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I always frowned upon hearing that someone had the desire to use a pill to stimulate their sexual desires.  I wondered why this wasn’t just a natural instinct or if the person had tried any visual imagery to improve their sexual drive?

Seven years ago, I learned that one of my relatives had expired after taking this ‘blue pill’ along with their phenobarbital.  It is likely that one physician did not know what the other one had prescribed. Today with the advances in technology, medication regimens, and cross-interactions are now being addressed and prevented.  Given that I had loss a relative to the potential interventions from this inconsequential drug, I was less inclined to see any benefits.

That was until the summer of 2015 when I was faced with the administrative and medical decisions for another relative, with 4^th stage congestive heart failure.  I had been told to prepare for the worse and that became a quick reality when they were bed-ridden and unable to physically do anything. The physical therapy program had terminated their services because they were unable to get my relative mobile.  Plans for hospice discharge where taking place and the treatment team had ultimately came to their conclusion.  I began a quest for information, searching for something that could turn this around, our family had already loss so many relatives to heart disease, cancer, and strokes.

Here’s what I learned, the treatment team had placed my relative on Milrinone and they had this drip in their arm for over two weeks, keeping them in a near catatonic state.  During my independent searches, it became apparent that this drug should only be administered for 48 to 72 hours.  I insisted on a consultation and advocated for the removal of this comatose drug.  This is when Dr. Kelly McCants joined the panel and informed me that we could try another method that might provide my loved one with a little more time.  By the way, my loved one had been given 2 weeks and no more than 2 months.  I’m grateful that Dr. McCants was willing to introduce the blue pill to assist and stimulate my relative’s heart condition.  I wanted to share this experience and encourage caregivers and families to remain vigilant in seeking the best options for their loved ones.  In a few months (June 2018, we will be at (3) years of life) after a terminal diagnosis and being placed on the Hospice list, it wasn’t their time.  Thanks again to Dr. McCants, he has relocated his practice to another state, however, the blue pill still reigns as the prescriptive for providing my loved one with a new lease on life.

P.S. We are now able to go on long walks and even complete (2) levels of mall shopping and other errands with a few breaks, so it was really a life-changing event.

Hospice and Palliative services have been commonly intertwined, once we receive the news that something is seriously wrong with our loved ones.  These terms are often used interchangeably but either could reflect a significant turn of events for your loved one.  Let’s make some distinctions between these two terms.

Hospice is usually stated when treatment and interventions have ended.  Most of us are more familiar with the ‘Hospice,’ term as it references the final stages of life.  Thus, the health and treatment team have concluded that your relative is nearing the end phases of life and appears to be failing to thrive.  Of course, the word thrive can have many interpretations, including will-power, interest, and it is likely that their vital organs are beginning to shut down.

Palliative care is centered on offering your loved one a quality support system at their advanced stages of a medical condition.  When a person is listed under the care of palliative, it means that treatment and interventions are still in place, thus it is possible that the medical condition can subside or go into complete remission.  Palliative can symbolize a poor prognosis for our loved ones, however; there can be some hope for improvement.

Caregivers and family members are often full of questions and hope for some helpful answers, divine intervention, and resolve. Though miracles do happen, when the care team begins to use either of these terms, it is time to prepare support for you, family members, and your loved one.  A turnaround in health complications can happen and result in a significant turn of events.  You may find yourself asking what’s next and also experiencing feelings of hopelessness, anxiety, and fear.

This would be a very important time to seek support from other family members; external resources may be available within the local treatment and mental health centers.  It is imperative that you take care of yourself and maintain some degree of self-preservation?  Kubler- Ross, discussed (5) stages of death and relatives that are key caregivers are likely to experience some of these same emotions, denial, anger, depression, bargaining, and coming to terms.  It is also helpful to know that these emotions can vacillate and may not appear in any given order.  Relatives are often unable to cope and recognize that their mental and physical health needs should not be neglected during this distressing period.