MSI Press Blog

  There will be times when someone is at your side. Other times, someone will be on call. Yet others, you will be alone. That is what I learned about hospice care from the short time Carl had access to it when he was dying from cancer. I have written about hospice care before. Good hospice is a wonderful source of support. Unfortunately, not all hospice care is good. What should you expect? And what should you require? Medicines on time, a bed and everything else needed set up before the patient arrived -- it took days to get those from the first hospice. What should you expect? You should expect compassion, competence, and coordination. Hospice care is not just about easing pain—it’s about preserving dignity. A good hospice team communicates clearly, responds promptly, and anticipates needs before they become crises. You should expect timely medication delivery, proper equipment setup, and a care plan that reflects the patient’s wishes. If these aren’t happening, speak up. You ar...

  Barrbara Karnes, expert par excellence on hospice care has posted a wonderful vlog on how to choose the best hospice. I wish I had had access to this kind of information when we were choosing a hospice for Carl. He had a very difficult experience that we surely could have avoided. You can access Barbara's post HERE . For more hospice posts, click HERE . For other Cancer Diary posts, click  HERE . Blog editor's note: As a memorial to Carl, and simply because it is truly needed, MSI Press is now hosting a web page,  Carl's Cancer Compendium , as a one-stop starting point for all things cancer, to make it easier for those with cancer to find answers to questions that can otherwise take hours to track down on the Internet and/or from professionals. The CCC is expanded and updated weekly. As part of this effort, each week, on Monday, this blog will carry an informative, cancer-related story -- and be open to guest posts:  Cancer Diary .   Sign up for the MSI Press ...

  Not everyone wins their battle with cancer. As painful as that is to say—and even harder to write—it's true. For those of us walking this road alongside someone with cancer, we carry hope, strength, and belief for as long as we possibly can. But sometimes, the ending isn't triumphant. Sometimes, it's simply… the end. That was the case with Carl . Carl had Cancer of Unknown Primary ( CUP ), one of the most elusive and aggressive forms of cancer. With no known origin, it hides in plain sight and resists targeted treatment. Fewer than 15% of patients with CUP survive beyond one year, a statistic that, while low, has improved considerably since Carl fought his battle. When Carl knew the miserable odds, he believed he would be one of the rare exceptions. He expected to win. That expectation, though inspiring in the early days, slowly became a barrier. As his body declined rapidly over five short months, the signs were all there: treatment wasn’t working, strength was fading, ...

  ​This post follows up on an earlier Cancer Diary post on whether or not to choose hospice help , when and where. Choosing between in-home hospice care and care in a facility is a deeply personal decision that depends on various factors, including the patient's medical needs, the capabilities of caregivers, and the resources available.  It also may depend upon the relationship between the patient and caregiver, whether it is a spouse or an offspring who is providing the care.  While many patients express a desire to spend their final days at home, it's essential to understand both the benefits and the challenges associated with each option. ​ brighthh.com Carl so adamantly wanted to be at home and so hated the two short visits he had made to a care facility that I agreed to take on the caregiving, but it left a lot of emotional scars and question marks about whether we had thought things through adequately. The answer of course, is no. The question had to be answered alm...