Nearly 30 years ago my then 40- year-old husband was diagnosed with cancer. Two years later and after several operations, the cancer returned and nothing more could be done. His life over, his last couple of years consisted of radiotherapy, operations and daily doses of morphine. We were told that even with the cancer he had, he would never have to be in pain, due to the morphine. What we weren't told was the side effects of the morphine - nightmares, hallucinations and not being able to eat. We ended up taking turns to sit with him during the night to talk him through the hallucinations. He tried halving the morphine dose but was then in a lot of pain.

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