My father was diagnosed with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma just a year ago at the age of 87. He sailed through 2 Y90 treatments, and has managed a number of issues. He is now in Hospice care, with ascites being the most problematic issue. Staff have advised us that he is too weak to bear having the fluid drained, as the decrease in fluid could cause a drop in his blood pressure, and the inevitable return of the fluid could cause him more discomfort than what he has now. Thankfully, he is not experiencing any pain. But he is increasingly confused and sleepy. So I’m thinking that the build up of fluid is affecting his brain. So this is my question. Is this the end? Will he simply drift off into a coma and slip away painlessly? I’m thinking that would be preferable to some of the other eventualities. Maybe I am just being naive? How long can he go on like this? I’m not trying to hasten his death, but I don’t want to prolong it either. How can you hope/pray for your own father’s death?