Day By Day

[job]

Tad,
I can only share w/you that my father was like that for several weeks before he passed. He was angry and snap at everyone and he wanted to be independent and do things his way.

Have you spoken to her doctor about this? It might be a reaction to the morphine or some of her other meds.

[tadpole1025]

Thanks Job and Wonka.

I'm actually calling her Hospice nurse tomorrow to talk about it. The Morphine makes sense, but she has been on it for months but only acting this way for a few weeks and it is gradually getting worse.

Thank you both for posting.

Job, thanks for responding to my question on another thread about Jack. I know you couldn't give many details, but it is good to know that he is ok. I miss that guy.

Wonka, I've read some of your posts here on the board and really enjoy reading some of the things you write. Thanks for taking time out of your day to post.

Off to do more research...

Tad

[Wonka]

Thanks Job and Wonka.

The Morphine makes sense, but she has been on it for months but only acting this way for a few weeks and it is gradually getting worse.

I want to add more information in respond to the above comment. My dad was on morphine patch for several months and I administered liquid morphine from a syringe without needle as needed periodically when the pain got to be too much for him. During that time, my dad was fine and was rational. It was not until he was moved to Hospice house about two weeks before he passed on that the medical staff put him on morphine drip which was when crazy stuff starting to come out of his mouth.

It all depends on how much morphine your mother is on and other factors such as other medications she's on.

[tadpole1025]

Thanks Wonka.

Mom is on the Morphine patch and has been for months. This behavior of hers has just started in the last few weeks.

Meeting with a hospice nurse today.....

Ug..

Tad

[Andabelle]

Could your mom be having dementia issues on top of her illness? Could explain the unreasonableness and anger.

[tadpole1025]

Thx Andabelle.

Yes, dementia was mentioned by the nurse a few weeks ago. There is also the possibility that the cancer has gone to her brain. The only way to know for sure is for her to get a brain scan. Mom will not agree to a scan because she says that she is "healed."

I told her that we should go to the doctor to see if she was "healed" and she says no because "I'm afraid of what he'll tell me."

It is also been suggested that we sedate her, but she won't accept that either.

See....not sure if I mentioned this earlier, but mom is a pharmacist and knows everything there is to know about drugs and needs to know everything about every medication that she is receiving. If we tell her that we are giving her something for sedation, she will refuse it. I don't want to lie to her either.

The hospice nurse is trying to convince her to go into a hospice facility, but she refuses that too.

Very very difficult.

Life svcks right now.

Tad

[job]

Tad,
When do you notice her personality changing the most? Is it afternoon? The reason that I am asking is that my father had sundowners Syndrome the last few months of his life.

[tadpole1025]

Not really. It is pretty much an all day thing.

She had a bad day today. Lots of vomiting and now she is saying that "It won't be long."

Hard to tell from one day to the next.

Tad

[job]

Tad,
I'm very sorry to hear that your mother had a bad day. I would take what she said about it not being long seriously. I have found it very interesting how people who are in the last stages of life can sense when their time is near. My father advised my mother 7 days prior to his death that he was dying.

I am keeping you and your family in my thoughts and prayers.

[tadpole1025]

I've heard that too. She said it once in August, twice in September and yesterday. Who knows?

I'm spending the weekend with her because my sister in law needs to go to San Diego for business.

Wish me luck....hopefully, she isn't too cranky.

Tad