My mum was on a syringe driver for the last few days before she died, however she was at home not in a hospice.  I have to say that I was very grateful that she was on it, however she had been in horrific pain prior to it being fitted, to seeing her like that was even worse.  Yes, she was very sleepy, but at least she was no longer in pain.  I kept talking to her as I wasnt sure how much she could hear.

I hope that you can gain some peace that your dad is not in pain or distressed.  There is no easy way to get through this, it is so hard watching our loved ones suffer.

I wish you strength to get through this dreadful time.

Annie

No sorry your reply was exactly what I was looking for peoples experiences with their loved ones on syringe drivers at the end of life. My dad’s been unconscious all day today and I believe it’s because they upped his meds on the driver this morning as he had still some pain. It’s been horrid to watch him lying unconscious all day breathing weird very distressing time. I’m so sorry you had to go through similar with your mum. I appreciate your messsge 

Hello Misty, and thank you for posting.

I am so sorry to hear about Dad and his deteriorating condition.

It is so hard to watch someone slowly die, and I understand that you feel this is partly to do with the medicines in the syringe driver.

Doctors and nurses are not allowed to give these medicines unless the patient has symptoms that need help, and a patient's comfort is always the priority.

If Dad still has had pain sometimes, despite the driver, it is a sign to his care team that he needs more in the next 24 hours than what he has been given before. This is why they have added a higher dose to the syringe. The hospice team monitors the patient's symptoms, reviews what has been needed, and then changes the drug doses on the prescription chart. Unfortunately, as a side effect of helping this pain, and as your Dad's cancer progresses (particularly if his liver is involved) he will become more drowsy.

This page on our website may have answers to some other questions you have at this time. I would also encourage you to talk with the nurses at the hospice so that you understand Dads care plan.

Grieving for someone who is dying, before they have gone, is normal. I have linked to CRUSE, the UK bereavement charity, that may be helpful for you.

Take care of yourself Misty. If you want to talk to the nurses on the helpline the number is freephone 0808 800 4040, the lines are open mon-fri, 9-5.

Sarah.