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Life Support Issues/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| End of live stages in Lymphoma | 1/13/2012 | Betsy Murphy |
| Q: My mother was recent diagnosis with Stage 4 of non Hodgkin lymphoma. She has decline to take any ... A: Judy, You are correct, the situation can be confusing. There are different cell types which affects ... | ||
| End of live stages in Lymphoma | 1/13/2012 | Betsy Murphy |
| Q: My mother was recent diagnosis with Stage 4 of non Hodgkin lymphoma. She has decline to take any ... A: Judy, I am sorry about your mothers worsening illness. It is so good that you all had your month ... | ||
| my mom | 12/20/2011 | Margot RN BScN CGN |
| Q: My family will be choosing to take my mom off of the ventilator supporting her. She is in the final ... A: I am sorry to hear about your Mother's condition and for the loss you face in the near future. ... | ||
| My Dad with COPD severe stage | 12/6/2011 | Margot RN BScN CGN |
| Q: My dad has copd and was diagnosed last month with moderate to severe. But he is in antibiotics and ... A: This is very general and may not be the course your Dad follows, but I can tell you how an average ... | ||
| hospice care for father with copd chf dm2 | 11/12/2011 | Paul D. Friedman, M.A., Ph.D., J.D. |
| Q: My father died last week. He had been on hospice care for over a year. Multiple hospitalizations for ... A: Rhonda, I am sorry for the loss of your father. If it was your father's wish to be put on a DNR, ... | ||
| Confused? | 11/7/2011 | Betsy Murphy |
| Q: Good afternoon - I really am at a loss of what is going on with my dad. Since we spoke last he has ... A: Vanessa, It sounds to me like the medications he is taking may build up in his body because his ... | ||
| End Stage Liver Disease | 10/24/2011 | Paul D. Friedman, M.A., Ph.D., J.D. |
| Q: My 47 year old brother has been in the ICU for 2 weeks now and on full life support for that length ... A: Nicole, I am sorry to hear about your brother's condition and I am sure it is hard on him as well ... | ||
| pallative care vs hospice | 10/21/2011 | Betsy Murphy |
| Q: My mother is in a nursing home. She has chf. She has edema in her arms and legs. She is on lasix and ... A: Barb, Your mother would really benefit from hospice care. A Medicare beneficiary is entitled to ... | ||
| How Does Having Heart Pacer Affect Dying from CHF? | 10/16/2011 | Margot RN BScN CGN |
| Q: My 86-year old Mother has had a heart pacemaker for 40+ years. It is set to 60 beats per minute. She ... A: Many people ask thishow can you die with a Pacemaker, do we have to turn it off? Patients and their ... | ||
| is this a recovery? | 10/12/2011 | Margot RN BScN CGN |
| Q: whilst in hospital he was hallucinating in a comatose state in and out for seven days. although when ... A: Although there are some common routes most terminal patients follow, there is no "usual" and many ... | ||
| Follow Up on Liver/Hepatic Encephalapathy | 10/12/2011 | Betsy Murphy |
| Q: My father went into a coma late friday night and came out of it saturday night due to a lot of ... A: Vanessa, That sounds like a very good plan. Having him home is best for all of you and the help of ... | ||
| End Stage Liver Cancer/Hepatic Encephalopathy | 10/3/2011 | Betsy Murphy |
| Q: My father has lived with liver cancer for the past 3 years. It's taken a turn for the worse lately. ... A: Vanessa, I am sorry about your father. His confusion, progressive weakness and increased sleeping ... | ||
| COPD | 9/24/2011 | Betsy Murphy |
| Q: My husband and I have been caring for my mother who is 68 yrs old and has end stage COPD. This ... A: Kelle, You mother sounds fragile to me. Most patients with COPD are oxygen dependent and spend most ... | ||
| Is giving Megase for Alzheimer's | 9/17/2011 | Betsy Murphy |
| Q: My mom is in stage 6 of the disease. She can barely carry on a conversation, has never been able to ... A: Bernice, It sounds like you and your family have done a wonderful job caring for your mother. I will ... | ||
| end stage facial cancer | 9/16/2011 | Betsy Murphy |
| Q: my stepfather has been battling for 6 years with a basal cell carcenoma- i think.. it started in the ... A: Sharyn, I am glad to hear that he is in hospice care because the hospice team should anticipate ... | ||
| mom dying | 9/14/2011 | Betsy Murphy |
| Q: my mom is 72 years old. i am in my 50's. she abandoned me when i was 3. went to live with ... A: Ralphie, It sounds like you have started to grieve for the impending loss of the mother who gave you ... | ||
| life support/aunt | 9/10/2011 | Betsy Murphy |
| Q: a friend was put on preventive life support 10 days ago with respiratory failure. They pumped fluid ... A: Sandy, That is a very good question. It sounds like your friend has a very serious illness.Recovery ... | ||
| nearing the end of life with prostate cancer | 9/4/2011 | Betsy Murphy |
| Q: My husband is 59 years old and has been living with prostate caner for 5 years. He was diagnosed at ... A: Charlotte, Thank you for all that information. It sounds like your husband has received the best ... | ||
| nearing the end of life with prostate cancer | 9/4/2011 | Betsy Murphy |
| Q: My husband is 59 years old and has been living with prostate caner for 5 years. He was diagnosed at ... A: Charlotte, I am so sorry about your husband's decline. I found some information on Zytiga that may ... | ||
| Mom dying of Liver CA | 8/9/2011 | Betsy Murphy |
| Q: Firstly let me say that this site has been a god-send because of the information it has provided me ... A: Vincent, You come from a place of love when you want a loved one's suffering to end. It is selfish ... | ||
| fathers illness | 7/30/2011 | Margot RN BScN CGN |
| Q: My father as been diagnosis with prostrate cancer,he is 84 and he only eats yogart,protein shakes on ... A: I'm sorry to hear about your father's prognosis. I will try to share some brief details about what ... | ||
| Stage 4 metatastic bone cancer | 7/21/2011 | Margot RN BScN CGN |
| Q: I have read all the stages of bone cancer and what it does to the body. My mom is in stage 4 and ... A: When a person enters the final stage of the dying process, two different dynamics are at work which ... | ||
| My Grandmother | 7/20/2011 | Betsy Murphy |
| Q: My Grandmother is 85 and is having renal failure. She is in hospice 8 hours away from me, but I have ... A: Sarah, I am sorry about your grandmothers illness. Patients can live without food but not without ... | ||
| Husband Terminal - Making Decisions - Family, Medical Team | 7/17/2011 | Margot RN BScN CGN |
| Q: My husband has terminal colon cancer (liver mets, very extensive peritoneal carcinomatosis, not a ... A: I’m sorry to read about your struggle – unfortunately I see this type of thing happen quite often ... | ||
| Desperately ill Brother | 7/1/2011 | Betsy Murphy |
| Q: namely armpit, neck and groin. He also has Korsakovs syndrome and his liver is diseased.The Doctors ... A: I am so sorry about your brother. He sounds very seriously ill to me. My experience in the US is ... | ||
| Terminal Cancer | 6/13/2011 | Betsy Murphy |
| Q: A close relative has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. It has been found in her Liver, Lungs and ... A: Martin, My apologies for getting to this so late. I was away all day yesterday. In the US, the ... | ||
| Liver Cancer | 5/25/2011 | Betsy Murphy |
| Q: I'm really just looking for a time frame. A loved one in my life is struggling with liver cancer. He ... A: Alexis, When he no longer can swallow fluids, he will die within a few days. If he drinks less than ... | ||
| Prostate Cancer | 5/13/2011 | Margot RN BScN CGN |
| Q: My uncle was diagnosed with prostate cancer 10-years ago and elected to ignore the diagnosis. He ... A: It does sound very much like your father is slowing down and likely terminal (probably has less than ... | ||
| are we nearing the end | 5/2/2011 | Betsy Murphy |
| Q: my husband was diagnosed with cirrhosis 3.5 yrs ago. a year ago he began drinking again. He started ... A: Dorris, I am so sorry. This is such a difficult disease for families to cope with. Its also hard to ... | ||
| Malnutrition | 4/28/2011 | Betsy Murphy |
| Q: My mother is 92 years old and in a nursing home because of a fractured hip and dementia. She has ... A: Martha, Sometimes patients with dementia refuse to eat because they are in pain. This vulnerable ... | ||
| Life support | 4/23/2011 | Paul D. Friedman, M.A., Ph.D., J.D. |
| Q: Is it legal for medical professionals to put a patient who is DOA and brain dead on life support for ... A: James, I can answer the first question but the second question asks for legal advice which I cannot ... | ||
| End of life questions | 4/23/2011 | Betsy Murphy |
| Q: My 88 year old mother-in-law has always had a poor appetite but in the last 2 months has lost 20 ... A: Janet, It sounds like you have done a very good job with your mother-in-law. Her weight loss is ... | ||
| COPD | 4/21/2011 | Betsy Murphy |
| Q: My mother at the end of this horrible disease and we have hospice in home care for her. She has ... A: Angie, It sounds like you and your family are doing an excellent job. Patients become so fatigued in ... | ||
| Do I really want hospice involved? | 4/13/2011 | Betsy Murphy |
| Q: I would like some insight on hospice. I have helped my mother-in-law with every possible things she ... A: Teresa, I am so glad that you were able to say all of that. I agree that we all have limits in ... | ||
| COPD/ Cogestive Heart Failure | 4/11/2011 | Betsy Murphy |
| Q: My 77yr old mother has COPD with Congestive Heart Failure. She has difficulty breathing, tires ... A: Tracy, Your mother sounds very ill. First, she may qualify for hospice care. The criteria for ... | ||
| differentiating copd from lung cancer | 4/7/2011 | Betsy Murphy |
| Q: I am a medical student.I had an old patient with chief complain of dyspnea.It worsened from 1 month ... A: Elmira, I am glad that you are feeling better about this. I wanted to say first that I am not a ... | ||
| differentiating copd from lung cancer | 4/4/2011 | Betsy Murphy |
| Q: I am a medical student.I had an old patient with chief complain of dyspnea.It worsened from 1 month ... A: Elmira, Your patient sounds very ill. I can see that it is important for you to determine the cause ... | ||
| COPD/emphysema--hospice or intervention? | 3/29/2011 | Margot RN BScN CGN |
| Q: My dad has copd/emphysema and has declined to the point of needing assisted living and is mostly ... A: I really cannot comment on your Dad's case as I am not familiar with his medical history. I strongly ... | ||
| lung=bone cancer 4th stage: further stages of deterioration | 3/19/2011 | Betsy Murphy |
| Q: My dad, 71yrs, is having the subject since last 4 months and the same got revealed 15 days back ... A: Yogesh, I am sorry to hear of your father's declining condition. Adenocarcinoma is a type of lung ... | ||
| Grandmother won't eat or drink | 3/18/2011 | Margot RN BScN CGN |
| Q: Hi My grandmother, 80, was diagnosed with old age dementia/alzheimer's. because she is a state ... A: It sounds like your Grandmother is a challenge to care for, but it also sounds like you are doing a ... | ||
Life Support Issues
Answers by Expert:
Betsy Murphy
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
My expertise is in end of life care for adults. Identifying when someone is approaching the end of their life. Benefits and burdens of end of life treatments. Managing pain and other symptoms. Providing care for dying patients at home. Advocating for someone who is dying in a hospital or nursing home.
Experience
More than 28 years of experience in hospice care. Currently consulting with hospices to promote access for patients to receive hospice care earlier in the course of their illness. Betsy provides training for hospice marketing staff to effectively work with nursing facilities to help identify eligible patients. She writes Additional Development Request (ADR) letters to Medicare to help hospices get paid for their services and to avoid future claim denials.
Organizations
Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association
Publications
Articles: Clinical Reviews, Advance for Nurses, Nursing Spectrum, Washington Business Woman, www.Ezine.com;www.alz-nca.com.Books: Understanding Medical-Surgical Nursing (FA Davis and Company), Guide to Caregiving in the Final Months of Life (TM Brown publishers).
Education/Credentials
Bachelors of Science in Nursing, additionally trained as a Family Nurse Practitioner and certified as a hospice and palliative care nurse.
Awards and Honors
Outstanding Woman in Loudoun County (VA) by Loudoun County Commission on Women 1997 and 2002.
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