End-Of-Life Signs That Are Actually Treatable – Health Digest
Hypercalcemia is most common in people with advanced stages of cancer, particularly multiple myeloma and cancers related to the breast, lungs, and kidneys. It is thought to occur because of changes in the dying person’s bones. Symptoms include fatigue, weakness, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, bone pain, feeling parched, increased peeing, constipation, confusion, delirium, sleepiness, and seizures. Treatment of the condition, first and foremost, includes adhering to the patient’s last wishes of whether or not they want to be treated and following that up with consuming plenty of fluids (including intravenous fluids), stopping any supplements and medications that might be adding to the condition, and using bisphosphonate treatment to protect the bones from being destroyed faster than they can be rebuilt.
Kidney failure in someone close to death can be treated with dialysis or a kidney transplant. The latter is an option for someone who is well enough to handle it.
Infections are very possible in terminally ill patients, too, with sepsis being the most severe and life-threatening kind. While antibiotics could be used to treat the infection, again, the dying person’s wish should be adhered to. Sepsis needs to be caught early if it’s to be treated effectively as it can spread quickly throughout the body.
Some of the things that happen to your skin just before death can be treated too. Drying and itchy skin, in particular, can be relieved by regular moisturizing and keeping the area clean.
Pain medications can have unpleasant side effects like nausea, vomiting, and constipation. These can be treated with drugs to control the symptoms. That being said, not all treatable signs are physical.