My dad is 57 years old and is coming to the end of his last stage of his life. He has been receiving “aggressive” treatment for the last 2 years, but especially the last 6-12 months. His hospitalizations are getting much more frequent and we are about to make the transition to comfort/hospice care. He’s weak, disappearing mentally, his body is so full of fluid he looks pregnant and huge. But without that excess buildup in his body he would be skin and bones.
He was very full of hope the last few months but upon his most recent hospitalization last week that has changed. He’s ready to be comfortable. I want him to be comfortable. It’s just myself and my two younger siblings (we are all between 18-22) so I want him to feel in control of his life and his decisions. So it’s almost a relief to know that he wants to make these calls for himself and….I know there is no cure for this disease.
For the people who have experienced this awful disease….What was it like once you decided to focus on comfort? I love my Dad more than anything in the world. I do not want him to be miserable. But, rather selfishly, I am so scared to watch him die. Is it long and agonizing? I know that there can be an increase in pain and comfort because it’s basically all of his organs just slowly stopping to work. I know Hospice can give pain meds if he opted for that but I guess I’m asking more spiritually/emotionally how to deal with death in this way.
His stomach started swelling from the ascites. He would have to go in to have the fluid removed. He began having hospitalizations more frequently. He was due for a liver transplant, but a biopsy showed cancer in April of 2016. He lived for seven months after being diagnosed. He passed at the age of 59 years old.
He was given palliative care the last three days of his life.