Right to Die Discussion

[efusco]

I'm tempted to retitle this The Thread that Will Not Die!

After all the b.s. the feds are doing for this sad Terri Shiavo case I need this thread to remind me that there are people out there that think like I do.

[pjo1966]

To add fuel to the fire... did anyone hear about the Bishop or Cardinal in San Diego who refused to allow a church to hold a funeral for a gay member of the parish and further refused to allow him to be buried in their cemetery. So much for love the sinner, hate the sin.

[dwp-wa]

I and my wife both think gays and lesbians should be be allowed to marry. Many of these fundamentalists also do not think I and my wife should be married, even though we are a male-female couple, because I upset their predfined scheme. I am transsexually-oriented and spend far more than half my life as a transwoman.

I always make sure my wife is well taken care of, and I spent a lot of energy getting her the new Prius. Neither our Toyota dealer nor our Prius cares in the least how I am dressed.

[jayman]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco\";p=\"74851)</div>

After all the b.s. the feds are doing for this sad Terri Shiavo case I need this thread to remind me that there are people out there that think like I do.[/b]

Doc:

Repeat after me: "Living Will."

It's shocking how many folks out there don't have something in writing to specify exactly what - or more importantly NOT - they want done in a critical medical emergency. The family doctor should also have a copy of this in the file too.

My folks set up their Living Wills back in 1990, with a few modifications over the years as some laws appeared to change. I also have a Living Will, and in my wallet I carry a bright red plastic card with large white letters:

D.N.R.

I suppose if that isn't enough to get the point across, I could always come back as a ghost and haunt them, right??

[pjo1966]

The DNR has some grey area as well. If you have a heart attack, you don't want them to bring you back? That's something you can fully recover from.

[jayman]

It's my body and my choice: nobody else has any d*** business deciding when to plug me in. Don't worry, I'm also an Organ Donor too.

[efusco]

Actually, I agree completely with PJO1966. DNR is probably a term we should stop using...the meaning and intent is too vague.

Do you mean that if your blood sugar drops low you don't want me to give you dextrose? What if you are too sick to talk with a bad infection...no antibiotics?

Ok you say, anyone would know you're talking about intubation and other 'extraordinary' means....

Well, if you're in a car accident in your Prius and have some facial injuries that otherwise would not be life threatening but are impeding your breathing do you not want me to intubate?

If you're playing basket ball with your buds and the ball hits you in the chest at just the wrong moment and you go into a cardiac dysrhythmia that can be immediately and completely reversed with a shock from a defibrillator and will have you back playing ball in a couple weeks...you want I should withhold that too?

The extremes are easy, the in betweens...not so much. As you say, a living will is critical to try to define the general concepts you believe in--ie. If you're in a persistant vegetative state with little or no chance for functional or useful recovery you do not wish feeding tubes, IV fluids, cpr, etc....but you want antibiotics if you are incapacitated and there is a small chance for recovery. These change with personal desires and time...the extremely elderly diabetic who's had 2 heart attacks and a stroke may decide that he/she wants antibiotics withheld in a situation where an otherwise healthy person would want to recieve them.

Also, you must have that one person in your life who knows how you feel designated to make the decisions for the situations you can't predict and when you can't speak for yourself.

As the Shiavo case points out, this is something we should do when young, not when old.

[bookrats]

Living will & medical power of attorney: done.

It's particularly important to me, as I am not married to my partner; but any married couple should get this done -- if for no other reason than discussing these issues, and getting them out in the open.
[hr:8db1e88774]
My folks have just gone through the death of their last parent (my last grandparent) -- a process they have been through 4 times in the last 15 years.

One of the many, many reasons they are glad to live in Oregon is state legislation that enforces the wishes they put in their living will.

Every life is unique; as is every death. Think now on how you want the end of your life to play out.

[jayman]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco\";p=\"75027)</div>

Do you mean that if your blood sugar drops low you don't want me to give you dextrose?  What if you are too sick to talk with a bad infection...no antibiotics?[/b]

Evan:

Well ... yes, I do mean that.

I have nothing but the highest respect for the medical profession, and I know you mean very well as a highly qualified ER doc, but in the end it's my choice.

I'm not basing this on any religious reasons, I just have a personal belief that I don't want any aggressive and forceful medical interventions done at all. I take very good care of myself, go in for routine checkups and lab work (A1c especially given my family history), and try to make prudent lifestyle choices.

If I do eventually become hypertensive and get Type II diabetes - as my family history probably guarantees that I will - then I'll put on a stiff upper lip and start chomping down vasotec, glyburide, and all sorts of nifty meds. I can't wait!



So more than likely, I'll live to nice ripe old age as a cranky 'ole coot. As far as the cranky bit, I'm halfway there already. So it's not like I have a death wish or anything morbid, I'm just trying to take a pragmatic viewpoint on this.

As I stated, I'm also an Organ Donor, and when I inevitably croak (We all do eventually), after they get done harvesting all useful organs and tissues and whatnot, then the cold stinky corpse goes off to a medical school. So nothing goes to waste, so to speak.

Actually, I'm *very* impressed over how caring and compassionate we are as a PriusChat community. Too bad our society in whole can't be the same way.

[jayman]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bookrats\";p=\"75090)</div>

Living will & medical power of attorney: done. Every life is unique; as is every death.  Think now on how you want the end of your life to play out.[/b]

Jeff:

Have you got *that* right. I hope most folks out there aren't put off by this topic, as it may seem a bit morbid. But this should be SOP as we can't live forever.

Look at all the extra stress and bulls*** when nobody knows what to do upon a serious illness and then death.

"Geez, I dunno, did Jay want a funeral, a cremation?? Do we just toss him in the Dumpster?? He never did say, what an a** ..."

Might not be a bad idea for a new topic on this. Hinting Dr. Fusco??