My mum(87 year old) was diagnosed with colorectal cancer stage III, adenocarcinoma with infiltration (tumor located upper rectum) last November. Last December she had a PET scan and they didn't see metastasis.
We saw the Digestive Doctor whom offered my mum an operation and permanent colostomy, but my mum refused the operation, besides she has other pathologies that would have only made the operation high risk, the digestive consultant agreed with our decision. The doctor as well said that because of her age and being unable to follow the protocol of having radiotherapy and chemotherapy previous to the operation there was a higher risk that a malignant cell could spread the cancer, so there was no guarantees that she would be cancer free after surgery.
Then we saw the oncologist that offered to prescribe low radiotherapy sessions to reduce the tumor and minimize the symptoms which was the best solution for her, it wouldn't be cured but her quality of life would be better and life expectancy higher.
So she started the radiotherapy sessions and on the 7th session she started having lower back pain, and within two days she couldn't move from bed. They gave us a few days to get better from the lumbago but the pain wasn't going away if anything it got worse. They suspended the Radiotherapy (because you cannot make them wait longer than two weeks) and my mum kept getting worse. So within four weeks from having my mum totally independent she has become totally dependent and bed ridden. We had an appointment yesterday with the oncologist, he said she needs palliative care to control the pain, he couldn't do a MRI because she wouldn't have been able to sit still for 30 minutes, so he things the pain could come from the tumor or maybe not but when he check her recent scans, he said that there was an thickening of the rectum wall that he things it could be pressing the nerves and causing the pain. The scans were done in November, December, so if the thickening of the rectum was shown then how comes she never had any pain until the radiotherapy started? Could have been a coincidence? The oncologist said if wasn't triggered by the radiotherapy but all he said is she needs palliative care all we need to manage the pain and we will see but that my mum is 87 and at that age things can get complicated quite easily. That doesn't explain to me why my mum has gone down hill since the radiotherapy sessions? Has anybody had similar experience to mine?
I don't know what to thing or what to expect anymore. We trusted the doctors and my mum before the radiotherapy sessions she was independent, since the sessions she has become 100% dependent, they never told us that was a risk. Very upset and disappointed with the medical team. I thought my mum will recover but now me and my family are loosing hope. I need some advice.