77 years old and has breast cancer.?

Question

my aunt is 77 years old she has breast cancer she has had this now for a couple of years.she still takes chemo.friday night she became ill. her son said she was yellow in the eyes.so they took her to the hosiptal.they said it was a low blood count and she needed a blood trans , they finally found some way to give her blood.it was hard because they could not find any that was compatabile to hers. could she have died and do you think she has long. thanks

Answer 1

Well, only a doc can really tell you that.

However, if she is becoming jaundiced (the yellowing) her liver and kidneys are failing.

As far as the blood transfusion, they would have had to run bloodwork to determine that she needed one. They would have given a blood transfusion when the hemoglobin level is too low. This has more to do with o2 stats than jaundice. It really depends on how low the hemoglobin was if she would have died without transfusion. She would have been lathargic and short of breathe though.

As far as not finding matching blood... Are your local blood banks low? The blood is matched not only by type, but by other antibodies as well. THey technically dont even type, but test for the anti bodies. Typically, unless the person has an uncommon antibody it is not that hard to find matching blood. If they are having a hard time, I suggest family members have a type and cross ran to see if they match. Being that she is going through cancer treatment, they will do all the other tests on the blood before giving it to her, so the donor needs to donate about 2 weeks in advance. This is also the reason why everyone that can donate should on a reg basis.

Ill be honest, typically older people dont tolerate treatment very well. They are also more susceptable to infections and organs shutting down during treatment. That doesnt mean anything is written in stone though. A lot depends on her attitude. Is she still fighting or is she ready to die?

I know death is a sad thing for the living. However, if she is ready to die, you dont want her stressing that she needs to hold on for everyone. It is much more peacful if she can just let go.

Answer 2

Coming from a family where cancer is a problem, I'll have to say that there really is no way to tell. She could die quickly, or she could surprise everyone and live for years. Or even go into remission.

Good luck, and many prayers.

Answer 3

I don't think anyone but a doctor can come close to answering that. And even a good doctor will admit that he or she is often wrong in their estimation of how long someone as to live.