Cirrhosis Support Group

Hi, All - I can't help thinking that this"palliative care " is more for me than for DH. He went to see kidney doc today and he agrees with gastro and liver doc " Live your life as well as you can and as well as you want to . He asked about his 'bucket list' ( that sure makes this all sound fun doesn't it ?) He said " Have a steak and fries- enjoy !" DH is 70 and has really faced up to the fact - He keeps giving me instructions "for when I'm gone ". He is just done with all of this, I suppose.

I hate being too self-absorbed - but I break down and cry alot . I will miss him terribly. Today all of his kidney # were actually 'good" creatine was down to 1.6 !! Ammonia level was at 83 - but he still seems able to function fairly well at this number . Hard to believe.

The nurse and SW from Holy Redeemer come tomorrow for the first time. Hopefully they will help Me. He is giving me a very hard time about leaving all day on March 4th for my DIL's baby shower,2 1/2 hrs away- when I finally got upset with him , he said "I'm only kidding - you are so easy to tease !" Huh ???Of course, this is the day that something will probably happen, right?

Over the last decade, I have tried to read various things about hospice, and it seems very, very true that emotional care of the caregiver is just as integral to the hospice concept as medical and emotional care for the patient. So, yes, I do hope the nurse can at the very least point you in the direction of some help for *you.*

Hospice/palliative care is wonderful. We use it here at the hospital for inpatient care. It does relieve the family of some of the burden and that is their intent. Respite care is another area great for the families.

We talk about hospice and palliative care in the caregivers section on [url=www.mysickliver.weebly.com/caregivers-families-- friends.html[/url]. It really is for both the patient and the caregiver, but I really believe that the caregiver, needing to be able to take care of themselves so that they can help their loved one, benefits the most.