Hi Patty,
I am/was Judy's best friend and we have/had know each other for 50 years. She told me she had been taking part in the Lung Cancer chats and had been emailing someone she had met on the message boards.
Judy had been having severe pain for a few months because one of her lung tumors was pressing on a spinal nerve. She had agreed to a last (#3) round of chemo, but stopped when her oncologist suggested Tomograph radiation to that one tumor to try to alleviate some pain. She was to have 15 treatments, then was going to continue her radiation. She had six of the radiation treatments at the end of Nov. and was actually able to reduce some of the high doses of morphine.
On Friday, Dec. 1, she awoke with trouble breathing. Her neighbor called 911 and then called me. Judy was admitted to the hospital through the ER and, for the first time, she admitted she could no longer be alone and actually wanted to stay in the hospital.
On Monday, her oncologist said he wanted her to complete her radiation, but didn't think she would be able to complete the chemo. On Wed., she had gotten so weak that the oncologist said she was not ale to even continue her radiation.
Due to the fact of her daughter living out of town, Judy was moved to St. Mary's Residential Hospice on Friday, Dec. 7. It became impossible to control her pain and anxiousness with oral meds, so she was put on a morphine pump on Mon., Dec 10. The combination of morphine, Atavan and Halidol made her have periods of paranoia. She blamed her daughter for abandoning her and asked all of us to get her out of there. This was totally unlike Judy who adored her daughter and kept a sense of humor throughout this two year journey. However, there were other times when she was cognizant and understood her impending death and why she had to be at the Hospice.
The last "conversation" I had with her was on Monday, Dec. 17. Every day after that, she was non responsive. At this point,I was told that she was getting 100 MG of morphine per hour via the pump.
Judy was creamated and her Celebration of Life service was yesterday. I miss her so much I can hardly bare it.
Thanks to all of you for being there for her.
