Terminal Illness: Treatment, Procedure, Cost and Side Effects

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Terminal illness is a type of illness which has no cure and will lead to death eventually. There are various types of disease which can be termed as terminal illness. It is expected to result in death within a short period of time. People who suffer from terminal illness are known as terminal patient, terminally ill, or simply terminal. Some of these diseases include Heart disease, chronic lung problem, Kidney disease, AIDS, and Last stage of Alzheimer’s, and other similar conditions. Treatments for terminal illness may vary from disease to disease. Some of the treatments are mostly medications or hospital supervision i.e. in which a patient is given full attention by the hospital and is under the doctor’s supervision 24*7. After the diagnosis of a terminal illness the patient has the option of disease management i.e. how the patient has to be treated. This decision is taken by the patient and his/her family; however, the doctor may give some recommendation. Examples of disease management include caregiving, continued treatment and physician-assisted suicide.

The type of treatment that is given to the patients suffering from terminal illness can be divided into two types: aggressive and palliative. Palliative care is a treatment which usually offers relief from your symptoms or pain. This treatment will not prolong your life but will relieve you from pain. Treatments such as chemotherapy are also considered palliative. These types of treatments will not sure the disease but can buy you some time to finish some unfinished business within the given time. Aggressive treatment is a treatment which is the opposite of palliative. This treatment is given when the doctors feel that there is a hope of recovering from the disease or if the extended amount of life period is acceptable. In this treatment every possible treating method are tried even though the treatment is worse than the disease. It’s better to get a second opinion to start the treatment and not get influenced by any other sources. In the end the treatment should benefit you, so you should research and check the treatment’s pros and cons before selecting one.

Symptoms for terminal illness will depend on each disease. Symptoms for various diseases are as follows: AIDS

1. Falling sick often
2. Pain in the abdomen
3. Dry cough
4. Difficulty in swallowing

1. High blood pressure
2. Chest pain
3. Palpitation
4. Faster heartbeat
5. Sweating
6. Nausea
7. Weakness or dizziness

1. Long term cough
2. Chest pain with deep breathing
3. Weight loss
4. Feeling week

1. high bold pressure
2. abnormal heart rhythm
3. insufficient urine production
4. itching
5. weight loss

1. Hallucination
2. Loneliness
3. Mood swings
4. Inability to combine muscle movements
5. Loss of appetite

There is no particular restriction on the treatment. Restrictions vary from one disease to another and also the restrictions are not very complicated. These restrictions include proper blood pressure and sugar levels in the body.

Some of the side effects of the treatment are as follows: an increased risk of infections, an increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, weight gain, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, extra hair growth or hair loss, and swollen gums.

Since there is no treatment for the cure of the disease, people take treatment for their survival for few more days and get relief from the pain. During the time of medication or hospital care the patient is suppose to be in clean and hygienic environment. If a patient is not staying in a hospital and is taking medications for the disease he/she should visit the hospital often for check-ups and tests. The patient should make sure that he/she is drinking clean, hygienic and boiled water to avoid more complications in the disease.

While going through the treatment you will always feel weak as a lot of changes takes place in the body and a lot of medications have to be taken. There is no fixed time for recovery and also there is no standardized life expectancy when a patient is on treatment.

The cost of various disease treatment are as follows • AIDS- Rs 3000-6000 per month • Lung disease- Rs 15lakhs -20lakhs • Kidney disease -Rs 70000- 2 lakhs • Heart disease- Rs 1 lakh-3 lakhs

The results of some treatments are permanent