My mom died from gallbladder/bile duct cancer nine years ago. She was diagnosed in early March & passed away the end of June. My mom had surgery to remove the gallbladder (which had grown into the liver), several lymph nodes & part of her liver. She was in a lot of pain after that surgery. I think it was in April when she was strong enough to start chemo. I believe she only had two or three chemo treatments because the last chemo she had a reaction & ended up in the ER. She had developed a heart block, the top half & bottom half of the heart couldn't communicate. The electrical system of the heart got messed up. She was admitted to hospice in the hospital because they didn't think she would survive. Fortunately, my mom's heart more or less reset itself because she was strong & alert. She did need to go to a nursing home for some physical therapy. Her oncologist had ordered a PET scan and my dad & I were told the results. The cancer was everywhere & that was why she had a reaction when she had the chemo. Mom was then put under hospice care at the nursing home. The reason our family chose this is because my parents lived on a farm. The only way to get in the house was by using 5 - 6 steps for any of the entrances. If mom would have been home, she would have been alone most of the time. My dad had chores to do outside and my sisters that lived there also worked. I suppose if Mom would of been home we would have found a way to deal with this. I believe Mom was in Hospice care for about 2 1/2 months. I had a difficult time dealing with this in the beginning. I couldn't believe that my mom was in hospice, she was always such a strong person. I did come to terms with it and was there for my mom as often as I could. At the start of her hospice stay, she was talkative & pretty much just like herself. I remember they needed to put those leg compression things on her. When I saw her legs they were so thin. It came to a point where she wasn't eating much at all. We would try to keep her lips moist with the little blue sponges on a stick that we had soaked in water when we were there. She didn't talk as much as the weeks went on and she needed morhiphene more often. One time I came & Mom was sleeping. I thought I will just talk to her even if she was sleeping. As soon as I said something, my Mom's eyes flew open. She wasn't talking at this time but her eyes just bored into me. As the weeks continued on, I noticed my Mom reaching up or mumbling as she was reaching up. She was doing this more and more as time went on. The Hospice nurses said she was probably seeing someone from her past and they were there for her. My mom was just wasting away, not eating anything. We always told her it was okay, she could let go. I asked if the nursing home had a CD player we could use & they did. Mom liked hymns, so we had several CDs that we played softly in the background. We hope Mom found this soothing. Mom was getting Morphine a lot at the end because she was in a lot of pain. My husband & I had stayed with Mom on a Sunday afternoon. She was sleeping & would reach up ever so often. We went home and about an hour later my sister calls telling us Mom was asking for us. When we got there all of the family was in Mom's room. I couldn't believe Mom was sitting up, alert and talking to all of us. She hadn't done this in weeks! We all said what we wanted and listened to Mom. The next day she was laying quietly & she died later in the day. The thing I noticed was how Mom just wasted away. The cancer consumed her. I think it's important to get enough pain medication to keep you comfortable. I think some cancers are more painful than others. This was difficult sitting with Mom at times because I felt it was a death watch but I needed to be there for her. I hope I was able to help you somewhat. Just like the moderator said, it's different for each person. I think it makes a difference what your attitude is & if you have made peace. I too may need to deal with this in the future. I'm being treated for mucinous pancreatic cancer. It was caught early, but it's rare and only so many treatments are available. I look at my situation, it is what it is. I can't change it. I am living my life, doing things I have put off because I was working or didn't have time. So I'm making up for lost time. I hope you are able to enjoy the remainder of your life. Make sure to see your family & friends. I'm sure whatever you choose it will be the right thing for you, since it will be your choice. Take care.