My mum

Rachmum1 9 years ago

1 reply

Hi there I'm new to all this but feel I need to vent... Mum mum was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013 and beat it well that's what we thought until we had the devastating news early this this that it was back mum had her pic line and started chemo which had to stop as she contracted pneumonia so they stopped and she is on oral chemo every week we had the news last week that the cancer has taken hold and they cannot operate at the mo the risks are to high they are keeping her on chemo and off for a body scan to see if it has spread the have offerd my mum palliative of care this scared the hell out of me as a lot of people have said this is end of life please someone give me hope

Support 9 years ago

Hi Rachmum,

I am so sorry to hear that your mum’s cancer has come back. Palliative care is for people living with a terminal illness where a cure is no longer possible. It’s also for people who have a complex illness and need their symptoms controlled. Palliative care aims to treat or manage pain and other physical symptoms. It will also help with any psychological, social or spiritual needs. Palliative care includes caring for people who are nearing the end of life. This is called end of life care.

The goal of palliative care is to help you and everyone affected by your illness to achieve the best quality of life. So just to clarify because mum has been offered palliative care it does not necessarily mean she is end of life, I would ask your mums healthcare professionals if they can clarify this for your further and offer you any timescales.

Being given this news can be overwhelming and scary, if you would like to talk about this a little bit more please call the Marie curie support line 0800 090 2309