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Syringe Drivers - Did it speed up my mum passing away??

Hi All

My mum sadly passed away 10 weeks ago, a week before Christmas due to cancer of unknown primary with small bowel mets. Mum was dignonsed a week before she passed and it is all extremely hard to accept and to get my head round.

Mum was under hospital admission when she passed, however the day she died, the staff administrated a morphine syringe driver into the thigh. A macmillian nurse later visited mum and the driver was changed to also include anti-sickness drugs as well as the pain releif and then within about 4-5 hours mum had passed away.

Does anyone know if these syringe drivers are only used when someone is extremely sick and in final stages and likewise do you think they quicken things up or was it only used to make mum more comfortable and as pain free as possible?

It's a question that keeps going around in my head and anyone's advice and help would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks

Nicola

Offline davek over 7 years ago in reply to MalcolmM

Dr Shipman has a lot to answer for, not least the fact that the control of opiates at the end of life is now far more tightly controlled.

I hope your Mum's pain is under control.
Best wishes
Dave
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Offline MalcolmM over 7 years ago in reply to davek

Hi Dave you are right about that but I think it is time Society moved on and understood that, if properly controlled, Euthansia can be a good thing. It's about ensuring that it is the dying person's wish and not anyone else's and about proper regulations. It works in ther countries so it can work here. If there are abuses then that is what there are laws for. My mother continues to linger. We have no idea if she is pain because she has been so distressed and she cannot communicate to tell us what is upsetting her. She is now on day 15 of her syringe driver which now has Morphine, Midazolam and Buscopan in and STILL she lingers. It is heartbreaking and emotionally draining. When she could speak she begged us to let her die. What more can we do? Every day my sister and I hope it will come to an end for her. No-one should have to go through this and no-one should have to watch it. A lot of people around me have said, and I agree, you couldn't treat an animal this way or you would be prosecuted for cruetly. Why is an animal's suffering more important than a human being's?
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Offline davek over 7 years ago in reply to MalcolmM

Heart-breaking I know. My own views on euthanasia were established at an early age when my Grandma suffered several strokes and had resulting major losses of her physical and mental functionality. That was almost 50 years ago, but my views are unchanged.
Hopefully one day our politicians will be better aligned to the public's views on the issue.
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Offline MalcolmM over 7 years ago in reply to davek

Hi Dave Yes, let's hope so. I am, at present, spending my time in my mum's room drafting a letter to my MP on that very subject and the failings mum has experienced in the NHS. I don't, regrettably, think it will change in my lifetime but who knows.
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Offline amira over 7 years ago in reply to michy1

Hello, Just came across on this post while searching for syringe driver. My husband is very weak right now as he had bowel cancer came back and spread to his liver since November 2016. He is at home under hospice care. I have been looking after him here at home and since last week he is in pain and very weak. The district nurse visit him and talking about to put a syringe driver? I had a feeling that it will make him comfortable toward passing? I don't know whether I let him have the driver? I have a lot of conversation with people about this driver and I'm not happy to have it? I don't know what is best? Sorry about your dad. Thanks Maria
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Offline davek over 7 years ago in reply to amira

Hi Maria,
Based on my experience within my own family (my Mum died peacefully at home) I want to have a syringe driver when I reach my own end of life with cancer.
The driver simply enables a controlled amount of pain killers to be administered without the need for countless injections which can be very distressing for both the patient and their family.
I recognise that not everyone has had such a positive experience of syringe drivers but where there have been problems these have almost certainly been down to inappropriate use of the drivers or issues with the drugs used..
I don't think the term "syringe drivers" helps. It gives the impression that the drugs are forced into the patient's body rather than injected in a similar way to a manual injection but without constant human intervention.
Best wishes
Dave
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Offline davek over 7 years ago in reply to davek

A few weeks ago I chanced across this interesting article from the Nursing Times which explains what syringe drivers are and the common misperception by families that these are associated with imminent death.
www.nursingtimes.net/download
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Offline amira over 7 years ago in reply to davek

Hi Dave Thank you for your reply and information. Right now my hubby is comfortable, he has pain patch and I have given him Oramorph. He only had one injection for nausea a week ago. I will have a think carefully if I let the nurse to put syringe driver on him. Thank you again. Kind regards Maria
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Offline Tessab301 over 7 years ago in reply to amira

Hello to the last few posts, Maria, davek, Amira and MalcolmM I hope this goes through as I haven't posted before. It's a year on Friday since I lost my dad to kidney failure due to prev cancer ops, unfortunately no Macmillan, no cancer help etc as it was his kidney ( but the cancer caused it) Me and mum (I'm only one) muddled through for a few months then the last 2 weeks of my dad's life was horrendous. 2 days before he died the gp sent ME for the prescription of syringe driver and morphine , I came across this site whilst I was thinking abiut it all. I think my father should have had this at home for a few days. He didn't, he was taken to palliative care on his last day and prob had it a few hours before he passed away. I have only just found the courage to write a letter to his go who are holding a meeting this week, I would say they work at the end for a more peaceful time Tessa
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Offline Lynne122x over 7 years ago in reply to isabella

Been following you’re story Isabella and very interested hope you get justice for your dad x sorry for your loss... making me wonder about my mum now too , as my mum went into hospice for respite and never came back out alive driver put in slept whole time for 4 days then gone x
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Syringe Drivers - Did it speed up my mum passing away??

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