Any ideas, suggestions for what might help with symptoms of lung cancer? How did it end for your loved one?

Thank you everyone. I a learning that morphine is not only for pain. I guess morphine it is. This is very painful to watch but I keep praying to God that she has doesn't endure much, if any, pain, no suffering, and that this illness progresses peacefully. We shall see.

Hospice uses morphine for several reasons, because it is one of the oldest drugs we have and a great deal is known about how to use it for end of life comfort. For a cough, it interferes with that cough reflex that doesn't respond to cough syrup, humidifiers, nebulizers, etc.
As a person on hospice care becomes more fatigued (as disease progresses, the body's ability to try to compensate becomes exhausted and the body conserves energy for core functions.) the person will sleep more, eat and drink. less, may show non verbal signs of discomfort, etc. Often an infection or dehydration is the actual cause of death in an exhausted body...and hospice knows how to keep the focus on comfort all along the way. Trust the team to answer your questions and help you and your mom.
Hospice team can't predict what will happen at the end...though they have general ideas, every death is different.

Your doctors are the best guides in the probabilities and it sounds you have discussed the matter with them. I don't know any members of forum offhand you helped their parent through stage IV lung cancer, but I would bet there are some and hope they will see you post.
As an RN I think you already know what to expect. You say that your Mom has refused treatment for her cancer, so it seems she DOES know what is going on and I hope knows what hospice is. I would be as honest with her as she wishes to be. Patients often talk to their nurses because they feel their families don't want to hear it. And they themselves don't want false reassurances. At the end they are usually ready for honest OR in denial. Your Mom will guide you where she is at and you should honor that.
Morphine is the best relief for the cough and there are medications to lessen secretions. As your hospice nurse about those if needed. Generally things "usually" pass to more and more weakness and sleep, then a comatose condition. Don't withhold medications.
Your Mother's decision would be mine, as a Nurse. I am so sorry, and I so admire what you are doing for her in her last time. My heart and best wishes go out to you.

As you know, lung cancer is lethal. Her decision to decline treatment was very logical. Survival with anticancer treatment at the age of 88 is practically 0. With a complete waste of time, effort and resources. My brother had lung cancer at he age of 75, he underwent anti-cancer treatment but he did die anyway after a miserable few months life. He had almost no normal lung tissue left, it was all burned out with radiation. He died from respiratory arrest. Lung cancer kills quickly, no chance for a God-sent heart attack. You're doing the proper things. There is no more you can do.

Absolutely use the morphine to help with the cough. At the EOL for my FIL, he coughed endlessly, horrible, deep, wet coughing that went on and on. Only morphine eased his discomfort. If you can help with the symptoms, and keep your LO comfortable as possible, then they can relax and let nature take its course.

Your physical care of him sounds very thoughtful and good. Bless you on this difficult journey.

If the cough is distressing your mother and depriving her of sleep, I should use the morphine as prescribed - it's the most effective way to control the cough, and to improve her quality of respiration too. Don't be afraid of it: if you are worried, ask the hospice nurse or your mother's doctor to explain its effects at different doses.

Bless you walking this very hard road. I have a dear relative who just experienced lung cancer with her spouse, very aggressive lung cancer in a man who’d never smoked. He had preexisting A-fib that made the cancer so much harder to cope with, his end came much sooner than anyone predicted. The morphine was an absolute gift in keeping him comfortable, don’t hesitate to use it. My dad died of CHF, also did a lot of coughing and I used more with him with hospice help, it was a huge help. Relax and know this will end exactly when it’s supposed to very naturally and your striving to make it better is largely to make you feel better. That sounds cold as I type it, but having lived it with two parents, I really found dying to be such a solo journey. Once you make them as comfortable as possible, there’s not more to do, the details become for you. I wish you both peace in this