live4christp1
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2005
- Messages
- 5,749
As some of you know from a previous thread, my mom has lung cancer. In September she had part of her right lung removed. Last month she was getting ready to go to her radiation appointment and had sudden onset pain which took her to the ER. While at the ER they couldn't determine the cause of pain, finally running another scan. This scan revealed that she now has cancer in the left lung, another very small spot on the remaining portion of the right lung, a small spot on her liver and small spot on her T8, according to the doctors at the hospital (not her oncologist) she has 6 months or less and referred her to hospice.
She was then released to go home and went to see her oncologist. On the scan he found a spinal fracture at the T8. He says that the small tumor is not even touching the spinal column so he doesn't think her pain is being caused by that tumor at this point but rather the sudden onset of pain was from the fracture. She has digenerative bone disease and this is one of the things that can happen. The doctor had been really mystified until looking at this scan as to why she was in so much pain all of a sudden when he had just seen her the day before and she was okay.
The doctor wants her to have a balloon kyphoplasty to fill in that area, sort of an internal cast to correct where the spine is sitting at an angle and compressing the cord and nerves. Mom was all up to have this done and has it scheduled for Friday.
Yesterday the hospice social worker calls and wants to meet, along with the hospice nurse and doctor to discuss the pro's and con's of the procedure. I was unable to be there at the scheduled time but my sister and brother went. Hospice doctor only talked about the con's and that it might not help the pain, might make it worse, etc. They just want to up the pain meds.
So now mom isn't sure what to do. My gut says go with the oncologist doctors recommendation. But I don't want to tell her that and be wrong.
She was then released to go home and went to see her oncologist. On the scan he found a spinal fracture at the T8. He says that the small tumor is not even touching the spinal column so he doesn't think her pain is being caused by that tumor at this point but rather the sudden onset of pain was from the fracture. She has digenerative bone disease and this is one of the things that can happen. The doctor had been really mystified until looking at this scan as to why she was in so much pain all of a sudden when he had just seen her the day before and she was okay.
The doctor wants her to have a balloon kyphoplasty to fill in that area, sort of an internal cast to correct where the spine is sitting at an angle and compressing the cord and nerves. Mom was all up to have this done and has it scheduled for Friday.
Yesterday the hospice social worker calls and wants to meet, along with the hospice nurse and doctor to discuss the pro's and con's of the procedure. I was unable to be there at the scheduled time but my sister and brother went. Hospice doctor only talked about the con's and that it might not help the pain, might make it worse, etc. They just want to up the pain meds.
So now mom isn't sure what to do. My gut says go with the oncologist doctors recommendation. But I don't want to tell her that and be wrong.
Just do your homework on it and she needs to decide.
