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[quote=ctmaryb;17467589]Moderator cut: quote has been substantially altered
Please don't feel attacked here. Your situation truly is rare! There was definitely a mix up in the paperwork, a bizarre screwup. Truly, as a nurse, I'm telling you, it can be so difficult to get patients into the hospice program! Here in WA state, you need to get a doctor to COMMIT to a terminal diagnosis, the hospice organization must evaluate all records, interview the family and patient (if possible) and the must be deemed suitable for hospice care. It's not as if people don't believe your story, it's just that it is so unusual. Also, it appears as if your father is a Stage IV prostate CA patient? It is wonderful that he is responding to his treatments and is doing so very well. I don't think I'm alone when I say, "CONGRATULATIONS!" Truly, yours is a miracle story. Although it is possible to survive for years, with his diagnosis, it is not common. You are blessed.....your father is blessed. I am so very glad you still have him and that his "quality of life" has so greatly improved. Thanks for sharing your story. You see, there IS hope, for some whose family members share your father's diagnosis. If for nothing else, thank you for the hope you bring to others through this post!
Last edited by SouthernBelleInUtah; 03-01-2011 at 12:46 PM..
Hospice care is primarily for patients with terminal illnesses, but hospices do accept patients who are otherwise ill. My father was in home hospice last year and was recently re-admitted. He does not have a terminal illness but is dying slowly from the stroke he suffered 11 years ago.
Based on my observation, hospice care is primarily about providing comfort, not resolving medical problems. That's the issue we have with home hospice: They offer comfort when a cure may be readily available and preferable.
Another issue we have with home hospice is medical emergencies. Technically, terminal hospice patients do not call 911. In my father's case, we would have to terminate home hospice care prior to contacting 911. Otherwise ER will not do anything but provide comfort. So we have the termination papers in order and ready for hospice signature just in case...
One final note, if the patient is not terminal and not progressing towards death, hospice care services will be terminated by the hospice provider per federal law.
Your story looks similar to what my Mom went thru.. My God..they didn't even want to give her lasix..she was on oxygen and it would have been about 4.00 a month..Our family insisted on her getting this! But then they put her on morphine.. she was in no pain..She had to go to the hospital because she was having difficulty breathing..after being on morphine for 2 days.. I rode in the ambulance and the attendent asked me why she was on morphine.. was she in pain??I said no.. she said you don't put people on morphine with breathing difficulty unless they are in extreme pain..My mother died the next day.. Didn't even know use with all the morphine they were giving her...I feel so bad.. I loved her so much.. Hospice helped kill her...I hope they are happy..it is a terrible thing to play God with people's lives!
In Ct the state law you need a letter from the patient's physician. Stating the patient is terminal with a diagnois of 6 months or less. In my father's case my father's physician was not told he was there. It's amazing that a Moderator cut: not allowed Doctor can sign a terminal letter when they don't know the patient. Clearly my father was not terminal. I have never seen a Moderator cut: not allowed patient driving a car and walking in. The doctor should be arrested. He put my father in a very bad situation. The hospice staff was telling my family we were in denial. Sure the Moderator cut: not allowed nurses were looking in the chart and it said my father was terminal. Wow, it sounds even crazier when I'm writing it.
What it all comes down to is I'm not happy with the Internal Investigation. When Moderator cut: not allowed asked me what I want to see happen. I told them I never want another family to go through what we did.
I think Moderator cut: not allowed should send my letter to every hospice and explain what happened. How they going to change their admission policy.
Moderator cut: not allowed nurses need to listen to the patients and their families. My god they put these patients in Moderator cut: not allowed and then won't listen to them. My father's summary notes say patient wants to go home. What did Moderator cut: not allowed do? Did they listen to him? NO. They would give him more and more medication. They had him on a Morphine pump at 2-3 mg per hour and he could get break throughs every 15 minutes. It makes me sick every time I think about it.
Moderator cut: not allowed has crossed the line with this one. How many patient's do you know that could drive them selfs back to Moderator cut: not allowed after 4 months. When Moderator cut: not allowed said my father was terminal and would die that week in May 2010. When the ambulance was coming to pick my father up to take him to the Hospital. Moderator cut: not allowed was still telling us we were making a mistake and in denial. I'm sure the last thing that they wanted was this story to be told.
It's one of those moments I'll never forget. I hope it's a moment they also will not forget.
Last edited by SouthernBelleInUtah; 03-01-2011 at 12:47 PM..
Moderator cut: cannot name facility . It was created specifically to provide pain relief and comfort for terminally ill patients who came in to die. It is NOT a treatment center, they do NOT provide diagnoses. Hospice is where people go to die.
There are also "home hospice" workers who provide pain management for terminally ill patients at home. They are not doctors, or diagnostitians. It is assumed the patient is at home because that is where he wishes to die. Not where he wishes to recover.
There is also "hospice care" which encompasses the category of "end of life comfort care" including nursing, pain management, massage, oxygen and feeding tubes, catheters, etc. etc.
There are hospice facilities in some hospitals, and there are some free-standing facilities that are affiliated with hospitals, which provide hospice care.
However, only Moderator cut: not allowed to identify
Last edited by SouthernBelleInUtah; 03-01-2011 at 12:48 PM..
Your story looks similar to what my Mom went thru.. My God..they didn't even want to give her lasix..she was on oxygen and it would have been about 4.00 a month..Our family insisted on her getting this! But then they put her on morphine.. she was in no pain..She had to go to the hospital because she was having difficulty breathing..after being on morphine for 2 days.. I rode in the ambulance and the attendent asked me why she was on morphine.. was she in pain??I said no.. she said you don't put people on morphine with breathing difficulty unless they are in extreme pain..My mother died the next day.. Didn't even know use with all the morphine they were giving her...I feel so bad.. I loved her so much.. Hospice helped kill her...I hope they are happy..it is a terrible thing to play God with people's lives!
My father experienced the same situation last November. He was breathing really hard and was clearly aware that something wasn't right. The hospice nurse arrived and advised us to administer morphine. Before leaving, she said this will probably be the last Thanksgiving we would have together and to make the best of it.
My mother was pretty distraught. I told her the nurse's opinion was based on anecdotal evidence and that testing would have to be done before a call like that could be made.
I gave my father Smart Water (electrolytes), Robitussin DM and Xopenex and the congestion cleared up sufficiently to allow him to breath normally again. I also had to raise the angle of the bed. But neither Lasix nor any other diuretic was prescribed as a treatment to flush the body of excess fluid.
I couldn't read all that either, my question is why did you not take him out of there? NO ONE goes onto hospice for a couple days of pain treatment. The day they admitted him I would have gone in person to his Oncologist, and not gone away until I had him call the Hospice and have him released. This is what happens when people put 100% of their care onto the Dr's and don't take an active role. I have all kinds of problems, I'm on Disability and have been battling the Gov. for two years, when I should have been on Medicare. I can only go to one clinic and since my Dr of 5 yrs left I have been shuffled between 6 Drs in the past 2 yrs. How can they know me and what I really need. But part of this is to blame on the side of whoever owns the clinic, they have to see X number of patients a day. They all kinds of rigid rules. Anyway my point is I have to be aware that someone doesn't frakk up. It's down right tiresome, but in the end it is my health at risk.
Last edited by Masika; 01-19-2011 at 08:37 AM..
Reason: Sounded a little harsh
<snip>3. Hospice signed my fathers paper as terminal otherwise I believe you can not be paid by Medicare. <snip>
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) needs to hear about this. They have the authority make an unannounced visit to the hospice agency to review your father's records. They will probably review several other records while they are there, to ensure that there is no pattern of wrongdoing.
Thank you for the information on Medicare. I think i'll send them a letter. I don't think Medicare should pay a dime of the bill. There was NO reason for my father to go to Moderator cut: not allowed or the rehab place. I consider this is a case of fraud. This claim should be investigated by the government. The only reason my father was at the Hospital was because of what Moderator cut: not allowed did to him. Since my father was put in there by mistake Moderator cut: not allowed should pay ALL of the bills.
Believe meModerator cut: not allowed knows what a huge mistake they made. I don't know how there going to explain it to Medicare and the Health Department. My father's is making a video for Face Book. He wants to prevent another family from being traumatized by Moderator cut: not allowed as we were. I'll keep everyone up to date on the video.
Thank you to everyone for their support and their own stories. I'm sorry to hear about all the families who feel Moderator cut: not allowed pushed up the death of their loved ones by Morphine. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Mary
Last edited by SouthernBelleInUtah; 03-01-2011 at 12:50 PM..
Anyone who is terminal and is in terrible pain should be allowed as much pain medication as they want. If they have stopped treatment and just wanted comfort care. This was not the case with my father.
He was still in active Chemo treatment. Like I said he drove to Moderator cut: not allowed the day of the admission and walked in. He was only there for pain management NEVER end of life care.
My father had Prostate cancer that went into his lower back. The doctor said the medication is working he has had 2 pet scan to keep on top of it. As the radiologist told us right before the Moderator cut: not allowed admission it would take care of the pain and it has. He now takes NO PAIN MEDICATION.
A friend of my husbands just lost his dad to prostate cancer. Same story, went into his back; but other organs as well. I think he said his dad was fighting about 3 years.
If you are going to write letters; let someone else read it before you send it so that you know the letter is easy to understand. You have to make it as detailed as possible but easy to understand. When I write letters like that, I take my own advice because it's good to have other opinions when you need to make the letter count.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ctmaryb
I find it amazing that people say it's difficult to get in Moderator cut: not allowed .
I know of a woman with brain cancer that has been bedridden for a while; her hub has been trying to get her admitted to a hospice facility but keeps getting the run around.
Last edited by SouthernBelleInUtah; 03-01-2011 at 12:50 PM..
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