Hi Bigboy,

I am so sorry to hear that you dad is having such a hard time at the moment. I lost my mum to breast cancer which had spread to her lungs, liver, brain and bone. No treatment was available to her either and it was heart-rendering to deal with.

Am I right in presuming that your dad is still at home? If so, you should get straight on to his care team or his GP.  Does he have a Macmillan nurse? She could also arrange for what he needs. Don't forget to mention the vomiting and coughing.

He can manage for a while without food, but not without fluids. If he doesn't want to eat, perhaps he might take the build up drinks which are available on prescription? These would give him enough nutrition to keep him alive, even if he is not eating solids.

If he cannot drink, he can be given fluids via a drip, which would prevent him from becoming dehydrated. I am not a doctor, just another cancer patient, but his confusion could be due to dehydration or to possible spread of cancer to his brain. All in all, your dad's symptoms need urgent attention, so don't hesitate to put things into motion tomorrow.

I hope that you get this all sorted out before the weekend.

Please keep in touch and let us know how you get on. We are always here for you.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx