Grandmother has pancreatic cancer

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-14-2003
Grandmother has pancreatic cancer
1
Thu, 04-17-2008 - 1:05pm

My Grandmother was brought into the hospital last Friday, she had noticed quite a bit of blood in her urine.  She was first diagnosed with a cumiden overdose, but through other tests due to her becoming jaundice she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  She is in no pain at all and has taken the news very well.  We live in SC and she is in NJ, my parents drove up Saturday and are getting all the information now and trying to figure out what we need to do.  Grandma is 86 and still has all her faculties but  the doctors feel that the surgery is too invasive for her at her age and that the chemo would only give her a little bit more time and would make her last months worse.  They also noticed that her heart was beating irregularly and said she needed a pacemaker.  She had the procedure today, it is just placed just under the skin and I'm still waiting to hear how that went.  We've all talked and including Grandma all agree that it would be best if she came down to SC and lived with my parents and had family around her.  We have to figure out the medical transport and I believe it will be by plane, if we need a hospital bed, a doctor and or nurse that will come to the home, hospice care.  So many things need to be taken care of so quickly.   This came as a huge shock, it was like one day she was fine and the next everything crashes down.


Any advice on how best to deal with this, anything that would make her more comfortable would be greatly appreciated.  Anyone who can point us in the right direction as far as what we will need to get the house ready would also be greatly appreciated.


thank you so much

spring siggy
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-06-2007
Thu, 04-17-2008 - 11:35pm

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Welcome to the board, Eileen.

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