I’ve just come back from the breast clinic with my dear 81 year old mum.
She has had Alzheimer’s for the last 6 years, she is bent over with osteoporosis and now the lump we discovered (have no idea how long it’s been there) has been scanned and biopsied and we have been told it is most likely BC.
We will have to wait 2 weeks to find what type it is but the consultant said it could either be one which is controlled by medication or one which will need surgery and harsher treatment. He even said to my mum (not that she fully understood) that it wouldn’t be in her best interest to have an op and go under stressful and harsh treatment.
I am obviously hoping amongst all hope it will come back as the former and not the latter but I’m dumbstruck tbh. My poor mum is so confused with this god awful dementia and bent over from her osteoporosis which causes her pain and now she has to deal with this. She was so good in the clinic, some of it was uncomfortable and painful for her but she didn’t complain just put up with it all. It was so bewildering for her and looked so little and old, bless her.
I know life is not fair but she is such a kind and gentle soul, she has been such a lovely mum to my sister and I. she doesn’t deserve this kind of beating from whoever/whatever it is that controls life. I know one does but she is such a lovely person.
I am so fucking angry and no idea what this will do to her. She (and us as a family) suffer enough with her dementia. This just about fucking tops it all.
Elderly parents
Mum who has Alzheimer’s just been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Silverumbrella · 21/03/2024 15:10
Ohyeahwaitaminute · 22/03/2024 08:03
Life is bloody cruel. It’s so hard to see someone you love so dearly suffering. I hear you.
I think you need to take one step at a time, and make the decision based on that. If she’s under any kind of geriatric consultant, get their thoughts on it. Or her GP too.
My DF had dementia for the last 8 years of his life. In that time, we discovered a heart defect, prostate cancer, kidney cancer and then bone cancer. It was an absolute shit show when I think about it. We - as a family- really went through the mill.
Meanwhile, DF pretty much gently sailed through it all… with no pre conceived ideas as to what the future held for him.
All I would say is that general anaesthetics did him no favours, and every time he had one, his dementia would increase.
He died 8 years ago, so we do now chuckle at just how ‘unbothered’ he was when we were so stressed and upset.
Deal with your thoughts at home, and try and be resolutely upbeat when with your DPs. Support your Dad and ensure that your DM lives her best pain free life. 💐💐💐
Silverumbrella · 22/03/2024 07:49
AnnaMagnani thank you. I am really hoping it will be the case with mum and she can keep it at bay with tablets. I got the impression, from the way the consultant was talking, that he felt it wouldn’t be in mum’s best interest to pursue a more vigorous treatment plan if it were more aggressive. I’ll try and have a word with him on my own when we go back.
Thank you frecklejuice, sorry your mum has osteoporosis. Horrible to see them in pain isn’t it?
Thank you so much Bonbonnes, that is encouraging and I do hope you are doing well?
stayathomegardener Sorry to hear that, it’s a horrible situation isn’t it? It really isn’t in their best interest to go through any harsh treatment is it? It’s bad enough they have to go through this awful dementia.
Silverumbrella · 22/03/2024 08:40
Thank you.
Mum is in a state of total oblivion about it all, she won’t have even remembered attending the clinic yesterday and as you know from your FIL’s experience, that really isn’t a bad thing at all.
Sadly all the dementia services in our area have discharged all their ongoing patients (including mum) and referred back to the GPS to deal with (our GP has zero experience in dementia care and are pretty useless tbh) so will just have to wait to talk to the breast consultant in a few weeks.
I was aware GAs can exacerbate dementia so would definitely be loath to put mum through anything like that unless absolutely necessary.
Ohyeahwaitaminute · 22/03/2024 08:03
Life is bloody cruel. It’s so hard to see someone you love so dearly suffering. I hear you.
I think you need to take one step at a time, and make the decision based on that. If she’s under any kind of geriatric consultant, get their thoughts on it. Or her GP too.
My DF had dementia for the last 8 years of his life. In that time, we discovered a heart defect, prostate cancer, kidney cancer and then bone cancer. It was an absolute shit show when I think about it. We - as a family- really went through the mill.
Meanwhile, DF pretty much gently sailed through it all… with no pre conceived ideas as to what the future held for him.
All I would say is that general anaesthetics did him no favours, and every time he had one, his dementia would increase.
He died 8 years ago, so we do now chuckle at just how ‘unbothered’ he was when we were so stressed and upset.
Deal with your thoughts at home, and try and be resolutely upbeat when with your DPs. Support your Dad and ensure that your DM lives her best pain free life. 💐💐💐
RosesAndHellebores · 25/03/2024 08:59
@Silverumbrella I mean this kindly. My grandma was almost 86 when she passed away with advanced alzheimers. She was 4.5 stone, had forgotten how to swallow, was doubly incontinent, had forgotten how to walk, had a vibrating bed to prevent bed sores. She lasted as long as she did for two reasons:
- Mother and grandad visited daily, fed her (baby food towards the end), washed her, sang to her. It very nearly destroyed them.
2 She had no underlying health conditions and had been as strong as an ox until her early 70s.
In the kindest way, this may be a blessing. Not many people see advanced alzheimers. It is a terrible, terrible way to go.
Don’t want to miss threads like this?
Weekly
Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!
Log in to update your newsletter preferences.
You've subscribed!
To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.