When I saw Professor Pandha a few weeks back to get my confirmed diagnosis he was clear from the outset that the cancer is incurable and all we can do is manage the symptoms and maybe control the size.
He used the phrase palliative care. This was the first time it had been used alongside my cancer and immediately I was filled with dread. To me I’d assumed this meant someone is dying and this was the type of care to see them through to the end of their life.
In the weeks since then I have educated myself and now understand that palliative care is not the same as end of life care. It can form part of end of life treatment but is also treatment in its own right.
I’ve been already been talking to staff from Phyllis Tuckwell hospice from Macmillan nurses to help with symptom and pain management and Physiotherapists to help with lung and breathing exercises as well as getting me moving more.
So palliative care is a good thing and is not something to be scared of.
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