11–20 of 337 posts
> I wanted to tell him no. I wanted to tell him that if we had done everything we could she would have ...
I struggle with things like this. Its like I want to answer accurately, but then have to consciously remember the culture and consequences. Other people are so natural at this
Wonderful article. This is a not-uncommon situation in end of life care. It's difficult for a family to accept a tragedy like this, a loved young woman dying in the prime of her life from something untreatable. The families often are in almost some sort of denial (understandably, I'm saying that without judgment) and demand that everything be tried, even when it's futile and ends up making the situation worse like in…
> The families often are in almost some sort of denial It was like pulling teeth to try to get doctors to tell me anything realistic. I don't get the impression that anyone in the medical community is trying to change this. Unlike my other family members, I had seen this person once a month obviously deteriorating in line with what every prognosis and statistic would say. My other family members were there every day…
At every turn, the doctors and nurses charged with the child's care encouraged the parents to end the kid's suffering. The parents were absolutely invested in using all of their resources to give the child "the best care". The last few years of the kid's life were basically vegetative, with frequent interruptions of how a human with an obliterated nervous system manifests pain.
I'm sorry if this reads all tragic and horrible, but that's what it is. There should be laws preventing family members from prolonging the suffering of their loved ones.
This article reinforces my view even more. We as a society needs to allow people to end their life in a medical environment and only if they're capable of making the decision on their own in a rational manner. I've witnessed horrible situations where the life is not going to improve and is intolerable for the victim who wants an exit even if it means death. Why do we allow our own selfish desires to have these people…
The subjects are very emotional ofcourse, which makes doing “the right thing” extra hard in the best of circumstances.
Does anyone else go through like 6 different redirects before they land on the article?
The HN special: don't comment on the great, heartfelt article; instead be pedantic about redirects.
Feck me, if that isn't the broad stroke of painting with imbellishment, deriving from what I presume to be too much personal investment.
The author, through their own admission, was detached as feck from the patient and the relative they talk with at the end; he even mentions judging them for keeping her in the hospital. You call that "heartfelt"?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> The families often are in almost some sort of denial It was like pulling teeth to try to get doctors to tell me anything realistic. I don't get the impression that anyone in the medical community is trying to change this. Unlike my other family members, I had seen this person once a month obviously deteriorating in line with what every prognosis and statistic would say. My other family members were there every day…
I know some parents who had a child with an extremely rare degenerative disorder that attacks the nervous system. They were wealthy enough to afford extremely good care and as such, kept their poor suffering child "alive" for 12 years longer than anyone else who had ever had the same disease. Life expectancy of newborns with this disorder is about 1-3 years. At every turn, the doctors and nurses charged with the chil…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I know some parents who had a child with an extremely rare degenerative disorder that attacks the nervous system. They were wealthy enough to afford extremely good care and as such, kept their poor suffering child "alive" for 12 years longer than anyone else who had ever had the same disease. Life expectancy of newborns with this disorder is about 1-3 years. At every turn, the doctors and nurses charged with the chil…
And what's to prevent insurance companies from exploiting those laws to reduce costs and increase profits?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> The families often are in almost some sort of denial It was like pulling teeth to try to get doctors to tell me anything realistic. I don't get the impression that anyone in the medical community is trying to change this. Unlike my other family members, I had seen this person once a month obviously deteriorating in line with what every prognosis and statistic would say. My other family members were there every day…
I know some parents who had a child with an extremely rare degenerative disorder that attacks the nervous system. They were wealthy enough to afford extremely good care and as such, kept their poor suffering child "alive" for 12 years longer than anyone else who had ever had the same disease. Life expectancy of newborns with this disorder is about 1-3 years. At every turn, the doctors and nurses charged with the chil…
I can't think of a way to implement a law like that which wouldn't be fraught with horrible problems. Just imagine the misery associated with doctors deciding to "kill people's children," which in fact in some cases would be unjustified. (Nobody can always get it right, not even doctors.)