Is It Possible To Speak When Unconcious On Morphine

[gordiescotland1]

Hi there when my friend was dying at the beginning of the month, I was sitting there in the room with my minister and his wife. I was at his bedside on his left and the ministers wife was opposite and sitting next to him was her husband, At one point just before 7pm he moved in bed kicked his feet a few times and I heard him say the name Alice twice very faintly I told my ministers wife he was trying to say something and she dismissed that. The nursing staff told us he was on a pump of morphine and midazolam continuously but I think he may have had a vision or a moment of breakthrough pain. It was quite sad he in fact did have family 1 sister and 3 brothers who he had not spoken to for 28 years and they had tried to make it up with him but he did not want to know. I met his sister at the funeral and the first thing I asked her was did she know anyone called Alice and she said that Alice was their mother who died in 2001 and she had tried to contact my friend to make it up but to no avail and he never called his mum mum he called her Alice.

[jno]

I would have thought if you can speak you're probably not fully unconscious. The morphine's really to treat pain, not to make you unconscious

[Sqad]

gordie.......retention or the ability to speak depends upon the level of consciousness and it is quite possible even on sedation, as your friend was, speech is possible.
Remember there are varying degrees of sedation as there is with levels of consciousness.

[Prudie]

I don't want to turn this thread into something to be scoffed at but you may like to know that my mum sat her mother's (my nan) death bed in hospital. She'd not been conscious for a couple of days but suddenly opened her eyes and said 'mother' and then died. God's honest truth.

[LadyCG]

Geordie, I really believe that we will see our loved ones waiting at the point right before we pass.

The research and writings of Elizabeth Kubler Ross are fascinating if you are interested in exploring the subject further.