Patrick Swayze Stops Treatment!

[Libby]

www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1131056/Cancer-stricken-Patrick-Swayze-stops-treatment-doctors-say-little-do.html

Cancer-stricken movie star Patrick Swayze has reportedly given up all medical treatment.
The 56-year-old is said to have made the decision after doctors told him there was little they could do to stop the progress of his illness, according to reports from US magazine The National Enquirer.
The Dirty Dancing star was diagnosed twelve months ago with pancreatic cancer, one of the most virulent forms of the disease.
Medical experts say most patients have less than six months to live after being diagnosed with such cancer.

Swayze had been determined to fight but earlier this month suffered a setback when he was admitted to hospital with pneumonia.
He was released on January 16 after a week under doctors' supervision.
The magazine claimed the Ghost star was now growing increasingly weak.
A family friend told the Enquirer: 'There's nothing more doctors can do for him.
'We are down to the wire and the goal now is to keep Patrick comfortable.
'His condition is inoperable and they have stopped the chemo. He's still losing weight and he's very weak.

Such a shame! I will never forget Patrick in Dirty Dancing and Ghost. I hope his last days are peaceful.

[lawrence]

They will not be peaceful. He will be in agony. Even morphine will not help. Then he will be put into a coma and drift away.

[Libby]

It isn't always like that lawrence. I am sure he will have the best care, he can afford it after all.

[jonren]

This brings home to us all that money is not everything. The poor chap would swop his millions for health

[Deleted]

Poor Patrick.
One of the sexiest guys in hollywood.
I thoroughly enjoyed Ghost and Dirty Dancing and all his other films.
It makes you take stock as jonren says.

[sushimo]

Lawrence is right Libby, Patrick will be lucky if he goes sooner than later. Cancer is a horrific disease to have, and just as horrific to watch someone dying from.

Too right Jon, money and wealth mean nothing, if you don't have your health you have nothing.

[druisilla4u]

It is very sad. My husband died of pancreatic cancer.
He was one of the first patients to try the hickman line.

[Libby]

I work with terminally ill elderly patients with various cancers, and yes it will be difficult for Patrick. I can only hope with his money he is able to be provided with round the clock care and sufficient pain relief to ease his final journey. The last stages of cancer are never easy, heaven knows. To see someone in the final stages is traumatic enough, having to suffer it is heartrending. His poor wife must be going through hell.

[limeylily]

Jan 29, 2009 19:27:37 GMT sushimo said:

Lawrence is right Libby, Patrick will be lucky if he goes sooner than later. Cancer is a horrific disease to have, and just as horrific to watch someone dying from.

Too right Jon, money and wealth mean nothing, if you don't have your health you have nothing.

To coin the old cliche, "Where's there's life.... ". Death is so final, and a cure might be found soon - who knows? It's so sad he's throwing in the towel after such a courageous fight.

[Libby]

Quote from limeylily ~ To coin the old cliche, "Where's there's life.... ". Death is so final, and a cure might be found soon - who knows? It's so sad he's throwing in the towel after such a courageous fight.

It's not a question of him throwing the towel in limey, he has no choice. His cancer is so aggressive that he is not responding to treatment any more. So sooner than submit his already ravaged body to more chemo, he has decided to stop treatment and try to be comfortable in his last days. He has been told by his Specialists that there is nothing further they can do to help or save him. Basically he is on borrowed time, poor soul. Very sad indeed.

[sushimo]

He is doing the best for himself and also I suspect, his wife and family. Like Dru, I lost my husband to cancer, and it's merciless when terminal.

[Libby]

Poor you sushimo, it must've been dreadful for you. It is a cruel way to die, there's no doubt about that. Patrick has reached the end of the line and has had enough. The treatment is gruelling and relentless. It's his choice to stop, his body is obviously telling him it's had enough. He has an adoring wife and there's no way he would leave her if he thought in any way he could be saved. It certainly makes me feel thankful to have my health.

[lawrence]

Unfortunately many of us here today have this to look forward to. Seems everyone is getting cancer. And there is no cure in sight from Drs. Moe , Larry and Curly.

[norfolkdumpling]

Poor Patrick, I do hope the palliative care will help ease the pain for him. In England Heroin may be given near the end as it is stronger than morphine. I knew a friend whose husband had it but it meant he had hallucinations. Poor man did not have an easy end. This was over 20 years ago, things may be different now.

[voice]

Palliative care in one of the areas the UK excells in, we are the world leader in palliation. I've got to say the publics perception that if you have cancer you will either die screaming or if you cant scream its cos you are too tired to get the energy up to scream in this day and age is not realy the case. One of the areas I've specialised in is Palliative care, first as a DN in the UK now here in Canada (where there is a large gap in service compaired to the UK, but still streets ahead of the US). Of all the cancer and other palliated deaths uncontroled I've been involved with, uncontroled pain and other symptoms is rear indeed these days, most of my patients have maintained a functional level of cgnition almost to the end with pain and nausia controled, you do get the odd one when the pain is more pronounced (I've seen that more here than back in the UK) and I've only seen one realy bad death, but he got a spinal cord compression and was opiate naieve and very difficult to tirtate.
However I gotta say pancriatic cancer always seams to take the most opiods to controle, but there is no maximum dose and if there is time to titrate him its amazing the amount of fentynal, hydromorphone or diamorphine a body can take and still function, Swayze is fortunate he's got the cash though cos in the US the avaerage patient is quite often ill seved as medical coverage often will not cover palliative expenses which is why bad deaths are far more common there than other more enlightened countries. Its a sad fact in the US its quite common for a family caring for a palliative relative who goes the whole way and makes sure they get the palliation they deserve will end the process bankrupt.

[Libby]

I am sure his wife will ensure that Patrick has the right palliative care and pain relief right up to the end. The couple are completely devoted to each other, it's quite touching to see them together.

[radge]

People die, even famous ones. Shti happens every day.

[norfolkdumpling]

Jan 30, 2009 15:37:03 GMT radge said:

People die, even famous ones. sh*t happens every day.

That is not the point radge. Patrick Swayze is uffering from a particularly unpleasant type of cancer. I hope he will get the very best palliative care.

I worked on a cancer ward and saw people who were lucid right to the end. They had Hickman Lines and the pain was controlled, one person told me he felt no pain two days before he died. He had liver cancer.

It shocks me that a so called advanced country like America has such poor provision for the sick, especially those who are not poor enough for Medicare but cannot afford enough insurance to pay for terminal illness palliative care.

I remember in 1968, I nursed a wonderful old man. He had been a blacksmith, but because of cancer he was almost a skeleton and yellow with a colostomy bag that would fill with pus. He was still lucid and extraordinarily brave. No strong painkiller for him.

My mother nursed a man with cancer of the face in the '50's. It just ate away at his face until it reached the carotid artery in his neck, sending blood spurting six feet away. This killed the poor man.

Thank God for the British National Health service. With advances in medicine people no longer have to suffer like that in Great Britain.

[lawrence]

US Insurance companies certainly cover hospice care , even government run medicare does. I know several people who are Brits living here who have experienced your socialist medicine and our private insurance here. They say there is absolutely no comparison between the 2 , ours is light years ahead of yours. For the 15 % of the population here without insurance it is a different story. But that is ok , keep whistling up your ass and tell yourself something is so . Perhaps it will become so. In your dreams.

[lawrence]

Of course , they are not "male nurses" , sweet cheeks , but they have experienced both systems so are in position to know.