Husband’s last few days: worrying about thing I can’t solve.

FormerMember
FormerMember
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 After end of chemo, lung cancer surged back and killed my lovely H, age 65. Early April. He was admitted to hospice 2 days before he died. Neither he nor I realised that the tummy swelling and ankle swelling and extreme  sleepiness were signs of end of life. We thought the fatigue was just post chemo. Looking back...I don’t know why we didn’t clock it. I did realise this was a new phase but I did not understand that the changes would accelerate so very fast.
His last day conscious before dying was grumpy and odd.  He was badly disturbed the following night and died the next day . Myself and our boys were there as closely as covid restrictions allowed.  I feel endlessly worried about his distress that last night.  I know he had not accepted he was about to die, on the previous day. Was he frightened? Obviously there’s nothing I can do about it, but how to come to terms with this worry ?

i tried asking the hospice for more information from doctors’ notes but there is no evidence in there that anyone comforted him  

Grief is so overwhelming: I had no idea. I am trying to return to my technical lonely work but it’s too difficult to concentrate. I’d much prefer to be doing something easier and with other people around. 

  • Hello, it's a tough road and one I've been on for just over three weeks now, I think self recrimination is a natural part of the process, I have talked about the "If only's" on other posts, my partner Carla died from lung cancer after surgery a year ago which came storming back mid march of this year and took her away on the 5th of May.

    I'm not sure pouring over notes to see where you might have made any kind of difference helps, I have piles of notes here (thankfully all in Italian) and I earn half of my money as an electronics engineer for a UK company and maybe us technical types need some kind of logical pattern to assuage any feeling of not having done enough.

    I can't even begin to offer you encouragement as I feel at this very early stage it may just come across as a series of cliched platitudes.

    However, I can say that it does get better even after a few weeks I am seeing bad times lessening and better times growing, my only advice is find some structured things to do, create to do lists and stick to them as best you can.

    My list for today is: Cut and fit beading on bathroom wood panels, Sand shutter, Get photo paper and frames (for photos for family members), do my work out (not likely today!) Hoover and mop, put some stuff in the loft.

    I'll probably get 60% done and that would constitute a good day. I have found it creeps up on you, going to the supermarket was a toughie at first, seeing products Carla would eat and not needing to buy them, I had meltdown on the first supermarket trip and sobbed in the aisles for at least 20 minutes.

    The people here are absolutely fantastic and we are all in the same boat or on the same road and I have received some wonderful advice and encouragement. I wish you well and will keep you in mind.

    "Sometimes life is hideous, other times it's worse!"

  • FormerMember
    FormerMember in reply to mccmcc

    Thank you for your lovely reply. I think you are right about the logical aspect. The lack of it is disturbing for me too. 
    Thank you also for sharing the supermarket experience. I have exactly that. Tears just run . 
    I do the to do lists ! 
    All I really want to do is work in our garden...which is full of his handiwork, my work is a short contract that will end very soon and I am finding it very hard almost impossible to concentrate as there is sadly no long term future with this employer for me. It was my dream job when H was here, but now I don’t feel up to the complexity and intense concentration it requires.  I have got an easier job lined up ( so lucky) to start later but that will be with other people. 
    I will have a look at your other posts. 
    He died on 10 April, but I don’t feel I’ve got a lot better so far.  It’s evidently a long road. 
    Best Wishes

  • My husband died 2 yrs ago aged 65 after having treatment for bowel cancer. He died at home and like you I knew his body was shutting down but didn't put all the pieces together. 

    The whole family were with him at the end and fortunately he had accepted his death and was peaceful. I now churn stuff over in my mind that I could have done things differently, although he wasn't really able, that we should have talked more, could I have helped more.

    I have coped well with my grief so far, but the last few weeks it seems to have come back..not as acute but it's still erupts every now and then. The progress I had made seems to have taken several steps back.

    I'm sure lockdown has been a big part of it all.  I daresay that these worries and thoughts will be with us for a while, and hopefully gradually fade. Even if they don't go away I hope we can learn to live with them. 

    Kathy X

    I used to walk around like everything was fine, but deep down, inside my shoe, my sock was sliding off.

    Now I walk around and everything is  fine.....one day I am going to by new socks with strong elastic......but in the meantime I am learning to stop and and pull my sock up! 

  • FormerMember
    FormerMember in reply to googlemuma

    Hi,

    My husband died 20th March I always feel I should have done more, talked more, and the guilt feeling can be really overwhelming. But I feel  that because you just want you husband wife or partner to be comfortable, and he also asked me not to feel sorry for him because he couldn't cope with that I tried really hard to be as normal as possible. I hope to that one day we can learn to live with these feelings.

    Take care 

    Mandy x

  • FormerMember
    FormerMember

    Totally understand my husband died the 21 March in hospital. I have so many regrets like you're husband my husband had lung cancer had surgery and some chemo to help prevent recurrence. Started having jaw pain which was diagnosed as neuralgia then a muscular problem so I'm wracked with the why didn't I see thoughts it was actually tongue cancer. Was fortunate to have been with him when he died. Someone on here summed things up and helped me by saying We all do the best we can in these heartbreaking frightening difficult circumstances. Take care hope you also get some comfort from coming here and knowing you are not alone x

  • FormerMember
    FormerMember in reply to FormerMember

    Hi,

    Thank you for replying think our minds are very powerful, and your right I do get some comfort coming on here and know I am not alone, and you all write some lovely words of comfort and it almost makes you feel a little bit normal. 

    Take Care 

    Mandy x

  • FormerMember
    FormerMember in reply to FormerMember

    Hi All,

    20 weeks exactly today for me since I lost my darling bob aed 64 to Cancer of the unknown Primary. He was given a prognosis of 6 - 12 months and he fought on for 9 months. He died at home, just me and him in bed and it was anything but peaceful, he fought it every step of the way for 3 days when neither of us moved from that Bed. He was lucky enough that although he was very thin and weak he was conscious right up until 2 days before he died and we said everything we had to say and put everything in place before he died so luckily enough I have no regrets about that.

    Can't even recall the early days now as I was just a total wreck and even now I sob every single day. I cuddle his ashes in bed, sleep with his photo and a shirt that smells of him and just beg him to come back.

    Lockdown was aweful as although I have family close by I was isolating totally alone and it nearly finished me off. Only thing that has come out of this is I have had to learn to garden as my Bob lived for our beautiful garden and I have tried to maintain it so he will be proud of me. I also learned to decorate and totally transformed a bedroom into a bunk room for the grandchildren so proud of myself for that. Lists, tell me about lists wrote them every single day as I seemed to go brain dead and I had to give myself things to do and I still find myself doing this now but not so much. Shopping, think we have all been there, I sobbed my way around tescos buying meals for 1 and putting 1 baking potato in a bag, people must have thought I had lost the plot and at time I nearly did.

    I can even now think i'm having a better day and then glimse his photo of him smiling at me and reduced to sobbing on the bed or curled up on the floor ind foetal position. I struggle to speak on the phone without sobbing and I just miss him so very much, he was the love of my life and I always used to say to him - I will not mange without you and his answer was - yes you will you just have to be organised.

    Ontop of this I am now left in a position of paying for and running our house on 1 salary as we had 0 financial back up plan so that causes me much worry. I started a second job yesterday as i'm furloughed from work now so thought a second job will not only get me out of the house to speak to other people but help my finances so lets see how that goes. Going to we working 4.00am - 9.00am shifts, may as well as don't sleep well due to sadness and tears.

    I cannot see things getting any better any time soon and everyone things I'm a strong woman. I thought I was but this grief has shown me I am not. I am a runner so running has helped me a bit I have to admit.

    Sorry for the ramblings but wanted to share my story of this aweful journey we are all on that none of us would wish on anyone.

    Thank you for listening and keep going everyone after all what else can we do!

    Sheila 

  • Dear All

    I write lists too! Gets me through the week! It has been 23 weeks for me now, so fresh but so far away too.

    I have had notification today that his death certificate can be issued. For a surprise fee!!! I hope this will help in me tucking him in to my heart and saying goodbye properly now. I still can't see why the inquest has taken so long! It certainly hadn't helped much! Along with lockdown!!!

    Looking forward a little now, to start with, a normal life free from this bloody virus! 

    Take care all

    Love and hugs Alison xxx

  • FormerMember
    FormerMember in reply to Akela2516

    Hi all 

    been reading all the posts do not say a lot always 

    but having a list of things to do to keep ourselves busy seems the normal to get through the days including weekends when Friday comes I think got to stay busy over weekend  

    last weekend I saw Diane’s parents for the second time again then her youngest son ran me for hour and half  then I was down  sad  and struggling through the week

    but you still get down being tired catches up with you  I sorted out my wife’s estate now I want mine all sorted because you never know what’s around the corner 

    sheila have you heard about your counselling yet  hope going to work helps you 

    take care 

    Martin x

  • Hi Martin,, I hope your weekend is busy but you also get some rest. I can sympathise with the telephone conversations with well meaning people who just depress you further. It's easy for me to say   stay strong when I know how much energy they takes and how difficult it is. I hope you have some better days  xx

    Love is eternal