(August, 2002)
Jim: Jim Boyer, oncologist, friend.
Maggie: Maggie Callanan, retired hospice nurse, friend.
Metastatic colon cancer with metastases to the peritoneum and bowel wall. Large/small intestine (abdominal area). No damage to liver, lung, or brain as far as we can tell.
Fluorouracil, Camptosar, Oxaliplatin, Herceptin, Lorazepam, Xanax.
We can't do everything we want to. But we can manage her pain better (Jim).
We feel this is changing so quickly we are not sure we are able to keep up with it.
Hospice: home health, assistance with medication, communication with doctors, paperwork, help with bathing, etc. An option.
When?
Quality of life!!
Depression/anxiety: other meds that might work better/help? Comfort issues.
Pain control. Nausea/Nutrition.
Chemo: can/should she receive? Tolerate it?
Hospice: it's time. How?
How to approach Mom with this info? Present hospice as proactive, positive measure (Jim).
Question: Am I dying? Answer: Things are not looking too good today. But we are doing everything we can to manage the pain, etc. (Maggie).
If she pushes the issue: deal with this hour, each hour. Being at home is optimal b/c of anxiety. We are making sure you are comfortable.
Be where she is. If she drifts, stay with her (Maggie).
She is in transition: slowly will start focusing on herself. Backward down Maslow's pyramid, like an infant. She is in spiritual labor: rebirth (Maggie).
Let her exist as peacefully as possible!
YOU ARE READING
Please Talk about Me When I'm Gone
Non-FictionQuestion: How do you get over it? Answer: You don't. You don't want to. It makes you who you are. Sean Murphy lost his mother days after her fifty-ninth birthday, following a five-year battle with cancer. In this eloquent memoir, he explores his f...
