One of our dear patients died last week from pancreatic cancer. Her husband of 40 years had gotten up on her bed and was lying next to her when she passed. One of their children came in the room and said, “I think she is gone.” The huband replied, “Yes. She died a little while ago.”…
Category Archives: Death
Don’t forget me
We had the privilege of taking care of a married couple, both of whom lived at home while on our hospice service. They were a beautiful couple, each with a very different disease process, and struggling through a very difficult time of life. Recently, the husband succumbed to his illness and died. The wife placed…
You die like you live.
You die like you live. I ran across this phrase on another hospice blog. Although it brings to mind Josey Wales saying, “Dying ain’t much of a livin, boy,” the phrase is likeable for its accuracy and usefulness. Let me explain. We find that at the end of life, “Type-A” people are on top of every detail, discussing and…
Obama- civil dialogue in end-of-life care
Though I disagree with Presisdent Obama on right-to-life issues, I am pleased that he is creating a national dialogue about how we make decisions at the end of life. I find myself agreeing more with someone I didn’t vote for and usually disagree with: we live in a great country. His proposal that we pay physicians…
DNR
There are several different kinds of end-of-life documents, but the most basic and easy to understand is the DNR. An appropriately executed DNR can prevent unnecessary and painful procedures from being performed on patients who don’t need them. DNR is an acronym for Do Not Rescusitate, which means, that if a person’s heart stops and they stop breathing, the medical…
One last goodbye
One of our patients who suffered from metastatic prostate cancer died this past week. Hospice services kept him relatively pain free, and he seemed to me to be a man of faith. His main complaint was the incredible swelling in his lower body. The cancer had blocked venous return, and not even palliative radiation was…
Dignity, it used to be a good word
Although we named our company Texas Hospice, during the name-choosing process, we considered using the word dignity. I like many of the meanings within that word, such as, humans have a value that is higher than other living things. And, some ideas naturally follow, such as, we all know that it is a good thing for a person…
“She squeezed my hand.”
One of our nurses had a wonderful experience today. Our nurse attended the last dying hours of a Texas Hospice patient who had been on our service for quite some time. Though the patient had become comatose, our nurse whispered in her ear, “I love you and I’ll see you in heaven.” The patient responded…
Preparing to Die
It is a relaxed Saturday, but I can’t stop thinking about our patient who will come off the ventilator and die on Monday. The family requested Texas Hospice to assist with the extubation, sedation and spiritual counseling. Before proceeding, I will meet with the family and patient, who apparently is cognizant and fully aware of what is…
What are agonal respirations?
One of the Texas Hospice nurses called me to report some unusual breathing patterns during a patient death. She said that the patient continued to breathe even after the heart ceased beating. The medical literature describes several kinds of abnormal breathing patterns: True agonal respirations occur immediately after a heart attack. The heart will flutter and cease pumping blood. …
