How long?

[angelbow20]

How long can a person go without fluids? As some of you might have read my grandmother is dying... well its been about 2 days now and my grammy hasnt been drinking or eating, she has a hospice nurse, is on morphine now about every 2 hours I think, and another pain kill I forget whats its called but its given to her every 8 hours, she hasnt been really talking its more of a mumble if that, tonight I saw her, and she did have more color but wouldnt talk or open her eyes. She has congested heart failure, lung disease, emphazima(sp) and she is diabetic, she is a bigger lady and im so worried she will die soon, even sooner without fluids. She didnt want to die with IVs and everything so she is doing it all natural, her lungs have fluid in them and they put a patch behind her ear to drain more of the fluid out, How long can a person usaully go without fluids? I wish so much that I could give her some water or something but I dont even think she can swallow because of the morphine?

[columbine]

If there's a danger that she'll choke if she tries to drink water, she might still be able to suck on ice chips as long as she is sitting up. Check with the hospice nurse. If she's in such an opioid fog that even that wouldn't work, she probably doesn't even notice that she's thirsty. If she's really decided to check out, there's a good chance that the nurse is keeping her well under. You can definitely put some lip balm on her lips, though.

Love, Columbine

[angelbow20]

ok thanks, we have been rubbing water of her lips and she shuts her mouth and tries to suck it seems like. but today the hospice nurse came and said by how she looks today she prolly only has a couple hours to a couple days at most .