What is going to happen as my Grandma dies from colon cancer?

Question

A few years ago my Grandma was diagnosed with colon cancer and recently she was giving 2-3 months left to live. I would really like to know what is going to happen so I can be a prepaired as possible. I know that every person is different but even a general idea would help. Thankyou!
PLEASE no stupid, hurtful, making fun of the situation comments

Sorry, I wasn't very clear. I meant to ask what is going to happen with Grandma. For instance will she lose her appetite or will her skin start to yellow-ish like it did during chemo?

Answer 1

In my case (my Mom died of colon cancer) my Mom's cancer spread from the colon to the liver. Once the cancer is in the system and invading other organs the patient starts to decline, lose their appetite, lose interest in daily events and they start to be within themselves. They may not want to talk much, but they can hear everything. The hospice told me that this was their way to prepare for the next journey.

If your Grandma is in pain they will give her Morphine (usually) and that will make her very sleepy and "out of it".

It's a hard thing to watch and I am sorry that you will have to go through this. Usually after they have been given a time frame, they go sooner than later.

Say everything you need to say to her now, don't let her leave without saying that you loved her.

Wish you well.

Answer 2

I'm sorry about your grandmother. First, there is a really common myth associated with cancer death and that is that people with cancer always die in pain. This is not true. It is possible that towards the end a patient pay be uncomfortable and if the tumors are invading the tissue or nerves than pain is a possibility. However, not every cancer patient experiences pain. Some just die peacefully. And, if there is pain than hospice or your grandmothers doctor should be able to make her comfortable. There is no way to know in which manner your grandmother will pass away. But you can read more about this at the following website which provides a guide for this journey. What to expect, how to control pain if present, and what physical signs to watch for:

ACP: A dying persons guide to dying
http://www.acponline.org/public/h_care/dying-gd.htm

Medline Plus: Death and Dying Issues
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/endoflifeissues.html

Merck: Death and Dying
http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec01/ch008/ch008a.html

Hope that will be of some help to you.

Answer 3

i'm so sorry to hear of your grandma's illness. i must tell you, nothing can truly prepare you for the inevitable but as far as what she'll go through, it's not pretty. obviously, she'll be in tremendous pain but with meds and a good hospice nurse, that can be brought to a minimum. unfortunately with all those meds, she will most likely do nothing but sleep and eventually go into a state similar to a coma. she will lose much weight as she will have no appetite and as time progresses, she won't be able to eat anyway. colon cancer is an awful disease. i watched my bil pass from it 2 yrs ago. he was only 36. god bless you and you gram. spend some time with her and listen when she talks. she may have something important to say.

Answer 4

My Nana was 67 when she died from colon cancer. I was just shy of 18 years old.

She lost a lot of weight. She slept a lot. She was not recognizable in the last couple months of her life. I am guessing that is how your grandma looks now.

BUT when she was awake and alert, she revealed a part of herself I had never seen. She was normally very reserved and proper. Now she was vocal about people and issues and she cussed on occasion. When I asked her about her change in behavior she said she figured she had nothing to lose. lol.

She stayed alive long enough to see me get ready for my HS graduation. She was too sick to go to the ceremony, but having her around was wonderful. She died 10 days later.

I miss her a lot. My mother has since died too (20 years later). I miss her too.

Answer 5

Your grandma will sleep more and more. She will be less responsive as time goes by. If she is on hospice care (a very good program), they would make sure she wasn't suffering in any way. They would support your family in providing care to your grandma. Eventually she will just stop breathing, but you may notice that her breaths are uneven at the end. If you have hospice care, they would be willing to discuss all of this with you.

Answer 6

I never had grandparents; most died when my parents were little and I only knew pne grandma until I was 2. But what I do know is that everyone will be expecting it and she could die sooner than 2 months or later than 3 months. :( ♥

Answer 7

I recently lost my 93 yr old Gramma to Leukemia. She was fine, celebrated her 93rd Birthday and even went to Chucky Cheese 1 wk before she died (on a Friday). By the following Wed, she got really sad and started deteriorating quickly. By Friday Morning, she went into a coma and died peacefuly at 7 p.m., surrounded by her family at home. JUST SPEND QUALITY TIME WITH HER, tell her you love her, thank her! Unfort I was unable to say BYE to my Gramma, but I'm at peace because I spent lots of quality time with her before she got really sick. God Bless!

Answer 8

I am very sorry for your Grandma. She will lose her appetite and be more bedridden and eventually they will need to give her pain killers such as morphine. One thing to know is that if they say 2-3 months it could always be earlier. They told me my father-in-law had 3 months and we lost him 3 days later.

Please say everything you want to say right now.

Answer 9

When I was 11 years old, my Grandma died from colon cancer. I began to depressed. However, my younger sister become very independent.

Answer 10

i dont know