Ovarian Cancer Support Group

I am a member of this group in other areas, because of other issues in my personal life, and now I have a relative who is fighting this horrible cancer. She was diagnosed in 2007 with stage 4 Ovarian Cancer. Dr. Horowitz in Atlanta performed her first surgery and he removed EVERYTHING he could, he got all the seed pods (I think that is how they described it) he could and even removed a few other things that he knew would be okay to take out. Well, to make a long story short, she is now bedridden and at home needing round the clock care. There are some things I don't quite understand and I was wondering if anyone could make some suggestions as to what could be done to help in this stage.

Up until a couple of months ago she was going to Houston for Clinical trials, taking a certain type of med and receiving either chemo or radiation, I'm not sure, but, nonetheless it is believed that the aggressive means of chemo/radiation caused one of the huge tumors inside of her to sort of implode and burst open causing all kinds of toxicitidy to release inside of her. This is when she lost her ability to walk, they rushed her to the hospital, where she was then sent to Emory from there and we almost lost her, but, they managed to get a tube inside of her to start draining some of that deadly crap out of her. There was a huge meeting of doctors and family and it seems that the tumors are perforating into her stomach and so now she has to have a feeding tube. The doctors flatly told them that there was nothing else that could be done for her, that she was terminal and only had weeks, months...no one was sure. The doctors there wanted to take her off water and the feeding tube so they could call Hospice in, naturally, her mom and her husband erupted at such an outrage and would not go along with them. Which, I don't blame them, I wouldn't starve my child to death either. Well, after that, the hospital released her to home care, and a nurse or two coming in 2 times a week. The thing is, she needs care 24 hours day, the child is still hooked up to all kinds of tubes, and as far as those 2 so called nurses go, they are worthless, they don't do crap, they family does more than they do. It's like they system has washed their hands of her and are trying to force their hand as to 'if you want round the clock care, you'll have to take her off the feeding tube and water so we can call in Hospice.' She has had to have a blood transfusion in the last 2 weeks, and instead of an ambulance coming to get her, the husband has to carefully scoop her up, get everything carefully, put her in the car and take her. This past week she was vomiting up something several times and the husband called the office where these so called nurses are and no one has yet to return the call. My question is this to anyone out there that can help out....WHAT IS GOING ON? Why are they doing this to her? Does anyone in the health field care about the terminally ill, what is that to them...a waste of time? EXCUSE ME, BUT, THEY ARE STILL VIABLE AND VERY MUCH ALIVE!!! This girl still has her wonderful, sweet, gracious, humble personality and never ONCE do you hear her complain!!! And yet she is treated like so much frikkin' dirt.

CAN SOMEONE OUT THERE HELP US WITH THIS? Any suggestions, has anyone experienced this horrible type of thing before? She used to be a school teacher, and I'm not sure, but, I think her insurance is still intact....but, still, insurance or not, she deserves better care than what these idiots give! How can they sleep at night? She is supplied basically with everything, pain pump, the feeding bag, hospital bed, etc.

I just don't get it...and I apologize for this very long rant. But, I do believe I'm in the right place here for just that type of thing.

God bless you all.

hurtn
Posted on 07/24/09, 11:07 pm