My husband has been diagnosed with Mesothelioma. Its a terminal cancer which surrounds the lung & is caused from asbestos. Its been 14 months since his diagnosis & has been doing pretty good. Its on his right lung & he has now developed a blood clot in the left lung so he needs oxygen 24/7.  I was wondering if theres anybody else on this site dealing with the same diagnosis. Thank you

Hi

Welcome to our community dorms. The diagnosis may not be the same, but others here, like Marstin, NatR, Xenia, Oldbat understand what a diagnosis like this means to your husband, you and your family.

Do you have family and friends who are able to support you as well dorms? I imagine the last 14 months (and probably longer) have been filled with appointments, uncertainties, worries, lows and highs.

I look forward to continuing the conversation.

Katherine

Hi Katherine

I'm so glad I found your site. It was thru the cancer clinic here that I seen your web site posted on the bulletin board in the Drs office.

We have a very good support here as we have a Cancer Hospital here. They are giving my husband excellent care but...they can't cure him. He's getting chemo now for pain control but its causing him to have low hemoglobin & platelets so he's in every week for blood transfusions. His pain still isn't under control yet. I think this being a type of cancer thats just starting to show up after a person has been exposed to asbestos 40-50 yrs ago, the Drs. really don't know what to do or how a patient may react to different treatments.  They absolutely refused to remove his lung. Its not knowing whats ahead that gets me anxious but then I tell myself to take one day at a time. Some weeks we have as much as three trips at the hospital. Thats very tiring but I'm also thankful that they are just a 5 minute drive from us. Our daughter is here in town so she's been a great help. Some days she's our chauffeur & other days she's here to visit & do anything that might need doing around the house & just general support.  This is a rare type of cancer so I was wondering if there was anybody else on here going thru the same thing. 

Hi NatR & Katherine-thank you for your kind words, they mean so much.

My husband is still in a lot of pain. He had a double radiation treatment last week but so far it looks like it didnt do much for his pain. They were doing two different meds for his chemo treatments but have had to drop one of them as it was causing him to have low hemoglobin & platelets & had to have a few blood transfusions. His pain meds were increased last week but he only got about three days pain free & now its back more than it was before. He still goes out as much as he can. We went south to a casino & seen Vince Gill on stage. My husband is a classic country music lover. He gets very tired on these trips but he enjoys them too. I find these trips very tiring as well as I have to make sure we have all his meds & equipment & oxygen when we get to the hotel. He has a wheel chair which has to be lifted into the van as well & some days it seem heavier than other days. But I'll do what ever I can to make things better for him. I know eventually he won't be able to get out & about. He frets about all the things I have to do but he's slowly accepting the fact that he can't do much of anything anymore. He was never one to sit around doing nothing. I try not to think too far into the future. I know its going to get harder but our daughter tries to help as much as she can.  My husband is covered for everything through Workmans Safety Insurance Board as this cancer is job related. We have a super nurse from WSIB who looks after whatever he needs & we have a nurse who comes in one day  a week. That will change as well when he needs more care. So my biggest problem is being very tired & not being able to take his pain away. 

Thanks for letting me ramble on.

Dorms

Hi Katherine

My husband is still in a lot of pain. His meds have been increased two or three times but he only gets about one or two days relief then the pain is back again. I don't think the radiation has done much & they have to keep cancelling his chemo treatments because his hemoglobin drops so he has to have blood transfusions instead of the chemo treatment.

I have  days where I'm feeling tired & weepy but then I think of how my husband must be feeling. If I was in his shoes I think I'd want to be yelling & screaming about this happening to me. I know he's thinking this at times but never says anything.

Some days its hard trying to remember all the things that we need when we go to the hospital. I have forgotten requisition slips but the hospital just gives me a new one which I'm thankful for. I just have to make sure to take enough oxygen with us. I've found that the best thing for me to do regarding his meds is to make a list of the meds & the time that he's to get them. They keep changing all the time so this way it's easier for me.

When he has a bad night I don't get much sleep but I do try & have a nap through out the day if possible. Last week our daughter was going to a spa for a couple hours & my husband wanted me to go too but that isn't my thing. I wouldn't have been able to relax enough to get any good from a facial or pedicure.  My  husband had two falls last week so I dont' really feel good leaving him home alone. 

We had couple come & stay with us for two days. That was a nice break for us to see & talk to somebody else other than ourselves. Our friends came up to celebrate my husbands birthday. We were going to go out for supper then maybe go to the casino for an hour or two but he was in so much pain that we ordered in our supper & stayed home. This was the best choice for him. He enjoyed his supper but didn't have to tire himself out getting to the restaurant.

I just take each day as it comes. Try not to think too far in the future.

Take care

Dorms