I was surprised that there was only one subject on Morphine and that was misuse by the nurse. Has anyone had to use this drug for their LO? My dh is probably in the last stages (little eating/drinking; no muscle/fat). Our nurse wanted me to have the drug on hand in case fluid goes into the lungs to relieve the pain. My dh can't take Ativan as it has the side effect of insomnia and agitation. My dh takes very little meds and very small doses. Anyone else using this morphine?
Yes, I used it for my dh. Hospice dr. had it sent to the house so it would be here if needed. It really frightened me to use it the first time when he became very upset. He also was having a problem with drinking and eating. I called Hospice and they told me to use it and when it didn't get him under control they sent a nurse out and the nurse was here for hours trying to get him calmed down. After that I wasn't afraid to use it and was glad I had it. At the time he was off all the meds and not expected to live but maybe a few weeks.
This is something I've wondered about often. One day in the nh the Hospice nurse and i were looking at Dh"s records. It said that he was allergic to morphine and I commented that he was not. At this point, he was in a wheelchair and talking constantly (although nothing made sense). Anyway, they started giving him morphine right away. AND, right away he became bedridden, never spoke another word and passed away five days later. I have wondered if the morphine hurried things along.
You will never know. However most of us face the end in different ways. Personally, I loved my dh from the bottom of my heart and the condition he was in broke my heart daily. I felt very comfortable with doing what ever was available to make him comfortable. We had discussed how we wanted to be cared for at the end of our life if death vs just being in bed, not being able to talk, having diapers on, etc. etc. would we want these things to continue just to know we were alive and not truely living. We both agreed...NOOOO we wanted to be comfortable and avoid pain...but, that was it.
No way did morphine have any thing to do with his death. He was on a very rapid down hill slide and it just made him comfortable for the last several weeks. Of course everyone is different on how they react to different drugs. I hope you don't blame yourself in anyway. I look at death in the final stages of AD as a blessing for all.
No, I don't blame myself. He was definitely going down hill. Had been on Hospice for almost a year. Food had to be pureed due to aspirating. Just seemed like a coincidence.
Thank you both for your comments. I feel better about it. I don't want my dh to be in pain. He is so very thin and eating so little that each movement is an effort. I may never have to use the morphine, but if I need it, it is here. The nurse said that the dose is very minimal and I should know within 15 minutes if it is helping. The nurse today talked to me about doses and I feel more comfortable. During our discussion, I found out that Tylenol comes in a suppository form! Great guns! So glad to know that and the nurse ordered it for me. Sometimes I can't get dh to open his mouth and so the suppository will eliminate that issue. We are also going to try something that is supposed to help with what appears to be acid reflux during the night. Hope that works too.