| Re: difficulty to breath
Hi, sorry to hear about your Grandmother's difficulties. My mum has had severe breathing problems for years, and was then diagnosed with lung cancer in Dec. 06. She has only a few months to live. Oxygen helps, but not enough. Recently I did some research on the internet and found lots of evidence that low doses of oral morphine can significantly help with breathing. I spoke to the Macmillan Nurse who agreed with me. Our family doctor was reluctant to try it because he was worried about side effects. However, the Macmillan Nurse educated him, that small doses are safe and effective in palliative care. Last week, after much pushing from me, the doctor finally agreed to give it a trial. Mum has started on only 2mg of oramorph per day, and after just one week she is already quite a bit better - breathing is easier and she is calmer and less panicky. She is even getting around the house a little bit and doing simple things like washing the dishes, which would have been impossible a couple of weeks ago. The dose she is taking is not even a therapeutic dose, so I am really looking forward to tomorrow when it will be slightly increased, to see how she responds. I feel it's so important to improve her quality of life for the few months she has left, so that we can enjoy each other. If you are interested in finding out more about this, I will post a link to the website I found most useful. The advice I would offer is this: Don't stop until you find a doctor who won't stop until your Grandmother is comfortable. Best wishes, A
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