What can a family member/caretaker expect to encounter in caring for an end stage lung/adrenal cancer patient?

Answer 1

You need hospice to help you through this time.
The patient will need a lot of pain medication more than likely, and they can give it without having to ask a doctor every time.
Patients with end stage cancer, can develop dementia with brain mets, bone pain from mets. organ failure, etc...
They may not be able to eat, and you may have to make a decision about a feeding tube.
The patient may lose control of bladder and bowel. They may end up not being themselves, or they may be fine until the day they die, every one is different.
My suggestion is if there are young ones, let them see the patient now while they are still ok.. you don't want their last memories of them.... altered.

Answer 2

I honestly feel that the caregivers/family should respect the patients last wishes. Most people who know that they are at the end of their journey would prefer to spend the last days in their own bed rather then in a hospital bed in which they have spent so many agonising days and nights. I can give you my own example ( though I am still alive ) - there was an event where the doctors did not give me more then a few hours to live and as I came out of the sami coma that I was in, I saw my wife, kids, brothers and all the rest looking at me as grim as ever. On asking why the long faces- it was my mother who told me that the doctors had said that this time around there was no chance of my surviving the night- so then I asked my mum and wife to take me home as I was not keen on passing away on the hospital bed. If I had to die - I wanted to do so in comfort.

Answer 3

The end stages of cancer are different for each person who has it. A person with end stage cance may exhibit any number of increasingly prgressive symptoms including, increased shortness of breath, higher levels of pain, extreme fatigue, loss of apetite, listlessness, confusion, and even boughts of depression, weight loss and maybe even the loss of the ability to swallow and drink fluids. These are just some possible things that could happen. To find out more look for a cancer support group in your area. They can give you more information than I possibly can. I wish you the best.

Answer 4

The person will get weaker and weaker. Most likely will get very confused. Have difficulty breathing and need to be on oxygen 24/7. Lots of pain. Won't eat much.
Sorry, I know that this is not a pretty picture :(
I strongly suggest to get the person signed up for hospice. They will keep him/her comfortable during the last days.

Answer 5

Hospice has the best booklet on the dying process. It helped me a lot when my mom was dying of cancer. God Bless You.

Answer 6

I would suggest that you conact a local hospice. And have your loved one cared for at home and they are an excellant resource and relief for the family

Answer 7

i would suggest a hospice center. it is peaceful and even though they don't give the patient any medicine for their condition, they do give the patient pain killers because depending what they have, their illness can be very painful

Answer 8

Normally, it's going to be painful since you're going to basically see your loved one suffocate. The only thing you can do is try and make them comfortable.

Talk to hospice since they may be able to help with your burden.

Answer 9

So if the hospice gives the pain meds, then the person is non functional from so much, then the person can't drink. So then that is why the person dies, correct?

Answer 10

nothing but becareful while you take care of her.