Is it worth to continue Chemo for my mom when doctors says prognosis as few months . my heart weeps

hopehope

Is it worth to continue Chemo for my mom when doctors says prognosis as few months . my heart weeps seeing my mom
Submitted by hopehope on July 16, 2009 - 6:36pm
Please help me. My mom is dx with stage 4 NSCLC in Oct 2008. The cancer has spread to 2 lungs and one of the ribs. SHe has 5 times chemo last year and the tumor shrunk little bit and after that did not respond. SHe was put in meds for 2 months and again had PET scan last week. Cancer did not spread to additional places but did showed additional spots started again to grow. DOcs put her in 3 times chemo with ALimta. My mom had 1 cycle so far and 2 to go. SHe is so tired and not eating since 1 week. SHe is not educated and have difficulty to take treatment dessisons. My mom is not aware about the Prognosis. I am trying to support her to fight it. None of the Oncologists are saying that atleat she can fight. EVerybody is saying me spend some time with her and try to make her confortable . No doctor is saying positive on the recent PET scan. Is it worth to continue chemo and let my mom go through the severe hell. I feel very helpless in saving my mom and my heart brokes when I see my mom going through this.Some people even advised me to do prayers and believe in God and not to go for chemo because it is second time she is having it and not sure if it works.

soccerfreaks

Palliative care
hopehope:

Whether the chemo works or not is not for some layperson on the street to decide, regardless of their religious beliefs. The fundamental question for your mom to answer (or for her significant caregiver is she not able to decide for herself for whatever reason) is whether the chemotherapy will add any signficant time AND quality to her life.

If chemotherapy will add significant extra time to mom's life while not unduly impacting that life in a negative way, then it should seem obvious to go with the chemotherapy. If the chemotherapy is not working, then the answer also seems obvious: stop the chemotherapy. If the chemo may extend life but only so that it extends a time of suffering, then the choice is a bit harder to make and a very personal one, but from my position as a survivor (and whose own mom finally said it was time to turn of the treatment when the pain and suffering became unbearable), I would say it is no longer worth it.

That is just one opinion, one made without all of the facts at your disposal, and one made knowing that in the end this is a most personal and agonizing decision to make.

Best wishes to your mom and her family.

Take care,

Joe

hopehope

soccerfreaks said:

Palliative care
hopehope:

Whether the chemo works or not is not for some layperson on the street to decide, regardless of their religious beliefs. The fundamental question for your mom to answer (or for her significant caregiver is she not able to decide for herself for whatever reason) is whether the chemotherapy will add any signficant time AND quality to her life.

If chemotherapy will add significant extra time to mom's life while not unduly impacting that life in a negative way, then it should seem obvious to go with the chemotherapy. If the chemotherapy is not working, then the answer also seems obvious: stop the chemotherapy. If the chemo may extend life but only so that it extends a time of suffering, then the choice is a bit harder to make and a very personal one, but from my position as a survivor (and whose own mom finally said it was time to turn of the treatment when the pain and suffering became unbearable), I would say it is no longer worth it.

That is just one opinion, one made without all of the facts at your disposal, and one made knowing that in the end this is a most personal and agonizing decision to make.

Best wishes to your mom and her family.

Take care,

Joe

Thanks for your reply
Thank you very much for your reply. I will talk to my moms doctor and find out the best and worst of the chemo for her. As far I know what the doctors told that chemo may not add significant life time for her. But may ease her pain . My mom is doing ok since yesterday,able to drink and eat littlebit. I will see how she can cope up and talk to the doctor. Thanks