Hi Mar,
I would find out about hospice programs in your area so that you have the help you need. They are also trained at assessing and managing symptoms and will interact with the medical team on your behalf as his condition changes. Pain management seems to be the biggest issue and there's a wide range of medications that are very effective.

For what it's worth I think this is a good decision for the cirucmstances. Jack's mother died from leukemia last August and spent her last 3 months suffering thru treatments that were never going to work. We tried to talk her out of it to no avail. She didn't get to do the things she wanted because she was sick from side effects or at the hospital for treatments. In the end she died from a complication and was not prepared.

Hospice allows you to deal with this as a family in the surroundings of your own home. There are important discussions to have, including how much you love each other. We will all be facing this situation for ourselves or loved ones at some point and I wish you both well.

Regards JoAnne


JoAnne - Caregiver to husband, cancer rt. tonsil, mets to soft palate, BOT, 7 lymph nodes - T3N2BM0, stage 4. Robotic assisted surgery, radical neck dissection 2/06; 30 IMTX treatments and 4 cycles of cisplatin completed June 06.