My mother had a CT scan in April this year because the GP found that her bloods showed a further decrease in iron levels. The first option was a gastroscopy and colonoscopy but, in discussing this with the GP we talked about how, if anything cancerous were found, what would be an appropriate thing to do anyway. My mother is 90 and has many different ailments such as a leaky heart valve, CKD, irregular heart beat, skin which is prone to precancerous lesions and high but controlled blood pressure. She is also on large mix of different medications including a blood thinner. She does, however, still live alone and now has care in twice a day. Mum despite still often manages a daily walk with a rollator.
Anyway, in April the nurse who spoke to me on the phone was sympathetic about my concerns about my mother's potential ability to undergo, in particular, a colonoscopy and her ability to recover from any potential surgery, should cancer be found. My mother was put on iron tablets and her blood count is back to normal and I think she seems a little more contented and happy at the moment.
So, I wasn't expecting the gastroscopy nurse to phone today to tell me that the results of the April scan were nothing alarming in particular but that a thickening was found on the stomach wall. The normal procedure now is a gastroscopy to investigate. The fact that her iron levels are normal is "to be expected" on the iron tablets. She has to decide(she doesn't know yet) whether or not to go ahead with this. I have to go to discuss this with her Monday before phoning the nurse again with a decision. It is a difficult thing to spell out to her but she can be easily swayed in any direction((at least on a temporary basis) as her understanding of things can get confused....so she will sometimes just opt for agreeing - which I don't necessarily want. In short, I hate being largely responsible for these big decisions. She may have difficulty seeing the bigger picture and I am tending to err on the side of leave all alone since she is eating well and seems a bit better than normal(apart from the dementia).
Even bringing the thing up may set her into worrying about it and making up the story in her own head that she probably has cancer(...and that we are "leaving her to die").
I don't know what to do, what to think or how to really talk to her about it. The NHS is legally obliged to let the patient have the next line of procedure regardless of the age. I don't have POA (yet) but I would still be discussing with her anyway and trying to go along with her wishes.
Maybe someone has a similar experience on here. I'd appreciate hearing how you proceeded.
Anyway, in April the nurse who spoke to me on the phone was sympathetic about my concerns about my mother's potential ability to undergo, in particular, a colonoscopy and her ability to recover from any potential surgery, should cancer be found. My mother was put on iron tablets and her blood count is back to normal and I think she seems a little more contented and happy at the moment.
So, I wasn't expecting the gastroscopy nurse to phone today to tell me that the results of the April scan were nothing alarming in particular but that a thickening was found on the stomach wall. The normal procedure now is a gastroscopy to investigate. The fact that her iron levels are normal is "to be expected" on the iron tablets. She has to decide(she doesn't know yet) whether or not to go ahead with this. I have to go to discuss this with her Monday before phoning the nurse again with a decision. It is a difficult thing to spell out to her but she can be easily swayed in any direction((at least on a temporary basis) as her understanding of things can get confused....so she will sometimes just opt for agreeing - which I don't necessarily want. In short, I hate being largely responsible for these big decisions. She may have difficulty seeing the bigger picture and I am tending to err on the side of leave all alone since she is eating well and seems a bit better than normal(apart from the dementia).
Even bringing the thing up may set her into worrying about it and making up the story in her own head that she probably has cancer(...and that we are "leaving her to die").
I don't know what to do, what to think or how to really talk to her about it. The NHS is legally obliged to let the patient have the next line of procedure regardless of the age. I don't have POA (yet) but I would still be discussing with her anyway and trying to go along with her wishes.
Maybe someone has a similar experience on here. I'd appreciate hearing how you proceeded.