(Still) quite worried about my mum's health

[Toby2000]

Hi,

Some of you may remember me as the crazily neurotic guy from a couple of years ago who always used to worry about his mother's health, and I used to worry a lot about lung cancer because she was a smoker and I always felt like she had something wrong with her. Well a couple of years later she's still here, thank god, there was obviously nothing wrong with her back then and I've moved on to other worries for the last couple of years.

But I feel like it's all starting up again because over the past week and a half her health has been awful. She's had

- A bad cough (a little bit better now)

- A hoarse voice (improving now, her voice is almost back)

- Really dramatic weight loss (could be due to diarrohea and lack of appetite)

- Diarrohea

- Loss of appetite

Now in the UK there's this whole Aussie flu thing so I've been assuming that it's all been down to that. She went to the GP the other day and they listened to her chest and everything and diagnosed her with the flu. They also gave her antibiotics which she's been taking and she does seem a little better since

..but tonight I noticed that her feet were quite swollen. This is the point where I really started worrying because after some googling I realised that this could be a sign of liver failure.. possibly from lung cancer that metastasised to the liver. I'm probably being dramatic but why else would her feet swell up? She thinks it's because she's been lying down a lot because obviously she's been ill, but I don't buy that because she's been walking around a bit too.

This accompanied with the other main staples of lung cancer (which she also has).. weight loss, a cough, tiredness could suggest lung cancer right? Or do you think it's just the flu?

Thanks for reading

[MyNameIsTerry]

Hi Toby,

If your mum had a metastised lung cancer I think should be extremely ill. My GF's mum had lung cancer that had metastised to both lungs and getting up a flight of stairs was a once a day thing with great effort.

Symptoms of lung cancer are Stage 3-4. At stage 4 you would be really ill. My GF's mum was admitted to hospital quite quickly and on breathing equipment.

Antibiotics for nothing for cancer so getting better shows there is a link there.

As for the feet it could be various things. My mum has a persistent cough, has done for several years now, and has edema in the feet. It can be meds (water tablets do this if she is on them, and it's something that can be adjusted for as sometimes there may be more than needed being used according to doctors my mum saw) for a start.

What is the dramatic weight loss?

[WiseMonkey]

I wasn't here 2 years ago but you have to look at this rationally. The flu or antibiotics will be causing the loss of appetite and diarrhea. The Dr would have heard anything suspicious through his/her stethoscope (especially if it was advanced as you say).

She's got the 'flu and is getting better, the symptoms you've described are classic influenza. Some older people get swollen ankles because as she says she's been lying down a lot, which is what you feel like doing when you have a virus and this is related to her circulatory system not her liver.

I'm glad she is no longer a smoker but ex-smokers can often take longer to recover from colds and flu. Let her rest up

[Toby2000]

Hi Toby,

If your mum had a metastised lung cancer I think should be extremely ill. My GF's mum had lung cancer that had metastised to both lungs and getting up a flight of stairs was a once a day thing with great effort.

Symptoms of lung cancer are Stage 3-4. At stage 4 you would be really ill. My GF's mum was admitted to hospital quite quickly and on breathing equipment.

Antibiotics for nothing for cancer so getting better shows there is a link there.

As for the feet it could be various things. My mum has a persistent cough, has done for several years now, and has edema in the feet. It can be meds (water tablets do this if she is on them, and it's something that can be adjusted for as sometimes there may be more than needed being used according to doctors my mum saw) for a start.

What is the dramatic weight loss?

Hi Terry,

Thanks for replying, you're great with making me feel better

Sorry to hear about your GF's mum, that must've been so hard. I do think I'm being dramatic, nothing she had sounds as bad as that must've been, but she's been struggling slightly with her breathing and was even given an inhaler by the doctor. It came on very quickly though when her other symptoms developed so that doesn't sound really very cancer related to me.

Over the past week or so we all noticed that she was getting really skinny and visibly lost a lot of weight on her legs and around her face and stomach.. just all on her body really. But she's barely been eating at all due to the lack of appetite and has been on the toilet a lot with diarrohea which I've read could contribute to weight loss.

She's also been diagnosed with shingles too if that means anything.

Thanks as always

[WiseMonkey]

Gosh poor mum having shingles as well, she needs plenty of rest and care. Nausea is a symptom of shingles so that would zap her appetite.

Make sure she has minimal stress and lots of rest

[MyNameIsTerry]

Thanks, yes it was hard for their family. I've known another person with a terminal illness and they go down fast with problems. Adding a cold on top of an untreated lung cancer would be really bad. I would expect enough to be hospitalised. As someone with asthma, and my mum too, something hitting your breathing can be hard going and it makes you do tired. My mum was in hospital due to adding pneumonia on top of her asthma so imagine what a cold/flu would be like on someone with lung cancer? I would say that would be incredibly serious, it was something my GF had to be very careful with and moreso during chemo.

The inhaler will be because she needs some help. People used to think they were asthma inhalers but they aren't. We have specific Preventers to treat us and the Relievers are there for times we struggle. So, anyone struggling with an allergy may get them. They just open up the tubes to help you breath.

The weight loss could be water. If she keeping herself hydrated? And loss of body salt makes you dehydrated. I agree with WiseMonkey on this.

Shingles is pretty unpleasant so that sounds likely in making her feel bad too.

I hope she gets better soon mate