Comments on: Palliative Care http://www.desperatecaregivers.com/palliative-care .....Caring for the Desperate Caregivers of Aging Parents Sat, 11 Feb 2012 09:28:31 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Marty http://www.desperatecaregivers.com/palliative-care/comment-page-1#comment-155 Marty Fri, 10 Sep 2010 14:13:46 +0000 http://www.desperatecaregivers.com/?p=1702#comment-155 So true! We went through several agonizing weeks with Dad after he had a couple vertebral compression fractures. We finally chose palliative care, and he was about to start receiving services when a blood clot mercifully ended his suffering. At the end he could no longer swallow water or eat but a few bites, so it would have been a morphine-sustained slow death due to starvation and thirst. Better than starvation without the morphine... So true! We went through several agonizing weeks with Dad after he had a couple vertebral compression fractures. We finally chose palliative care, and he was about to start receiving services when a blood clot mercifully ended his suffering. At the end he could no longer swallow water or eat but a few bites, so it would have been a morphine-sustained slow death due to starvation and thirst. Better than starvation without the morphine…

]]> By: dragonet2 http://www.desperatecaregivers.com/palliative-care/comment-page-1#comment-154 dragonet2 Wed, 08 Sep 2010 03:36:11 +0000 http://www.desperatecaregivers.com/?p=1702#comment-154 One of the things that pissed me off most about my father's death was the hospice worker's (and probably doctor's) not telling my mother the truth of stuff. I was present when they told her his blood marrow was fully infiltrated with cancer and he was no longer making blood cells. and "he would like live for another month or so." I have a minor in biology and a lot of interest in human physiology. I know if you have no red blood cells you are going to die Real Soon. Especially if they give a transfusion and it goes out through your bowel as soon as it is administered. I did my best to make sure he didn't die in agony despite my mother hovering and saying "you shouldn't administer that oral morpheine, it will make him an addict!!!" I think actually verbally snarled at her at one point. "He IS DYING. Do you want him to have peace or die in total agony! " True palliative care (denied by my mom) might have given him less pain. They were both so into denial that that was probably not anything that could have happened. it made me very sad. One of the things that pissed me off most about my father’s death was the hospice worker’s (and probably doctor’s) not telling my mother the truth of stuff. I was present when they told her his blood marrow was fully infiltrated with cancer and he was no longer making blood cells. and “he would like live for another month or so.”

I have a minor in biology and a lot of interest in human physiology. I know if you have no red blood cells you are going to die Real Soon. Especially if they give a transfusion and it goes out through your bowel as soon as it is administered.

I did my best to make sure he didn’t die in agony despite my mother hovering and saying “you shouldn’t administer that oral morpheine, it will make him an addict!!!” I think actually verbally snarled at her at one point. “He IS DYING. Do you want him to have peace or die in total agony! ”

True palliative care (denied by my mom) might have given him less pain. They were both so into denial that that was probably not anything that could have happened. it made me very sad.

]]> By: firstSTREET http://www.desperatecaregivers.com/palliative-care/comment-page-1#comment-152 firstSTREET Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:25:50 +0000 http://www.desperatecaregivers.com/?p=1702#comment-152 You have a great point about the need to determine the point in time when palliative care is needed. Your ending point about how it can make both the patient and the caregiver more comfortable is a great advantage of it. There are many products and services available today which serve this purpose, and you might never know they were available! www.firststreetonline.com You have a great point about the need to determine the point in time when palliative care is needed. Your ending point about how it can make both the patient and the caregiver more comfortable is a great advantage of it. There are many products and services available today which serve this purpose, and you might never know they were available!

http://www.firststreetonline.com

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