question about morphine?

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Gina

Distinguished member
Joined
Nov 1, 2007
Messages
219
Reason
CALS
Diagnosis
04/2004
Country
CA
State
ONTARIO
City
CAMBRIDGE
Hi,my name is Gina my husband has als and is in what i think are the last stages.Today he is very weak.Last night when i tucked him into bed he said "this is getting so hard".A lttle over a year ago the lung specialist told us that he would probably be gone in a week to a month.He wears a bi-pap at night and uses his oxygen machine most of the day.I asked him this morning if he would like for me to call the doctor to see if she could provide anything further to make this easier for him.I know that he is suffering now and i have read that some people find morphine helpfull...I dont know however if that can be provided by our gp or if i need to phone the specialist or even if he may need to be in hospital for them to provide this.I cannot get a hold of my doctor today so i was wondering if anyone with any experience could help me out.....Gina
 
Hi Gina,

Did you try calling hospice. From what I understand they will come to your home
and do everything possible to make him comfortable. I am so sorry you have to go through this.
It must be very hard on you.
 
Hi Gina. Your GP should be able to prescribe morphine if it is needed.
AL.
 
Hi crystal,thanks for responding to my post so quickly,yes i hate this #@%$#@ cruel disease.It so hard to watch him suffer.He does not complain very much so when he does say something like he said to me last night i knew it was time to do something more if i could about it.We will be seeing our gp.tom. the nurse i spoke to told me that the doc.will not perscribe morphine without seeing him first.I hope that his medicare will cover it!............thanks again Gina
 
Hi AL,thanks for your quick response as well ....do you know if medicare will cover the cost for him?....Gina..also will morphine make him more tired.....we are seeing the doc. tomorrow ...i guess she will answer these questions but just wanted to hear from somebody how it worked for them.
 
Hi Gina. My brother in law was in Hospice for a week on morphine before passing away due to cancer last Sunday. He slept most of the time due to the morphine. When he was at home he was on a morphine patch that they changed every 3 days. It kept away most of the pain and allowed him to be up and around for a while most days and be lucid. How old is your husband? Depending on his age OHIP may pick up the tab or does he have any private benefits?
AL.
 
Hi AL,my husband is 60 and no ww do not have any private benefits....we have medicare provided by ccac.Thats why i wanted to know if anyone knew if it was covered by them...I remember one of your posts where you mentioned that you thought the cause of your als may have been related to your work as a firefighter.My husband operated a computerized burning machine for the last 20 yrs or so he used to tell me that the fumes at times were so bad i really think that the cause of his als may have been work related too...however try to prove that and anyway none of the doctors seem to think that ,that info. was relevent to anything!Gina
 
They kept my dad on morpine all the time once they got him in hospice. ( We felt to much). You want him comfortable but just don't let them over do it.
 
My Neuro thinks that a genetic predisposition plus an environmental toxin will eventually be found to be the cause of ALS. I was talking to a former hairdresser with ALS today. Lots of chemicals there too. I'm not too sure about CCAC drug programs. Best to call your Drug Store, Doc, or Case Manager.
AL.
 
Hi just wanted to update everybody on the visit to our gp today.I thank god and her everytime i see her that she is our gp.She is so wonderfull and such a compassionate person.My daughter and son in law showed up too to help me get Glen to the office and came in too with us.We discussed the different options with her and she explained that Glen was her first case of Als and she wanted to be sure that she was doing the best thing for him at this time.She wanted to consult with his lung specialist and discuss the best option for him.By 5 oclock she phoned me and by 7 oclock i had a script of Ativin.She explained that they had both decided on this because it is faster acting and felt for now it would be the best option.I just asked him how he is feeling and he said a little bit better so maybe this will do it.She also asked me to keep in closer contanct with her!Can you believe that !She said that we will see this through to the end and she would be the one to consult other doctors if needed on my behalf.!Thankyou all that have given me strength again to cross another bridge!......Gina
 
Hi Al , the hairdresser thing really got me to thinking.Wow i used to do hairdressing years ago.I know have dystonia also a neurological condition which i developed about 15 yrs ago....they also told me that they dont know what causes it and thier are no real treatments except botox which i was getting when my husband had benefits but now can not afford them anyway i think all the movie stars are using that stuff up to try to look younger..lol..Gina
 
Hi Gina- glad you found somebody willing to go the extra mile for you guys. She sounds really nice and willing to learn, given that your hubby will be her first. glad things are working out. Cindy
 
Hi Grace thanks so much for your input .When my husband and i went to the g.p. today i told her what you said and she said "exactly that is what im struggling with trying to find a balance so that he can be comfortable but still function and visit with his familly and grandchildren"....again this forum is so helpfull guiding people through different steps and helping with the decisions we all have to make from time to time....thanks again Gina
 
Gina,

I'm so sorry to hear about your husband but very glad that you and your g.p. were able to get him some comfort so quickly! She must be an excellent and very compassionate doctor - your very blessed. I'll keep you and your husband in my prayers.
 
Hi Don,thanks so much for your well wishes.Yes we are so blessed to have such a wonderfull g.p.She is so compassionate and every time i see her she just makes me feel like a weight has been lifted of my shoulders.Thier are sadly,very few like her around anymore!I only wish that you all could have someone just like her......Gina
 
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