We haven\'t posted in quite awhile-Update on Bob

I am so sorry to hear this. My heart and My prayers go out to you. Please keep a good attitude and keep us in the loop. We are here for you. Lots of questions and lots of worries. If you don't like the answers you are getting...raise a fuss. Or Go somewhere else. Be aggressive.

Lorrie-

So sorry to hear your news. We are in a similar boat. When Mama started having the back pain in November, they started her on morphine. The constipation was SO BAD. Nothing seemd to work. She finally quit the morphine altogether. She has sine had some good months miraculously. Now it seems we have gone from bad to worse pretty quickly. Don't know what to expect. It helps to know we are not alone, but I'm so sorry Bob is in pain.

Lorrie,
So sorry to hear the news about "Your Bob"....reminds me so much of mine.

You all are in my prayers.
Clara

Lorrie,

I forgot to mention this...not sure if it would help or not but may be worth trying to see if it can ease the constipation issue Bob has...I take 1200 mg. of fish oil (omega-3) daily...sometimes twice a day and it seems to help keep the bowels working smooth and regularly. Melodie

Lorrie,

Thank you for updating us...have wondered how Bob was doing...he has been through so much...both of you have....what a fighter he is...will add you both back to my daily prayer list. I probably should keep all of us on the daily list as life is fragile and none of us knows when our name will be called. May the peace that only God can give, be yours. Hugs, Melodie

Lorrie, I think Morphine stops some peoples bowel activity I know Dick was so bothered by constipation that he stopped his morphine. I thought it was telling that he would choose to endure the pain rather than have morphine. They then put him on the fentanyl patches with Oxycodone for breakthrough pain which is less constipating but he did have to keep taking the Senokot and occasional doses of Lactulose. It is also important to drink lots of water.

Dick's pain levels were such that they were increasing the medication dose about every 3 weeks and toward the end more frequently. He did have palliative radiation treatment and they used the latest equipment that was able to target the metastasis to the bone. He did not have any burning but it did leave him extremely fatigued. It slowed down the pain progression for a little over 2 months. It was after the radiation treatment that he was given the medication for nausea and an anti-depressant which help him to regain his appetite. I believe the goal of radiation treatment at this point is for pain relieve only.

I hope by now the constipation issue is resolved.
Julie