My grandmother-3rd time w/ Breast Cancer

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-08-2007
My grandmother-3rd time w/ Breast Cancer
1
Sat, 09-08-2007 - 3:06pm

This is my first post here, as I went looking for some support today. I'm 22 and I just found out my grandmother is dying. My grandmother ended up in the hospital last weekend and they discovered yesterday that she's fighting breast cancer for the third time. They weren't sure what kind of cancer it was the third time, as they would have had to drain the fluid around her lungs and test it to find out and the doctors didn't want to do that. She was first diagnosed in the fall of 1978 and then again late in 1991 and then they found cancer again about two years ago, but they had been controlling it to the point where it wasn't spreading or getting worse. But they're now sure it's breast cancer again and is....well...everywhere. It's in her kidneys, liver, around her lungs, in the sack around her heart, and the fluid that was on her lungs has migrated to her abdominal cavity where it's starting to also adhere to the abdominal wall. So far it's only really affecting her kidneys, and not yet enough for dialysis. My parents and I drove the 90 minutes to visit her in the hospital yesterday and she's so frail and just doesn't look good. I saw her just two weeks ago at my cousin's wedding and she looked and felt great. Later, we were at my aunt's house talking about all of it, as my aunt is talking to each of the doctors and then spreading the information to the rest of the family.

I truly think the saddest part of all of this is that my grandmother is well aware she's dying, but my grandfather isn't. We picked him up on the way to the hospital and talking with him in the car, then at the hospital, and then in the car again, and finally when we were at his house making sure he ate and dealt with his blood sugar, it was clear he didn't understand that this was it for my grandmother. While my grandmother is still sharp mentally, my grandfather's mental capacity has been steadily going downhill for the last few years. He's a diabetic and yesterday couldn't remember if he's taken his insulin, how much he'd taken, or if he'd eaten - all of which are very dangerous for him. It's just a sad situation all around. So any help on how to cope, especially as this is my last semester of college, would be greatly appreciated.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Sat, 09-08-2007 - 9:26pm

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I am so very sorry your grandmother is so very ill.

Hope everyone has a great Summer!

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