Expert: Ronald Levy, M.D. - 8/18/2008

Question
My grandmother was recently diagnosed with brain cancer (within the last month) and has since then been in a convalescent hospital, but is now in the hospital, completely incoherent. She was given a morphine drip yesterday morning to slow her breathing, as I understand, until she passes. My family and I are trying to cope with this sudden change and loss, but the doctors have not given us any sort of timeline. Tonight, her dosage was increased to 9 cc's per hour. How can we tell how long she will have to endure this before she passes? Any help is welcome, thank you.

Answer
There is no way to tell. They are not actively trying to shorten her time but rather making sure that she is comfortable and pain-free. Unfortunately there is no way to tell how long until she passes.

Ronald Levy, MD
Associate Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMB-Galveston