Cancer Pain Management

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GringoRubio

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Oct 15, 2015
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I'm having difficulty getting morphine or similar for a woman suffering from colon cancer. (We ended up in Santo Domingo for a CAT and diagnosis). I'm sure there are good reasons to keep these medications under tight control, but is there anything similar to hospice or palliative care here in the DR? A doctor willing to work with us? (Spanish only is fine).

I had a small stash of pain meds because I occasionally have migraines. She's taking about 10x what I normally take for a migraine, but it's barely touching her pain. We clearly need morphine.
 
cobraboy

cobraboy

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Surely her oncologist could make suggestions!

I don't think a "Hospice" is available here.
 
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william webster

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Jan 16, 2009
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HOMS in STI is an excellent facility for cancer treatment , as I hear it.

Any good oncologist or oncological surgeon will help , surely.
 
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VJS

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Sep 19, 2010
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There are so called clinicas de dolor with major hospitals, she should try those. For instance, in Santiago, Corominas and Union have those. In SD can try Plaza de la Salud or Clinica Abreu, Dra Javier is a pain specialist there.
 
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dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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she can get controlled medicine with prescription from a qualified specialist (only some of the doctors can white such prescriptions). farmacia popular on calle beller sells such meds but i don't know about the availability, they are not keen on giving out info about it.
 
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GringoRubio

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Oct 15, 2015
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dv8 said:
she can get controlled medicine with prescription from a qualified specialist (only some of the doctors can white such prescriptions). farmacia popular on calle beller sells such meds but i don't know about the availability, they are not keen on giving out info about it.
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Thanks all, we have somebody picking up the script now, but it's going to be tomorrow.
 
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Kipling333

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Jan 12, 2010
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I have had numerous operations for cancer in the colon and I strongly agree with the pharmacies here refusing to sell narcotic pain killers without a prescription ,,It is against the law and rightly so because overdosing is quite common and is can be achieved by accident . After my operations I have been given a small number of narcotic drugs..one that is taken twice a day and the other that is taken every four hours , as well as paracetamol . It is so easy to forget if you have taken a pill or not and I immediately have to write the time I take each pill. Colon cancer is not one of the most painful cancers but can be uncomfortable . Anyway , Gringo Rubio,,,glad you have found some medicine but mucha prudencia
 
bronzeallspice

bronzeallspice

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Mar 26, 2012
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I have a friend who is currently in hospice care at home.She was diagnosed with cancer and has refused
all treatments,so she is basically waiting to die. She is given morphine by hospice as the pain is excruciating.
 
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GringoRubio

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Oct 15, 2015
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bronzeallspice said:
I have a friend who is currently in hospice care at home.She was diagnosed with cancer and has refused
all treatments,so she is basically waiting to die. She is given morphine by hospice as the pain is excruciating.
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There have been studies lately where palliative care (only comforting care such as pain management) had a better prognosis than chemotherapy and similar treatment. Certainly better than spending your last days puking and miserably ill. It's what most doctors choose for themselves.
 
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Kipling333

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Jan 12, 2010
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COLON CANCER

GringoRubio said:
There have been studies lately where palliative care (only comforting care such as pain management) had a better prognosis than chemotherapy and similar treatment. Certainly better than spending your last days puking and miserably ill. It's what most doctors choose for themselves.
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Cancer in the colon can normally be cut out and the intestine sewn together again... many years ago there were problems with leaks from the intestine where the join was made but things have improved .Chemo is nearly always a good idea as a follow up . Radiation now is so far advanced that if all the cancer can not be cut out of the colon they can remove it by radiation ,these days inserted in various ways .
Colon cancer should not be a death sentence and most doctors with colon cancer certainly go with the advanced surgery and chemo radiation treatment ..Other cancers are different and as I have only had bladder and colon cancer ,I cannot comment on the treatments .
 
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Kipling333

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I thought that the discussion was only about colon cancer and I can see absolutely no reason to do nothing about this ,unless the cancer has spread outside the colon . If not , there are a variety of very successful treatments. Maybe your friend has cancer somewhere else in the body . Any doctor should be able to pick up colon cancer at an early stage and advise treatment .. I am speaking from much personal experience about colon and bladder cancer but can not speak with any authority about other cancers . I would hate just to wait to die but maybe your friend has a different cancers..ovarian or uterine or both which are definitely much more ghastly than colon cancer. So sorry for her .
 
E

ExDR

Member
Jul 31, 2014
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GringoRubio said:
I'm having difficulty getting morphine or similar for a woman suffering from colon cancer. (We ended up in Santo Domingo for a CAT and diagnosis). I'm sure there are good reasons to keep these medications under tight control, but is there anything similar to hospice or palliative care here in the DR? A doctor willing to work with us? (Spanish only is fine).

I had a small stash of pain meds because I occasionally have migraines. She's taking about 10x what I normally take for a migraine, but it's barely touching her pain. We clearly need morphine.
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I hope you can get the narcotics for your friend. If they keep taking that many pills, the liver will be damaged. It's hell enough with that damn cancer. Good luck
 
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USA DOC

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Feb 20, 2016
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....opium based meds work different on people that have moderate to severe pain .... that people that do not have pain.... people that take opium meds with no pain for to long a period of time, will face withdrawal , that can be worse than the the pain they are used for... be careful out there...........
 
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wuarhat

I am a out of touch hippie.
Nov 13, 2006
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GringoRubio said:
There have been studies lately where palliative care (only comforting care such as pain management) had a better prognosis than chemotherapy and similar treatment. Certainly better than spending your last days puking and miserably ill. It's what most doctors choose for themselves.
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If they are the last days I agree. However, every case is different. Surgery, chemo, and radiation gave my wife four more great years in 2010. She did drop ten pounds due to loss of appetite, but with plenty of Ondansetron she never had any problem with vomiting. She was young, happy, and otherwise healthy at the time. In late 2014 it came back strong, and she started losing physical abilities rapidly. She needed help standing up, going to the bathroom, getting dressed, and just about everything else. She was ready to let the cancer take its course about two or three months before the doctors were. I'm sorry for your loss. Make the most of the time you have left. You will cherish these moments in the future.
 
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Kipling333

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But ,wuarhat..was it colon cancer ?? It sounds like it was elsewhere than in the colon..You see ,my comments relate solely to colon cancer which has not spread outside the colon
 
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wuarhat

I am a out of touch hippie.
Nov 13, 2006
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Kipling333 said:
But ,wuarhat..was it colon cancer ?? It sounds like it was elsewhere than in the colon..You see ,my comments relate solely to colon cancer which has not spread outside the colon
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My wife had brain cancer (Glio Blastoma Multiform GBM). Every case is different. I know my uncle died of colon cancer ten years ago, but things change with time.
 
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