Asked and Answered

Drowsiness or sleepiness is a common, temporary side effect of an increased dosage of morphine or other opioids. It usually takes two or three days to go away, but it can take longer. Occasionally it’s necessary to try other opioid medications to find the one that has fewest side effects for that person. The overall fatigue that people feel... 

To ensure that a pain scale is serving its intended purpose, it helps to understand how it works. A pain scale is used to help assess severity of pain. Only the person experiencing pain can know exactly what it feels like, but describing it with words or numbers helps other people, particularly health care providers, at least understand something... 

Pain often affects someone’s sleep quality, amount of sleep, and ability to fall asleep. If pain is treated then sleep usually improves. If the pain is treated and sleep is still a problem, there may be other options. A variety of medications may help. An anti-anxiety medication, which has sedative effects, can promote calm, so someone can... 

Almost all pain is controllable at all stages of an illness and at the end of life. It’s important to treat pain whenever it’s felt. There are many medications and options available. Dosages of some medications may be increased, or the medications may be changed. Several pain medications do not have an upper limit, so they can be increased... 

It’s normal to be concerned about what’s happening and not to know what to say. It may help to come at this problem from a different angle. Sometimes it’s good to look at what’s behind a symptom. Your mother may find some meaning in putting up with pain without regular medication. She may want to try to overcome the pain on her own, and this... 

When a cancer has spread to a bone, it causes the structure of the bone to break down or to become abnormal. This also can cause swelling in the area. During these processes, the body sends a signal to the brain that there’s something wrong with that part of the body, which produces the sensation of pain. The pain of a bone metastasis is usually... 

Your current situation must seem overwhelming. So it’s natural to want to take control. In hospice, you can have a lot of control over your own health care. Before you enter hospice, it’s a good idea to meet with your health care team. They are the doctors and nurses who will provide your care. Review how you are feeling now and what might...