Murray's story
My husband was a recipient of Palliative Care in Saskatchewan until he died July 12, 2016.
The entire journey through his diagnosis treatments and finally Palliative Care was exemplary.
No one wants to hear that they have a terminal illness. A caring family physician gave him the bad news at his bedside telling him that he would not survive pancreatic cancer more than a few months or a couple of years depending on the course of treatment he chose. He chose surgery ( Whipple ) which was a 12 hour ordeal but he survived it and after two weeks went home. After a couple of months he began Chemotherapy through the Cancer Centre . During that time was given a drain which prevented him from getting jaundice, nausea and vomiting. The drain was unstable and over the next year and a half a trip was made to the hospital to have it changed once or twice a week. He was never turned away. They always made time for him. His oncologist gave him as much hope as she could cheering with us when his blood tests showed the cancer was in check. She referred him for 5 radiation Treatment in the late spring as she couldn't give him any more chemo. Then during early summer of 2016 the cancer returned. Palliative Care called and offered their services. We accepted. Within a couple of days the Palliative Care Coordinator came to our home and completed a thorough health assessment. An OT followed in a day or two and set him up with special equipment, hospital bed, power lift chair, and bathroom equipment . They were kind and compassionate. He was comfortable and able to enjoy his remaining days. We never had to wait for anything. I, his wife, was his caregiver. Were it not for the support of the Palliative Team, I would not have been able to keep my husband at home during the last two weeks of his life. He enjoyed a baseball game on TV with his sons two days before he died. I can't find any fault with the professionals , treatments, or care that he received. We were always treated with respect and he died knowing he had given to his life all he could. The only criticism I have is with hospital parking. Too costly and too little.
