Yeah, and last night he was passing out with medicated applesauce still in his mouth and I called the the hospice nurse, who thought he might be beginning to shut down. Either that or he was just exhausted. Guess it was the latter.
Postherpetic neuralgia is the problem. It can be hard to control and really debilitating, and so can the treatments for it (low-dose morphine causing constipation, gabapentin causing sleepiness). The doctor says if you don’t hit this pain hard, it can become permanent — like a habit of the nerves — and it’s not mild. If he zones out to escape the pain and can’t swallow to be hydrated and medicated, he’ll go downhill. So that’s the challenge.
Ambiance
Charlie Martin said,
October 8, 2010 at 2:34 pm
He looks significantly better, actually.
PatHMV said,
October 8, 2010 at 2:49 pm
Wow! Looking so much better.
amba12 said,
October 8, 2010 at 2:49 pm
Yeah, and last night he was passing out with medicated applesauce still in his mouth and I called the the hospice nurse, who thought he might be beginning to shut down. Either that or he was just exhausted. Guess it was the latter.
amba12 said,
October 8, 2010 at 2:57 pm
Postherpetic neuralgia is the problem. It can be hard to control and really debilitating, and so can the treatments for it (low-dose morphine causing constipation, gabapentin causing sleepiness). The doctor says if you don’t hit this pain hard, it can become permanent — like a habit of the nerves — and it’s not mild. If he zones out to escape the pain and can’t swallow to be hydrated and medicated, he’ll go downhill. So that’s the challenge.
Maxwell James said,
October 8, 2010 at 3:21 pm
Oy.