My brother

[Brianderrick12]

Hi - me again - in a mild state of panic. My brother had a lung drain assessment this morning- his cough is horrific & he’s in a lot of pain in his chest. His drain was blocked & they’ve removed it as the tear appears to have mended. He starts his chemotherapy on Monday - the doctor he’s seen has more or less said to do what we have to do in the next 6 months - his X-ray shows that the cancer has increased in size considerably in the last 19 days - he wants to give up - he’s in a lot of pain & very emotional- doesn’t see the point in even starting his treatment- is it normal for things to get this bad before treatment even starts ? Thankyou x

[RoyCastleHelpline Partner Ask the Nurse Roy Castle]

Dear Brianderrick12,

I am sorry to hear that your brother is not feeling great, a bad cough can make you feel very rough even at the best of times. If he is still in pain, he should speak to his Gp or his specialist nurse (CNS) for a review of his medication as being in constant severe pain will make him feel very low, morphine or codeine-based painkillers can also help suppress the cough.

Starting chemo is a huge leap into the unknown and can cause great deal of anxiety as it will be a totally new experience, it is normal to feel emotional and afraid before commencing treatment. Some of the cancer center's which deliver Chemotherapy or Radiotherapy have wellbeing center's attached to them which offer relaxation before starting treatment, the best person to advise what is available locally will be your CNS.

Maggie's center's are also a great place to go to for support before, during and after treatment, I have added a link to their website below

maggies.org/

MacMillan also have a wealth of resources macmillan.org.uk/

If your brother is very anxious get in touch with his Gp who will be able to prescribe medication to help him through this time.

If you would like to discuss anything you can email ask the nurse at [e-mail] or call our free phone nurse led helpline number on 0800 358 7200 Monday to Thursday 0900-1700 and Friday 0900-1600

Kind regards

The Roy Castle Support Team

[Brianderrick12 in reply to RoyCastleHelpline]

Thankyou- he’s been back to hospital & has morphine. We’ve regrouped & focusing on the positives - Thankyou- for some reason writing it down helps x

[sassassas]

Hi Brianderrick12 Good to hear the RC nurse has been able to reassure you.

You ask if its normal for things to get so bad before they get better - I'd definitely agree! Its totally normal for things to feel really hopeless before treatment starts. With lung cancer, so many people are diagnosed when the cancer is advanced and then we usually have to wait a fair few weeks before starting treatment. I don't think many people get a further scan after the initial diagnosis but before treatment starts so many of us won't know how much bigger the tumours have got....we just leave that to our imaginations!

Hopefully once the treatments get underway, he'll start seeing some of the symptoms getting better. In my husband's case, his cough became less frequent and less severe and the pain got better too. We thought this might be happening after the 1st few weeks but after 5 or 6 weeks we were certain.

Keep in touch. Sarah x

[Brianderrick12 in reply to sassassas]

Thankyou so much for this information- he’s on morphine & calmer for now. Mental health issues have kicked in so it’s hard. His cough is awful - he’s been out of hospital 2 weeks & I can’t believe how much he’s deteriorating- the X-rays are only 19 days apart & it’s visible. Pinning everything on his treatment that starts on Monday. Xx