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Anyone chosen palliative care? What are the last months/weeks like?
Pancreatic Cancer | Last Active: Apr 10 10:50am | Replies (51)Comment receiving replies
Replies to "I just ran across this: https://mylifechoice.org/2024/05/08/understanding-end-of-life-signs-recognizing-symptoms-6-months-before-death/#:~:text=What%20are%20the%20common%20symptoms,memory%20and%20other%20cognitive%20changes"
@rfherald Thank you so much for sharing this. My husband was diagnosed with stage 4 PC
in July 2024. He has never had any treatment and although it had already spread to his lungs and stomach and several lymph nodes, he was doing fairly well. Things started to change about 5 weeks ago and they have now referred us to a Palliative Care Team. He has stopped eating and has lost quite a bit of weight. Sleeping about 16 hours a day and his feet and hands are always cold so even when he is sitting watching TV, I wrap blankets around him. We have been together since we were 17 and Seniors in High School and will be married 52 years in July.
Hardest thing in the world to watch your Best Friend going through this and feeling so helpless.
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I found those also and started reading them but have not finished yet. I did have an infection and sepsis weeks ago that resulted in a trip to the hospital. I am on palliative and if I had been on hospice the sepsis may have taken me. BP was 70/40. If I set up I went back over as no blood was going to my brain. My CA 19-9 numbers had reached 1300. But several weeks after IV and oral antibiotics, it was down to 55. My nurse was convinced that I had cancer again. But the CT scan that found the infection did not show any tumors. Seems it was the infection that caused the high CA 19-9 numbers. I have a follow up scan next week and will see what if anything it shows. Either in the way of infection or cancer.
My nurse seems to ask every time we speak about my appetite. I guess that is what I need to watch for. Once I stop wanting to eat it will for sure be time to switch to hospice.
I am still able to go shopping and can cook and do dishes. I have been cooking for family and doing dishes as much as I can. Figure I will help out as much as I can while I can before I will need help with most everything. I just want to die well if there is such a thing. I hope it is fast and happens before I need a lot of care from others. Not up to me though. My home state does not have death with dignity laws. I will just have to see when it is my time.
Take care and I wish you and everyone nothing but good things going forward with cancer.