My mother is on morphine drip, she has cancer?

Question

does this mean she doesnt have long left?

She has terminal cancer...in her colon, bones and liver. I live 5 hours from her, I found out shes on morphine drip...just wondering if that a bad sign. I called her and she talks to me but wont tell me how she is doing.

Answer 1

It means she is in alot of pain and they are trying to make her comfortable. It is hard to tell how long someone will live with cancer it could be days or years. Stay strong and never give up hope. I am so sorry, I lost my mom in '95. So I can understand what you are going through.

Answer 2

Unless she is recovering from a surgery, it's probably not a good thing. Her having Colin cancer, morphine drip would cause lots of constipation, so unless she has a nurse visiting her to remove the drip, I'm guessing It's there till the end, that will make it a nice painless, Could be way off, all I know is when I was with my dad as he died, they constantly gave him morphine. With all those ailments. If I was her frankly I would't mind a nice morphine drip myself, nice and peace full. I've been hospitalized many times and had morphine, good stuff.

Answer 3

Dear Jane

I am very sorry to read of your mother's condition.

For your information, I will not lie to you and I will set the medical fact's straight out to you in the hope that it will give you a little piece of mind.

The type of cancer which your mother is experiencing is very painful to her and even though the type of cancer which your mother as, is terminal, this does not mean that she is going to leave you just yet.

Morphine is an Analgesic Drug and the most strongest Drug which control's and relieves pain. Basically she is being given Morphine to make her pain free.

However; Morphine will do nothing more than kill her pain, it will not stop her cancer, or extend the length of her life.

Basically, what the Medical Personel are doing is that they are being kind to your mother by giving her the most strongest drug to kill her cancer pain, so that when her time does come for her to slip away and leave you, she will do so totally pain free and she will finally slip away as if she as just simply just gone to sleep.

I trust that this answer's your medical question.

Answer 4

This depends on the stage and severity of her cancer. Morphine is usually used to help with the pain and make her more comfortable. If your mom's cancer is terminal, then the morphine will make her remaining days more tolerable. If she has changes of surviving the cancer they are just trying to help her to get over the hump...
Hang in there.

Answer 5

I am really sorry for your mother and can well understand the pain she must be undergoing. Normally such high dosages are given to numb the cancer pains. I had the same on instances when the doctors felt I would not survive. They really pumped me with morphine as the pain was getting unbearable and once both heaven and hell did not want me they slowly weened me out of the say. I can say one thing however, its a great help when one is going through cancer and medical pain.
Once again, am really sorry to hear about your mum and I can well understand what you must be going through as well.

Answer 6

No one knows how long your mom may have to live. A lot depends on how much morphine she is taking, and how long she's been taking it. You need to convince her to be honest with you about her cancer.(She may be in denial if things aren't looking good.) If you have another family member close by her, get as much information from them. You also can try calling her doctor, but I'm not sure if he will talk to you......because of the "RULES".

My husband died last year of head and neck cancer. He was on morphine for 5 months....but they didn't say they were giving it to him for pain because he was dying because the tumor was growing......they said they were giving it to him for pain from an infection...which wasn't true.

There is a wealth of information on the internet....check out colon cancer....etc.

My best response to you would be to find out the type of cancer she has, and what stage of cancer she has, and even talk to your own doctor with what information you might have. I also suggest you talk to her doctor about hospice, or call them in your area. Hospice helps people who are dying, they also are very supportive to the family.

If your mother is dying, she needs to tell you, so the two of you can spend as much time together as possible. Because my husband's doctors didn't tell us the truth before he started chemo and radiation.......we were robbed from whatever little time (5) months we had. By the time they told us, my husband could no longer talk, because of the location of the cancer. He could not write. He was aware and awake all those months.....but our only communication was hand jestures and eye contact.

So don't waste anymore time.....go to your mom now......that's the most important thing. Even if she doesn't tell you.................she needs you......and you need to be with her.

With all that I've said.......remember, don't give up hope, but also continue to be realistic about what's happening. I know that may sound crazy....but it not.

Answer 7

Morphine is given for pain...as a nurse I have given morphine to people who were in a great deal of pain but weren't necessarily dying.

Answer 8

When I learned that my sis-in-law is on it, I told my wife to be ready and it's better for her sister to go peacefully without pain rather than suffer so much.Remember the movie (i think it's "True Grit"), wherein, John Wayne, is an old gunsligner dying with cancer and he's drinking whisky laced with morphine his doc gave to kill the pain.

Answer 9

You never know with cancer, I would go see her and stay with her until the end. It can be 1 day or 1 year we never know, my daughter lived with leukemia for 3/1/2 year before it took her life. She just had a fever then she was gone. I miss her and wish I was with her more, but I decided to watch her daughter so she would not worry about her, and she knew that. That' what she wanted me to do.

Answer 10

Go to her and see her in person, if you wait and something does happen you will think about the what ifs for the rest of your life. Being on constint meds is not a good sign. She is your mother, no matter what it takes, go to her and be with her, she wont tell you she needs you but deep down she is probably wishing you were with her. Go hold her hand and let her know how much you love her.