Stage 5 pancreatic cancer please help?

It's very difficult to be in this position with someone you love. You have the desire to prolong her life but you don't want her to be in pain or discomfort if her quality of life will only get worse.In the late stage of pancreatic cancer chemo will not work well & in fact may only cause her to become very nauseous & lose more weight, as well as suffer bouts of vomiting for that is very common with chemo & she probably is in a more fragile state as the disease progresses.As a Hospice Nurse I am aware of what she will face in the remaining time she has in this stage of the disease. Pancreatic cancer when first diagnosed usually has a 6 month prognosis but it can go on for 2 years if caught early with a young patient who also responds to newer treatments (like Patrick Swayze did).Since you are her POA that takes care of one important thing but you must have a talk with her so you know her wishes as far as funeral planning & finances, as well as her Will.This is something that is hard to do with an elder relative for you are use to her advising you on things. I don't know what her symptoms are now but I will try to tell you what symptoms she may now have or may develop soon. She will probably have problems eating & will lose weight & get weaker for that is very common so you have to be sure she is not left alone for she may have falls if not assisted with walking.Usually these patients are able to walk & get to the bathroom with help & eat if meals are made for them.She will sleep more & may become confused or forgetful , which is another reason someone should be with her then.Let her be as independent as long as she can be safely. Pain may occur (I don't know if she has any now) because of the tumor which presses on nerve endings as it grows.Since she has stopped treatments now & has a 6 month or less prognosis she is eligible for Hospice paid for by Medicare. Please call them for you can find a hospice in your area if you call your doctor for the referral. They will send a nurse out to do an assessment & will advise you during this stage what to expect.Hospice will supply medical equipment when needed including a hospital bed, commode, overbed table, wheelchair, walker,and oxygen.They will also have nursing aides (5 times a week to help with bathing & personal care), social workers, spiritual visits if wanted ,a hospice doctor (to work with your own MD), and nursing visits as needed.Hospice will also supply pain medication so she will be comfortable for pain management is often needed.When you are dealing with cancer patients, we always say it's not only the patient who has to deal with it but the family also needs support & guidance.If you know what to expect the unknown is no longer as frightening as it was.Hospice also has a nurse on call 24 hours a day to answer questions or help you with problems for the disease doesn't just happen 9 to 5 during the week. This way with someone just a phone call away you won't all feel alone.I hope this has helped. Please call them & God bless.

I am so sorry about your grandma love. First of all there are only four stages of pancreatic cancer. Secondly continuation of treatment or palliative care is HER decision not her oncologists. Best thing to do is talk to your grandma and find out what her wishes are in that regard. It's rather a morbid conversation to have but when she passes on you will be glad you had it. Ask if she has a funeral planned and prepaid. If she does then stick with her wishes. Both my parents had funeral plans and believe me it made life much easier.

I so agree with Panda. As long as your grandmother is able to make decisions, you should involve her. Before my mother died, she herself made all her arrangements. I will be 64 Sunday, so I know how that age feels. I'm also a cancer survivor. If I ever get to the point where your grandmother is, I want to be involved in the arrangements.. She already knows she can't survive and I agree with her Oncologist, treatments at this point are useless. Also, there are only 4 stages of cancer. My heart goes out to you and your grandmother. I am so sorry you have to do this but if it was me, I'd rather have a shorter life span with quality of life rather than quantity. So ask her. If she trusted you enough to give you Power of Attorney over her, then trust her enough to give you the answer you're looking for. I hope she's going to have Hospice care. My prayers go out to you and your grandmother. God bless you both

I have a neigbour who has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer her General practitioner sent her away saying she was fine. She woke up one morning severely jaundiced and went straight to a consultant. I am unsure of what stage she is but is on low- chemo at present. If it has metastatisized then the prognosis is very poor. It is very difficult for a professional person to be aware of how the malignancy will spread. I have limited faith in some experts in the physiological world but some can be correct. I feel that he will be well aware with blood test results to how much damage the cancer has done to the major organs and how much damage chemothreapy can do to the body as the body has to fight that too. So I am reluctant to go against his prognosis. I feel anything is worth fighting for so it maybe beneficial to carry on with chemo as there is very little option. Quality of life is the most important thing and only you can decide that. Best wishes Julia

It can be about 5-14 days, normally about a week. Hospice should have provided you with a pamplet on the final stages of life and their signs. My mom passed after 5 days without food or water. After the fish-out-of-water breathing began is was about 5 hours. It's very sad, and very hard for everyone.

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Pancreatic Cancer in the Limelight

Pancreatic cancer has been brought to the forefront by the diagnoses of several prominent figures, including the late actor Patrick Swayze, who died of pancreatic cancer in September 2009, Apple cofounder and CEO Steve Jobs, and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The lifetime risks of pancreatic cancer is about 1 in 76. Pancreatic cancer ranks as the fourth deadliest cancer. Learn more about this cancer that equally affects men and women.

http://www.webmd.com/cancer/pancreatic-cancer/slid...

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Talk to your grandmother and find out what her wishes are . . does she intend to continue with treatment or not? She should become involved to take the pressure off you. If she is not going to continue with treatment than it may be time to get hospice involved. I am not sure why you are at a loss about any of this . . you need to talk seriously with your grandmother to find out what she wants to do and than you do everything in your power to help her with that decision. She may have ideas about what she would like done at a funeral or memorial service on her behalf. Don't be afraid to talk to your grandmother about these issues . . she may feel relieved to have someone finally be honest with her.

(incidentally there are only four stages of cancer)

When my dad had bowel cancer it spread to his liver, we were told he had 6moths to 1 year - he died 6 weeks later? Be prepared as she will get a lot worse than she is, she will be in considerable pain near the end and on high doses of morphine, she will say a lot of hurtful things but don't take them seriously as she doesn't know what she is saying. Planning the funeral might be a good idea but I would spend as much time with her as possible because she may not have long. I hate to be full of doom and gloom but you have to face facts. God Bless

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