Posted on 09/03/2014 11:16:03 AM PDT by chessplayer
Years ago, Charlie, a highly respected orthopedist and a mentor of mine, found a lump in his stomach. He had a surgeon explore the area, and the diagnosis was pancreatic cancer. This surgeon was one of the best in the country. He had even invented a new procedure for this exact cancer that could triple a patient’s five-year-survival odds–from 5 percent to 15 percent–albeit with a poor quality of life. Charlie was uninterested. He went home the next day, closed his practice, and never set foot in a hospital again. He focused on spending time with family and feeling as good as possible. Several months later, he died at home. He got no chemotherapy, radiation, or surgical treatment. Medicare didn’t spend much on him.
It’s not a frequent topic of discussion, but doctors die, too. And they don’t die like the rest of us. What’s unusual about them is not how much treatment they get compared to most Americans, but how little. For all the time they spend fending off the deaths of others, they tend to be fairly serene when faced with death themselves. They know exactly what is going to happen, they know the choices, and they generally have access to any sort of medical care they could want. But they go gently.
Of course, doctors don’t want to die; they want to live. But they know enough about modern medicine to know its limits. And they know enough about death to know what all people fear most: dying in pain, and dying alone.
(Excerpt) Read more at time.com ...
The media has a theme regarding death, to always promote it, and from every angle, to every varying audience, and to undermine our culture of life and valuing life, and of our duty to God to place value on all human lives.
Forcing a loved one to suffer endless torture is not valuing their life. It is a horrific devaluation of it.
I was one of the last 908 veterinary technicians for the USAF that took care of military dogs before the Army took over the responsibility. It was a political stunt that is attributed to one of the many things that Jimmy Carter did. We caught the Army food inspectors taking bribes and the Senate in 1975 had a major investigation that resulted in dozens of Army veterinary officers and enlisted sent to Leavenworth. Three employees at DPSC that were also involved committed suicide. Because of this, Carter did away with the USAF veterinary service. Now it takes three people to do the job of one veterinarian and three to take the place of one USAF veterinary technician.
No, we're not. It's just that dealing with these matters throughout a career almost guarantees having played out the scenario multiple times in one's own mind and arriving at decisions in advance of other people who don't think about it much.
What does that have to do with my post about how the media has been preaching death, euthanasia and abortion for decades?
You can’t sell death panels until you convince Americans that dying without fighting, is noble.
Fortunately, her pension covers most of the cost, and she had other assets to make up the difference.
It's tough, though, as she barely recognized me, but not my wife or son.
Conditioning? Be smart like doctors and just give up?
This isn’t new. Doctors have been known to take the “Morphine cure” (OD), for the better part of a century, when they discover, and get confirmation, that they have a severe, terminal disease, most often pancreatic cancer.
Cardiologists are especially dour about outcomes, so often carry “No Code” around with them and insist their colleagues know their wishes. An irony, because they are one of the groups least likely to have cardiopulmonary problems.
Some other intelligent, but non-Medical people who are familiar with the medical system take a third option: an extended holiday in a third world country.
The rationale in this is that in places like Mexico, you can still get quality care for all the other health problems, if not the primary terminal illness, and at a fraction of the cost. Plus, they have a far better caregiver and attendant to patient ratio, nicer living places and better weather and food.
Doing this in one of the large ex-pat communities spares crippling bills to their family, and generally prevents the government and other busybodies from interfering with their life.
For those who are not terminal, the expense and hassle of getting care in the US has lead many to an odd option: taking a perpetual cruise ship trip. They calculated that for just a bit more than a dour nursing home they can live on a cruise ship year around.
If this is from “Time” magazine, I suspect that they would like to influence all of us seniors to just go home and die quietly when we become ill. (No, I did not read the entire piece.)
+1
Not suicide, I hope.
My parents shied away from dealing with the issue of death when it came to paperwork but told all of their children what they really wanted. No fuss, no machines.
My dad had a very short bout with Alzheimer's and died at home with our Mom holding his hand. My Mom still lived at their home and had a severe stroke last year. I was able to travel the 820 miles to get to her and she passed with my sister and I present six hours after I made it home. She waited for me.
I want to go while I am at home if at all possible. No mess. I hope God allows me that, He did for my parents and I really think it was because they were very good Christians and two of the most decent people I have ever had the honor to know. I hope I can be as good as them.
Thank you.
I gotta say, that’s a bit strange. There was malfeasance in the ARMY veterinary corps, so they closed down the AIR FORCE veterinary corps???
Oh, yeah: Jimmy Carter.
‘nuff said ...
Why would you say that? No suicide was implied by me or the poster I was responding to.
It wouldn’t be any of your business anyway.
Time magazine advocating “duty to die”
How about magazine’s duty to cease publication as it dies out.
I don't want to be a burden to my wife and/or children, and I certainly don't want to spend every cent of their inheritance clinging to a hope that I will avoid as long as possible what I know is everyone's fate.
I have a place at my Master's table forever, and He knows when I will be there.
“I want to face it head on”
Me too. I’ve already had my doctor talk and my kids talk.
.
evidently two veterinarians.
Oh, sorry. I was hoping I was wrong.
You are right that it would not be any of my business, but I would still be saddened by the thought of it.
Oftentimes, it involves breaking ribs.
When my mom went into a nursing home, I was with her when all the papers were signed. Afterwards one of the nurses mentioned to my brother, a physician, that Mom had selected the resuscitate option. I thought it made sense. My brother told me that Mom, with severe osteoporosis would end up bedridden, in pain for the rest of her short life if CPR were to be performed on her. Not what Mom would want! Mom is a very strong Christian and, at 92, is not afraid of death. She now has a Do Not Resuscitate order.
This is why it's so important for patients and doctors to have end-of-life discussions!
Apology accepted.
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