As if he didn’t have enough problems already two days ago his arm came out in an itchy rash. This made his already poor sleep worse. The itch was still present but was accompanied by severe burning pains. His skin had become too tender to touch. He didn’t dare rub creams onto the affected areas as even gentle touch resulted in worsened pain. He had taken extra pain relief at home but it hadn’t relieved his abdominal or arm pains.

He was admitted into our inpatient unit and medication changes were made. By the next morning, he felt his abdominal pain was slightly better, but his arm itch and pains still woke him up from sleep. A spot diagnosis of Shingles was made, and different medications were charted for pain control.

Our patient thanked us for all of our efforts in helping him and his family. Then he burst into tears. He was still holding out for a miracle but thought that his chances were not good. He wanted to stay alive as his children were still young. He wasn’t all that old himself but he looked at least 20 years older than his chronological age. He had lost more than half of his body weight because of cancer. He had no reserves left. He had a poor appetite and his lack of teeth made eating solid foods difficult. The masses in his abdomen continued to grow and caused him much pain.

The following day he was able to walk around the ward with the assistance of a walking frame. It was good to see him smile.