When hospice is elected, the patient is choosing comfort care over curative treatment. The side effects of chemotherapy (vomiting, nausea, etc.) are rarely seen as comfortable. There are instances, however, when a valid medical decision might include one or more chemotherapy treatments for relief of pain or symptom management. Discuss the situation with the hospice nurse as soon as possible.
Thanks for the explanation, CWillie. I had forgotten about the pills. Both Mom and my sister had them, and a cousin has had the chemo cream that's applied to the skin. That was perhaps the worse.
GA, I think we are all more familiar with the IV type chemo treatments that cause terrible side effects, but my brother had chemo treatments in pill form that while not pleasant did not cause hair loss or excessive nausea. As with everything, we all need to be really informed of the pros and cons before making decisions.
I would ask this question of the hospice, including whether or not chemo is considered a better pain reliever than morphine. All of the personal and research knowledge I have on chemo suggests to me that it doesn't offer relief - it causes exhaustion, appetite loss, pain, and more unpleasant effects.
I watched my sister and another relative endure several rounds of chemo; there was absolutely nothing about these treatments that relieved their pain, and in fact had the opposite effect and caused them agony.
One issue that was raised during my sister's last days was that in her condition she simply wasn't strong enough to handle the side effects of chemo. That might be a major consideration.
It is my understanding that chemo and radiation are used in terminal cancers not so much to extend life (although that may be a consequence) , but to offer a better quality of life for the time remaining. Maintaining QOL is what hospice is supposed to be about.
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You're right about informed decisions though.
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As with everything, we all need to be really informed of the pros and cons before making decisions.
I watched my sister and another relative endure several rounds of chemo; there was absolutely nothing about these treatments that relieved their pain, and in fact had the opposite effect and caused them agony.
One issue that was raised during my sister's last days was that in her condition she simply wasn't strong enough to handle the side effects of chemo. That might be a major consideration.