I realize this thread is quite old, but I find myself facing the exact same situation as the original poster.
My grandfather is battling end-stage prostate cancer. Last spring, he underwent surgery, and things actually looked promising for a while—he gained some weight and seemed to be managing during his follow-up appointments. However, since the summer, things have taken a turn for the worse; he’s dealing with numbness in his limbs and extremely poor blood counts, requiring monthly red blood cell transfusions
. Over the last two weeks, his condition has spiraled. He can no longer walk, spends his entire day sleeping or lying down, and refuses food—especially meat. He's incredibly weak, and as of tonight, he's lost control of his bladder or is unable to urinate at all. I couldn't quite catch what my grandmother said, but I think she ended up buying him adult diapers.
If anyone here has dealt with this specific stage of the disease, could you tell me how much longer this period of suffering typically lasts? His health declines with every passing day, and I know we don't have much time left; I just don't want him to continue in pain. Is there anything at all we can do to make him more comfortable? What can we do to ease his transition?
The doctors at the Mayo Clinic told my grandmother that further hospital visits are essentially pointless now... the only thing left is to continue the red blood cell transfusions.
Thank you all for any insight or advice you can offer.
My grandfather is battling end-stage prostate cancer. Last spring, he underwent surgery, and things actually looked promising for a while—he gained some weight and seemed to be managing during his follow-up appointments. However, since the summer, things have taken a turn for the worse; he’s dealing with numbness in his limbs and extremely poor blood counts, requiring monthly red blood cell transfusions
. Over the last two weeks, his condition has spiraled. He can no longer walk, spends his entire day sleeping or lying down, and refuses food—especially meat. He's incredibly weak, and as of tonight, he's lost control of his bladder or is unable to urinate at all. I couldn't quite catch what my grandmother said, but I think she ended up buying him adult diapers.
If anyone here has dealt with this specific stage of the disease, could you tell me how much longer this period of suffering typically lasts? His health declines with every passing day, and I know we don't have much time left; I just don't want him to continue in pain. Is there anything at all we can do to make him more comfortable? What can we do to ease his transition?
The doctors at the Mayo Clinic told my grandmother that further hospital visits are essentially pointless now... the only thing left is to continue the red blood cell transfusions.
Thank you all for any insight or advice you can offer.
