Using Morphine vs Not Using Morphine in Hospice 

So sorry for your loss. My husband died two weeks ago young57 .battle of cancer15months I kept watching these videos to help me.🙏. ❤we had hospice at home they r amazing

So sorry for your loss. From a retired hospice nurse.

Hey everyone who has cancer or knows someone with cancer please go over and listen to Dr. Thomas Seyfried. He has video's on RU-vid. He explains what cancer needs to survive and how to block those things so the cancer is starved. Listen it is important to start doing these things before you get all the nasty chemo and radiation and the other crappy cancer treatments that don't work for most people . But even if you have done the chemo etc. you can still try to do this treatment. It won't hurt you and in fact this treatment is healing to the body and the healthy cells. God Bless.

I'm so sorry for both of your losses. ❤

I am so sorry for your loss. I wish I could say something to alleviate your pain, but I know that nothing I say will do that. I am trying to remember my life with my husband and those memories are my treasure. I hope you can fine some comfort.@@tammyr3255

Good for you!!! I was lucky my 89 year old mother simply passed away in her sleep without any pain. She had dementia and we had to put her in a facility and the night she died they found her in her bed with the biggest smile on her face!! It was the kind of smile when you see something totally amazing!!! It gave me great comfort knowing about this smile.

@@michaelknapp8961 , that is so amazing Michael! My Mom had a smile on her face after her last breath. It was as though she was so relieved. I got on my knees and thanked God for taking her. To see her that way was unbearable . I gave her meds, meds, meds. She suffered so much. You are very lucky that your Mom passed that way. Im sure the dementia was very hard to deal with. What’s important is that you were there.

😂😂😂😂😂- You can have it!! I promise! I just mean- NOT everyone needs morphine

@@hospicenursejulie 😂😂😂

Yup me too, put me out and let's get ur done

​@@annettemastenchickenloveI'm doing it myself😊

I want morphine. Make sure I am not in pain.

Remember, lots of people on earth believe in other mythologies instead of Christianity, including those who belong to cults.

Yes my Dad passed 19th September 2022 at home , hospice Angel nurses came every morning, the last 2days my dad had been given morphine to help with death rattle or pain he may have had , my brother's sister and I was taking turns to sit with dad so he would never belone my brother and sister came at 12am to take over during that time my dad woke up and was fighting my brother and sister to get out of bed he had be in deep sleep for over a week , and then again he woke up when I was there with him the straight he had wow I told him lovely that he needed to stop fighting me and rest he looked so confused then at 2:30am that morning he passed, my heart still hurts so much Reading all your stories does help me ty

How long did your mom have dreaded dementia disease before she passed

My mother is 85 and has dementia. But she is far from dying. Still gets up, dresses, eats (some), does a little makeup, and goes out with me on errands, etc. The hallucinations are interesting, from seeing children running around the house to kids sitting in the trees in our backyard, and a brown tarp in the neighbor's backyard is a wild buffalo carcass. Can be amusing at times. I often wonder how long it might be before this phase comes. I hope not for many more years.

I'll remember that. Thanks much.

Yes. I’m a 68 year old retired teacher and I’m afraid many of us will die in pain when the time comes because of all the laws now related to the use of powerful drugs and because of all the emphasis of dying “naturally”.

@@kellyyork3898 Exactly. These laws on prescription pain medications ONLY punish the people who truly need it, like me, and many others. The junkies will still get their pain pills on the streets, and many will die because they will be false Opioids, and wind up being Fentanyl. I do not have sympathy for those who do that, or use pain pills just to get high. We are the ones that suffer. I have severe chronic pain in my neck, spine, lower back, and both shoulders from a major car accident in 1996. No amount of physical therapy helps. I'm also on blood thinners because I have A-Fib, so I can't take Ibuprofen, Naproxen, or Aspirin. Only acetaminophen, (Tylenol), which doesn't do a thing. As of last Jan 1, 2023, I was receiving 112 Hydrocodone pills every 28 days from Kaiser. 4 per day. Then, my doctor called and informed me that because of people dying of Fentanyl overdoses, Kaiser would begin tapering my usage 6 pills a month. (106, 100, 94, etc) As of today, I don't even get 2 pills a day, and am miserable. I literally spend half my life in bed, sleeping the days away, on purpose, to escape my pain. And, guess what? Kaiser isn't through tapering me!! Their goal is to get me off of Norco, completely, and have only Tylenol to take for horrific, chronic pain. I'm 50 years old, so I guess I have the rest of my life to look forward to being in utter pain and misery, just so Kaiser can be politically correct, and brag that they are reducing prescriptions of Opioids, in yet another government induced, false crisis. The mission to cut opioid use, by the crooked, lying, federal government, will only make the so-called "opioid crisis" a hundred times worse, as honest people, who have relied on these medications to function for years, will ultimately turn to the black market to get their medication. Naturally, they will eventually run into Fentanyl laced pills and wind up dying. But hey, at least Kaiser, and the crooks at the FDA and CDC, and politicians, can brag that opioid use is down, and to hell with all the people that are suffering needlessly, when there is medication that can help them live less painful lives, and have better quality of life. It is absolutely disgusting, what they are doing. I can only wonder what the next government induced crisis will be?? As for me, if I ever get terminal, shoot me full of Morphine, and let the Opioid Nazis lose their tiny little minds over it.

Hi Julie my mother is 90 and has just started hospice, she has morbid osteoporosis and and very labored breathing😢 today we were advised to give morphine to help with her labored breathing, I'm concerned that using morphine could expedite her passing . Am I wrong in thinking this? Thank you your information helps make a bad situation a little easier.

This is a little troubling to hear. It seems like there is such a resistance to pain medication due to the current drug epidemic. I feel providers are going way overboard on the anti-narcotic, anti-medicine campaign. I really love watching Nurse Julie but I very much disagree with this.

@@greyghost1962, You are a trained palliative care provider? It's always good to hear differing views from professionals.

My mom was in a hospice facility & had a bedsore that you could put your fist in & could see her spine. Thank God she was given Morphine!! It really is a case by case decision, but I'm all for it at the end of life.

@@carolbullard7956 Absolutely. I am sorry to hear that your Mom developed such a pressure injury. Pressure care is often neglected, but sometimes even with the best of care these wounds can happen. There is nothing wrong with prescribing morphine when it is required and unfortunately the stigma attached to opiates and opiods can result in it not being prescribed, or opposed by next of kin, when it is appropriate. That said, as Nurse Julie explains, the process of actively dying certainly isn’t an indication for morphine (or midazolam for that matter) in and of itself.

@@greyghost1962 you are absolutely correct

Yes same here did I do enough?

I'm so sorry to hear this- there are several medications we can use for pain if morphine isn't effective - but we also could increase morphine

This is terrifying! How do I make sure that whoever is taking care of me in the end is giving me ALL the pain meds? I'm dying and don't care if I die a little earlier because of an overdose...that actually sounds pretty sweet. What I'm terrified of is dying in pain!

It’s not,the whole answer. My late daughterneeded another drug, I cannot recall its name.

@@moose2154I'm going to discuss it with my doctor and put it in writing beforehand...Give me what I need to pass peacefully, painlessly, and without fear or anxiety. God bless you.

You're the best!

Thank you 💕

I'm so sorry

Wow.. the patient's wishes should absolutely be respected on this! 😮

Wow!!! Thank you so much!!

@@hospicenursejulie My favourite nurse when I had a cholecystectomy looked like you; soft, blonde hair, soft makeup with pretty pink lipstick and she wore a pink sweater over her scrubs. I would light up when she came on shift! And I was in excruciating pain during the first three days of recovery. This was 1986, right before the small incision with the laser became available where I am. The nurse who helped me then was an older woman. She was a bigger gal, no makeup and she gave me beautiful mother vibes. Glory to Nurses. I love you all. Pretty or plain, big or small, nurses rock!

Sounds like he was waiting in you.

@@ninaappelt9001😢

My Condolences to you

He could have wanted to see you one last time, hear you say I love you, go when you are ready. He just needed it from you.

And she died 5 hours ago. The hospice nurse said something I never thought about. This was the same nurse that took care of my dad last year when he passed and I asked let us know when u think my mom will pass as we weren’t there for my dad’s passing. She explained that some people like to have privacy when they die and she’s seen many people die the second the family leaves, so don’t beat yourself up. I want to thank Sydney for that.

Would you have preferred them to longer to die??? If so, why? When my mother was dying, it was agony to watch ... something that I definitely would not want to prolong, and would have willingly hastened if the law had permitted.

Yes, please. I would rather be overdosed than experience any potential pain.

Do you think that morphine hastened their deaths? I can assure you that this doesn't happen. If that were the case, we wouldn't be giving it to people for postoperative pain, or any pain really now, would we? I have chronic pain and after emergency back surgery the doctors at the hospital changed my meds from morphine to methadone. Methadone is an opioid rather than an opiate like morphine and my body just doesn't react with it, and I think it could be because methadone is artificial. Anyway, my point is that your parents didn't pass any sooner than they would have without morphine and they were saved from unnecessary pain in their final days on Earth. For this you can be grateful and you can put your mind at ease. They did not suffer, which is a great deal more than I can say about the countless people who die every day. They slipped away in a warm bed, in comfort with no pain, and had been well cared for in their last moments. Compare this with the people who die in accidents, or war, or by murder, or in tragedy, by suicide. Think of how much pain and fear those people endured. I know the pain of losing Mom and Dad. I was 16. I know that you're hurting. I so much wish that I could take away the pain and suffering of every creature here, but I can't. I don't believe it's possible to achieve this in this realm. It is for God. And I think we have to move onto the next existence to continue to grow into that which we are. I don't want to get into philosophy here, I'm only saying that death hurts the living left behind, by the absence of the ones who were so very much loved. For those who have died, it sounds like they go through the most fantastic experience, if the stories of the people who have been in near death experiences are correct. I believe they are. I truly believe that I will see my parents and my pets again. I believe that they all like it when I talk to them. This is my choice; we each have our own. My hope for you is that you follow your heart, listen to your whole self, and free yourself from any bad emotions (anger, fear, guilt, etc.), that you might be saddled with because they don't serve you. They're natural, but there comes a time when their purpose becomes invalid and that time is short. These emotions are meant to be immediate and then tossed aside. For a lesson or to prompt action, then disposed. Not to be held any longer. Be kind to yourself and come to peace with the knowledge that this is how it is now, that this happened, it's passed, it is in the past now and nothing can change it. You've gone through it and you survived it. Wondering if your Mom and Dad were overdosed (they weren't), is not going to change the fact that they have moved up, just as we will one day. My wish for you is that you will find peace of mind, my sister. May this, and may freedom be yours!!! ps: I said God and I don't want to be offensive to any other beliefs, so use whatever higher power you have for what I call God, be it "the universe" or something else. 💞

I feel the same. Lovely answer you toke time for. Bi hug and best wishes xxx

@@klaverfour8999 Me? Was this for me? If so, thank you for reading it all! You know, when I say it, it sounds so brief but once it's written it looks soooo loooong!! So assuming that your writing to me, thank you so much for your kind words and lovely wishes. A great big hug goes out to you too and I wish you peace and love and comfort when you need it. Be Well and thank you again for getting through my dissertation there!! You are Golden!!!

Thank you 💕💕💕

watch every one of her great videos and save the book money.

I think your grandmother knew you were there, heard your voice, felt your hand, and was comforted by your love and your presence. She was very lucky to have you by her side 💕

I'm not a nurse, but my mom passed away in a hospice facility. There are 7 of us kids. We were there daily & I truly believe she knew we were there & could hear us. I tried really hard to step out of the room when I had to break down crying. Unfortunately, I had a sister who felt that she had to sleep in my mom's room every night. My brother stepped in & told her to go home & shower then come back. While my sister was gone, my mom passed away. I feel she didn't want anyone to see her pass away.

​@@infopubs Thank you for saying that. It's a huge comfort to know she probably knew I was there with her. ❤

​@@carolbullard7956 My grandma also passed away when everyone else was doing their own thing! We were all with her, but we were talking about my grandpa and not really paying attention to her, and at that moment she decided to go to sleep. 🥺❣️

I'm very sorry that happened ❤

Thank you! 💕💕💕✨✨✨

Ativan is a benzodiazepine used for anxiety. If you were in the hospital with a pneumothorax it was to calm you and make you more comfortable. It has nothing to do with the lung itself. Watch out though. Addiction to benzos happens quickly and is a horrible withdrawl so get off of it unless your Doc thinks you should be taking it.