MSI Press Blog

  Not everyone wins their battle with cancer. As painful as that is to say—and even harder to write—it's true. For those of us walking this road alongside someone with cancer, we carry hope, strength, and belief for as long as we possibly can. But sometimes, the ending isn't triumphant. Sometimes, it's simply… the end. That was the case with Carl . Carl had Cancer of Unknown Primary ( CUP ), one of the most elusive and aggressive forms of cancer. With no known origin, it hides in plain sight and resists targeted treatment. Fewer than 15% of patients with CUP survive beyond one year, a statistic that, while low, has improved considerably since Carl fought his battle. When Carl knew the miserable odds, he believed he would be one of the rare exceptions. He expected to win. That expectation, though inspiring in the early days, slowly became a barrier. As his body declined rapidly over five short months, the signs were all there: treatment wasn’t working, strength was fading, ...

  ​This post follows up on an earlier Cancer Diary post on whether or not to choose hospice help , when and where. Choosing between in-home hospice care and care in a facility is a deeply personal decision that depends on various factors, including the patient's medical needs, the capabilities of caregivers, and the resources available.  It also may depend upon the relationship between the patient and caregiver, whether it is a spouse or an offspring who is providing the care.  While many patients express a desire to spend their final days at home, it's essential to understand both the benefits and the challenges associated with each option. ​ brighthh.com Carl so adamantly wanted to be at home and so hated the two short visits he had made to a care facility that I agreed to take on the caregiving, but it left a lot of emotional scars and question marks about whether we had thought things through adequately. The answer of course, is no. The question had to be answered alm...

  A somber topic today indeed, but an important one. One that was so completely new to us when Carl was dying from cancer that not only did we not know what to expect, leaving us feeling lost and helpless, but also we had no idea even what questions to ask and where to search for answers, leaving us feeling depressed and fearful. I think that may not be completely uncommon. Here is a clinical description of dying from cancer: Dying from cancer is a process that involves  changes in body function and loss of control over bodily functions .  Some of the common signs that your body is preparing to die are  disorientation, incontinence, rattling breaths, extreme weakness, less interest in food, trouble swallowing, and muscle jerking . These signs are caused by the cancer spreading to different organs and systems, and the body shutting down. Frankly, these signs are pretty scary and disconcerting when you do not expect them and do not know how to interpret them -- let alo...