Hello karenkat,

                        steroids do have that instant effect and can help get over short term issues.You are right in saying they do mask symptoms,not cure them ,but can prolong life short term by reducing stress and additional problems arising from that.Long term use of steroids can create health issues in itself,but for end of life care this is not a problem.

                                                                                    Make the most of the good days you have left and l hope you are fortunate to have a gentle finish,

                                                                                                  David 

hello 

when my dad was a couple aways from leaving us they kept putting him on steroids but this only made him feel better for a short time and so we got a little bit of dad back for a while but they only work for a short period they might do what they did with my dad give him them for a week or so then off them then back on them :( 

its a very sad time your going through and you are not alone 

Sorry to hear you are going through this sad time. My dad passed away from advanced prostate cancer last Christmas. We only found out how advanced it was in mid october so he lived for 10 weeks after the diagnosis but was put on Dexamethosone straight away and for the first few weeks he was fantastic. We even took a family weekend away. It was incredible the lift they gave him but by the end of November he was losing energy and sleeping a lot. He also lost his appetite completely. We could see he was slipping each day. 

The last week was hard but the hospice nurses called daily and their support was fantastic and he died peacefully at home with us by his side.

I wish you, your family and of course your dad all the best at this time.