

Eventually though, the body won't be able to cope and the liver will start to shut down. My Mum became very sleepy and eventually went into a coma, then slipped away very quietly and peacefully. In the mean time she was given morphine to completely remove the pain. At those levels it also made her sleepy, but she could still be roused if you talked to her.

With my Mum it was only about six weeks from diagnosis to death, my Dad battled on for just over six months. Passing for my Dad was different, he fought and it was hard to watch him go, and he didn't pass peacefully, I'm sure he really wasn't ready to go.

Again I am sorry that anyone has to go through this, thoughts are with you at this time, and I wish you, your Mum and family peace.
_________________
Regards,

Queensland Girl

Mum diagnosed June 1993, surgery and chemo died August 1993 (Pancreatic Cancer)
Dad diagnosed July 2007, chemo only died January 2008 (Pancreatic Cancer)

Darwin

My ex husband had had considerable pain releif from both radiotherapy from the outside in to de bulk the primary tumour in his bowel/rectal areaand now radiation from the inside out as they injected radioactive minute 'spheres' into his secondary tumours in his liver and he is radioactive for two weeks. The spheres are called SIRT and were developed in Western Australia. Hope this helps
so sorry to here about your Mum. You are a good daughter.
Dorothy
_________________
Ex husband's diagnosis was January 2006, stage IV bowel cancer with met to liver and lungs. Had 2 years of continuous chemo, folfox then folfirri. On MAX chemo now. Has had radiation to pelvic area and radiosctive SIRT spheres injected directly into the metastic liver tumours.

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