Ladyintheglen Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 Hello all, Sorry to bother you again but...I'm having a problem with Jake's pain. We have increased the morphine (long acting and short acting). He is comfortable as long as he is in the recliner or bed. If he walks 10-15 steps his pain level goes up to a 7 or 8. How do I help him through this? I don't want to have him so drugged that he can't stay awake at all but I don't want him in pain either. I made a promise at the beginning of this and I feel like I'm letting him down. It's very obvious that the cancer is aggressively advancing. I feel we don't have much more time. The chemo doesn't seem to be working this time. I need to take care of this pain. Does anyone have any experience or advice? Thank you and God Bless all of us, Cheryl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ry Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 The hospice should be able to take care of his pain. Call them today to change or add to his pain meds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linus32 Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 Cheryl, The hospice program that my mother is in is available 24 hours a day. They encourage us to call at any time if we need to. I would try to call them and ask if you can do anything for the pain right now. I will bet they will have you increace something and then they will probably pay you both a visit later on in the day. I was told to call at 3 in the morning if I had to! Best of luck, Linus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunny Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 I agree, hospice or other medical practitioners are the ones to turn to for this. I am so sorry his pain is bad. we're with you. xoxo amie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dchurchi Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 Cheryl, I am sorry you are going through this sounds as if hospice is the way to go. I hope they can relieve Jakes pain. call them so you can get some help and some sleep. I am thinking about you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Wood Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 My heart breaks for you two. I agree with the Hospice approach. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carleen Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 I'm so sorry Jake is going through so much pain. I understand what you mean about wanting pain control without making him sleep 24 hours a day. Especially at such a rough time, when you are uncertain how much more time you have together, you would like those hours to be spent together alert and sharing love, memories and conversation. I agree that hospice should be able to help. As my husband's pain increased, his pain management doctor kept increasing the dosages. Finally Keith said enough, and the doctor instead switched him to a different pain med. It appears that the longer you take any medication your body builds tolerances to it and it becomes less effective for managing the pain. Keith switched from Oxycodone to Methadone and now takes a whole lot less to manage the same pain. Ask hospice if there is another pain medication out there in the same level of effectiveness as morphine that could be tried. (((CHERYL)))) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Treebywater Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 When you speak with hospice, make it clear that you and he both want for him to be as alert as possible. And then it may be a matter of playing with dosages. Is he having bone pain? I think I read that sometimes an approach other than morphine needs to be taken with that. Otherwise see if you hospice can help you find that magic level with the morphine where his pain is controlled, and he is alert. thinking of you all the time. Val Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hopeandstrength Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 I'm so sorry that he is having that pain. I think everyone is right. Hospice should be able to help. Hugs, Cathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ma's kid Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 Agree that a call to Hospice is a good idea...so sorry this is happening. Hugs, Libby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollyanne Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 Cheryl - Hospice just gave my mom a morphine pump... it is night and day from the patches, suckers and pills. She is completely awake andsaid this morning -- "this is the first time I have been comfortable in months." I feel for you -- as we made the same promise to my mom that we would not allow pain...or allow her to suffer. I feel like we are delivering on that promise now. As always, you are in my thoughts. Holly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.C. Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 Sorry for all the pain your husband have. The hospice is the best place to ask for help and like Holly suggested, maybe a pump for the morphine would be even better than pills and patches. Hugs Jackie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ladyintheglen Posted December 30, 2005 Author Share Posted December 30, 2005 Thank you for all of your replies. There seems to be a problem with us getting full hospice care because Jake is receiving chemo. Apparently you can't receive treatment and hospice at the same time. They have offered us counseling (unofficially). The chemo is to try to reduce the pain but it is not working. We have increased Jake's pain meds 6 times this month alone. The Dr.'s have told me how much extra to give him to knock down severe breakthrough pain. Thank God for that. I had to switch my pharmacy. The pharmacists that didn't know me at my regular place were starting to look at me funny with all of these increases. As if I or Jake were taking the meds for kicks and half the time they didn't have what we needed. They'd say, "We can get this in in 5 days. Will that be ok?" UMMMM....NO it won't be ok. Then I thought...Let me beat your bones with an iron pipe and you go for 5 days without pain meds...Would that be OK? Maybe pain free is not going to happen right now. He is relatively pain free as long as he is in the recliner or bed. (and takes the pain meds on schedule) If he walks 10-15 steps he is in major pain. Once he sits back down it subsides most of the time. Thank you for all your prayers. We love all of you. Cheryl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamasbabygirl Posted December 30, 2005 Share Posted December 30, 2005 Dontcha just love that-if only we could take pain meds to take away our pain! Unfortunately it is different for us caregivers... My mom is in pain too and she just has to deal with it I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ry Posted December 30, 2005 Share Posted December 30, 2005 Are you saying the chemo is only for pain relief? If so, I think you need to talk with the doc and have him make it clear to the hospice so you are eligible. Maybe it is not clear to them its to make him comfortable and he is not undergoing treatment. Somewhere in the back of my mind I remember someone else doing this and being accepted by hospice...so please give it another try. You both need the help to resolve the pain issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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