My husband has nsclc stage 111B. I have seen comments on Hospice and my quesiton is who determines when Hospice is called? What is cost? Would appreciate any of you to share your experience regarding hospice.

God Bless us all.

gnik :confused:

Both my parents were under Hospice care. Their doctor assigned Hospice to them. Ask about it please because they were a Godsend to us. There was no cost in our area. Medicare paid for their treatment, drugs, etc. They are there for the family as much as the patient and enough cannot be said about all the help they give. God bless.

gnik, Hospice is usually for those who doctors determine have six months or less to live, the doctor writes the order, although many have been on Hospice care longer than six months. Hospice functions as a non-profit organization and accepts donations, but, as tuckygal says, there is no cost to the family. I know that where I live, we have a Hospice 'home' where individuals can live out the end, but in Oklahoma where we took care of my dad, all was at home with Hospice visits twice/week and daily phone calls. I highly recommend Hospice, as well, for all involved in the care of your husband - they provide moral, emotional, spiritual help in addition to physical care - be advised, however, that you and your husband should be at a point you determine that traditional medicine is either not working or you don't want to go that route - I don't believe your husband can continue chemo/radiation, etc. if you choose to involve Hospice - it's sort of a personal decision one makes when they accept they are terminal - it's tough, my dad fought it tooth and nail, but once they started coming, he couldn't live without them. Hospice provides you with all the pain meds you may need, they tell you what you can expect to experience, they provide you with things like oxygen tanks, walkers, porta-potties, wheelchairs - their goal is to be there for you and your husband in every way. Good luck to both of you....I'm thinking of you guys.

Thank you so much for information. I now have one less thing to be concerned about.

My husband's cancer is uncurable at least by conventional means and he has many other issuse such as emphysema and he lost a third of his right lung to Necrotizing Pseuomonas Pneumonia in 1995. He also developed an abscess in that lung. He now has a fungus ball, in the old abscess space, that is growing. No one would beleive me if they were to see him. He is thin 6ft and 138lbs but he looks very good and actually gained 2lbs. We ran errands today and he takes two or three naps most days. It is hard not knowing when the bad stuff is coming or what kind or bad stuff. We try to stay in today and we are on a lot of prayer list. Would appreciate anyone adding us (John and Linda) on your prayer list.

Thanks again for information.

May God Smile On All Of Us Today.

Hi Linda, I thought that was you...I remember talking to you when your hubby was first dx with the nsclc 3B. My hubby was too, and has emphysema. I have been working out of the house all week because of the chemo that they put him on last. It knocks him flat to the ground for a week afterwards. He has to go back today for IV fluids and nausea rx. Once he pulls out of that slump, he doesn't do too bad. Like your John, he takes frequent naps, but hates it because he feels like he's giving in. I'll keep you both in my prayers and thughts.

Take care of yourself too.

Jan

Hi.
Jan, do you know what the B stands for in Stage 3B? Does your husband cough a lot? When was your husband diagnosed? John was diagnosed on October 22, 2005 almost six months. He has the burn on his back and some on the chest from the radiation. By the way the Radiaction Oncolongist told me to use baby oil on it. It stops the itching and helps heal. He had a bad day yesterday. His blood pressure was 102 over 58. He was much better this morning. He is piled up in bed with our little baby dog laying at his feet. He is sound asleep. One thing I find strage is the fact that he has no pain. I have always heard the awful stories about cancer and pain. I your huband experiencing pain

Good to hear from you. I am taking care of myself so I can take care of him.

God Bless. linda

Hi... My father just interviewed with hospice last week. This is what we learned. Hospice is involved once diagnosed with at six months to live
- is not involved with any treatment, i.e. chemo, radiation (dad refuses to do)

Sounds like an organization that is there to assist by providing caretakers with information, with home visits (will come when called,first will give advice on phone and/or just come). Also has respite care for caregivers and definitely sounds helpful.

FAther who was adamant not to use it, after talking with them decided was the program for him.


My husband has nsclc stage 111B. I have seen comments on Hospice and my quesiton is who determines when Hospice is called? What is cost? Would appreciate any of you to share your experience regarding hospice.

God Bless us all.

gnik :confused:

gnik, my father recently died of stage 4 lung cancer. The Dr. was the one that made the final decision because he felt there was nothing more we could do to keep my father alive and he was in so much pain because the tumors had spread all over his body. He only spent 4 days there before passing. Unfortunately, I was not happy with the care he received at the hospice center. The family did not receive any comfort from the staff. I thought we were going to have a much more supportive experience. It's very important to check out the hospice center before hand. Although this center had a good reputation, it did not meet up to my standards. Good luck to you,Lilsal

Hi Gnik,

This is my first time posting, but I had to post when I saw your post regarding Hospice. I visit this board periodically, but like I said I never posted until now. I am 33 yrs old and lost my Mom this past August to NSCLC. She was diagnosed Stage 4 with brain mets. Upon diagnosis, they removed the solitary lession on her brain and gave her 6 mos-1 yr. She lived a year and a half longer. We were hesitant to call in Hospice for fear of the implications of Hospice coming in. Also, we were under the misconception that Hospice could only be called in if the patient was not undergoing any treatment. This is not the case. Hospice will come in if the patient is undergoing treatment as long as the treatment is palliative (supportive) and not curative. Palliative treatment includes certain types of Chemo and radiation, most treatments of Stage 3B and Stage 4 Lung Cancers fall under this category. Hospice has had cases where patients were undergoing palliative treatment, which caused remission and the patient was then released from Hospice's care. Calling in Hospice is not giving up on the fight--Hopsice offers support to help in the fight. My Mom fell down the steps in our house (under my care--which has left me with a lot of guilt), which put her in the hospital for two weeks. It left her weak and frail. We decided it was time to call in hospice when she was released from the hospital. We were told by several doctors that she had only a few months to live. Hospice "admitted" her the following day upon arriving home. The hospice nurse took my Dad and I aside after filling out the paper work and told us she had days. She died a week later. If it was not for hospice I would have gone on a scheduled trip to see my husband, which would have left me with even more guilt for the rest of my life. Hospice came in daily for the week that she was under their care. Nurses, Nurses Aides, and a Social Worker. They were so very supportive and caring. I don't know what we would have done without them. I wish I was not under the misconception that Hospice could only be called in when all else fails. I moved in with my parents to care for my mom who was left wheel chair bound after her brain surgery. My husband and I had a long distance relationship for an entire year and a half. Many times I was left defeated and exhausted, but I would only change one thing--calling hospice in sooner--they were a true God-sent. I hope this post helps. God Bless to all who are battling this disease and to those caring for loved ones too. You are all in my prayers!! :angel:

Hello. I just wanted to add my 2 cents about hospice. They were wonderful. They gave us anything we needed, from pain meds, shower bench, wheelchair, you name it, they were there and they were fast. When we needed the doctor or nurse, they were a phone call away. They never said no. Because of them, my Dad was able to rest as comfortably as possible where he wanted to be at the end, home.