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My husband has stage 4 metastasized lung cancer so most of his doctor appointments are for cancer care, but he also has appointments for other specialists like gastroenterology, and other things. This month he is scheduled for 3 labs - 1 for chemo and 2 others for other doctors. At this stage, who can we turn to for advice on which doctor appointments/labs to keep and which ones to cancel?
Getting my husband, who is bed-ridden, into a wheelchair with oxygen just to go and get blood drawn is difficult on both of us. So we would like to trim down his care to just the most necessary care but we don't know who to turn to. (We currently have a call in to his palliative care team, but not sure if this falls under their purview.)
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@MaryannW299942 Saw your note below that the labs got combined so that was good! I totally get it - it was so hard to take my parents out for labs and tests and doc appts - and that was before the pandemic! Now it's even more stressful and scary. A few more suggestions:
Hope this helps!
Take care,
Amy Goyer, AARP Family & Caregiving Expert
Author, Juggling Life, Work and Caregiving
And think about getting advice about what home hospice would mean. People sometimes live LONGER on home hospice with all the supportive care, the simplification of medicine, the end to stressful trips and tests.
Keep us posted if you like, and with all good wishes,
Jane
@MaryannW299942 Saw your note below that the labs got combined so that was good! I totally get it - it was so hard to take my parents out for labs and tests and doc appts - and that was before the pandemic! Now it's even more stressful and scary. A few more suggestions:
Hope this helps!
Take care,
Amy Goyer, AARP Family & Caregiving Expert
Author, Juggling Life, Work and Caregiving
Hi there
I used to be the social worker at a university chemotherapy clinic, and i was also a social worker at a home hospice team. It sounds like this is the point where you begin to weigh the burden of getting him to treatment and labs etc, and quality of life. Stage 4 lung cancer isn't curable as you know, sadly. Home hospice is an option for sure. Everything centers at your home, and all the palliative care under hospice is brought to you and him.
If you or he do not want to do hospice, then i'd call his primary care provider and the oncologist (probably an RN or a PA who manages his or her practice?) and point all this out. Providers will try to coordinate if you ask; they should do that anyway.
Home hospice will come to you both and talk to you before asking you to sign up. Is that what you mean by having a call into his palliative team?
Say more? And, good luck. This is really hard stuff.
Jane
a social worker now in primary care in a rural clinic
@MaryannW299942 That was going to be my first suggestion - the lab should be able to do it all at once even if for several doctors! Glad that worked out!!!
Take care,
Amy Goyer, AARP Family & Caregiving Expert
Author, Juggling Life, Work and Caregiving
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