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Brain cancer: thoughts of suicide when enrolled in hospice.
My sister-in-law has a stage 4 glioma and after 22 months has decided to go on hospice due to being weaker and poor quality of life. She has fought bravely with family support. She needs help due to mobility issues, is in a wheelchair and struggles to get in and out of bed daily. She was mentioning thoughts of suicide and hospice physician suggested being evaluated as an in-patient. I know she is angry and upset to need such care as she always was the caregiver. Has anyone experienced this in a family member?
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Not something I am aware of personally but I can certainly believe some patients would feel this way and? I am a retired RN and I don’t think people should have to go through a painful dying process if they don’t want to. They should have options.
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1 Reaction@wisco50 My brother chose hospice and die with the drugs to combat the pain of starving to death. don't like to think about it but at the same time he didn't have a lot of options because his cancer was back and a hold of his main artery to the brain and came back with a vengeance after failed radiation and chemo. Nuff said we kept him medicated where he didn't feel no pain and je checked out that way.
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1 Reaction@lshark454, it sounds like these thoughts are distressing for both your sister-in-law and your family. There could be many different things happening with your family member. As you mention, she has always been the caregiver. It's hard to accept needing care and the reversal of roles. The cancer and facing end of life are also big changes to deal with. There may be hospice team members who can help her and your family through this journey.
Is she receiving hospice care at home? Has she spoken with a oncology or palliative social worker?
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1 Reaction@colleenyoung Thanks for your comment! Yes, Kathy is on Hospice, and so far the Hospice Services have been very good. We are taking this journey with Kathy and some days are harder than others. We move one moment at a time and are grateful for every memory we have.