My 86-year-old mom was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. The cancer has spread to her bones, liver and bile duct.
She had her first chemotherapy treatment this past Tuesday. She was infused with the drugs Taxol, Perjeta and Herceptin (along with antihistimine and anti-nausea drugs).
She felt okay on Wednesday, but on Thursday started to feel extremely fatigued and decided to stop the chemotherapy last night. She said she didn’t want her life prolonged by a year or two if her quality of life was going to suffer so much.
Hopefully she still has some good years ahead of her.
She has pain, but the pain is probably from a fall that fractured a vertebrae (she also fractured her wrist).
She’s 86, so continuing the chemotherapy or not isn’t going to make much of a difference in her longevity. If she was 46 she would likely continue with the chemotherapy.
I see. I had seizures when I was 22 but that is nothing comparable to the pain that your mother is feeling. For me, I had to wear like…braces. Braces helped me to keep the bones together.
I’ve also got a degenerative genetic condition. Assistive devices can help if your mother is having too much pain from moving.
I hope she is doing ok. I hope my small bit of pain can allow me to think about your mother.
At this point, my brain can no longer process death. Nothing scares me anymore and most of the time I can only feel happy emotions. I don’t mind, it’s good not being scared. I’m afraid of pain but I’m not afraid of death. I can’t wait for the afterlife, in fact. It would just bother me dying right now because I haven’t been in a marriage or had kids before.
Very sorry to hear this @anon17132524. However, your mum probably did make the right decision. My grandmother had cancer also in her 80’s. You’re right, the chemotherapy doesn’t really add that much extra in terms of quality of life. Spend as much time as you can with her, and always ensure she’s comfortable.
When my friend had brain cancer and decided he didn’t want chemo, I understood why but I was still upset. I was angry and sad and went through grief phases.
