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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Not Eating And Drinking. Put On Syringe Driver. Is There A Hope?

My sister in law was put onto a syringe driver yesterday she is at the end of her life. She is not eating or drinking and seems a little restless is this the norm? and how long do you think it will be as it is very distressing to see her I know the time scale is a difficult one but does a syringe driver mean it could be days as opposed to weeks Thank you
Tue, 9 Apr 2013
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General & Family Physician,  's  Response
Hi, thanks for healthcare magic

I am sorry for the pain that you and your family must be experiencing.

As you correctly stated, it is difficult to estimate the time your sister has left.

When a person has a 1 to 2 weeks left the following may be seen: mostly sleeping, disorientation, altered perception, there may be skin color changes, increased perspiration.
With a few days to hours the breathing may be very irregular, there may be episodes of no breathing followed by fast breathing, unresponsive, hands and feet may look blotchy.

I hope this helps and wish you and yours the best
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Not Eating And Drinking. Put On Syringe Driver. Is There A Hope?

Hi, thanks for healthcare magic I am sorry for the pain that you and your family must be experiencing. As you correctly stated, it is difficult to estimate the time your sister has left. When a person has a 1 to 2 weeks left the following may be seen: mostly sleeping, disorientation, altered perception, there may be skin color changes, increased perspiration. With a few days to hours the breathing may be very irregular, there may be episodes of no breathing followed by fast breathing, unresponsive, hands and feet may look blotchy. I hope this helps and wish you and yours the best