Hi everyone, my mum has been battling cancer for around 8 years now, started as bowel cancer and more recently moved to her spine and lungs. Chemo and radiotherapy now have no affect on the cancer cells so she has had slowly declining health fir a few months now. The last week she got very very swollen legs, we think as a side effect of her steroids intake being raised. She was taken into a hospice a few days ago at first as a short term measure as she lives alone. She seems to be in less pain now but her painkillers have been upped, so she is drifting in and out of sleep all day now, talking strangely etc.
What I'm wondering is what happens now? Will the hospice try and lower her painkillers so she can be more alert or leave her as she is? If she's released from the hospice surely they can't release her to a home where she lives alone? I'm not sure if she is in fact dying now or if its the meds they've put her on that have made it seem like she's declined so sharply. Due to covid visits are hard to come by, 1 visit a day so I have to wait until tomorrow until I can go and see her and speak to her doctors. Just a bit lost with it all and probably rambling to be honest but any experiences people have had or knowledge would be appreciated. Before she got sick I didn't even know what a hospice was for so it's a steep learning curve. Thanks
