Mesothelioma FAQ, Mesothelioma Guide

Your friends will want to help, too, although they may not know what to do. Tell them what you need. You can ask people to do small but important things. Shopping, cooking, doing the laundry, picking up medicine from the pharmacy, walking the dog – just make a list, actual or in your head, of everything you have to do. Ask other people, be they friends or family that want help, to assist you with the things that don’t absolutely demand your mesothelioma attention.

If your spouse is having radiation therapy and not feeling too bad, maybe he or she wouldn’t mind having another family member drive to the hospital for treatment.  You have to use your best judgment.

The American Cancer Society also has mesothelioma information about where caregivers can get help. Carepages also offers suggestions.
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What do I do when something goes wrong in the middle of the night?

It is likely that something will go wrong in the middle of the night at some point. If your family member with mesothelioma gets suddenly worse, in regard to breathing, or pain, or any other serious symptom, you may need to make a trip to the emergency room. If things seem to be going very badly, you may have to dial 911. Hopefully before something like this happens you will have talked about what your spouse wants to do if he or she needs a breathing machine (ventilator) or a shock to the heart if it stops beating. If you and your spouse want everything possible done and he or she is suddenly having more trouble breathing, you should call 911. If all you want is some control of the mesothelioma symptoms, a visit to the emergency room might be the best thing to do.

Often, a call to the doctor may be a good choice. Someone who is very familiar with your spouse’s condition may know what will help make him or her feel better. It may be supplementary oxygen, or a stronger pain medicine. Or the doctor may want to have his mesothelioma patient seen in the emergency room to see if fluid has re-accumulated in the chest and can be drained.