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How Doctors die. It’s not like the rest of us (2016)

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Re: How Doctors die. It’s not like the rest of us (2016)

#11

Post by delichon »

djoldman wrote: post #4

> Even when the right preparations have been made, the system can still swallow people up. One of my patients was a man named Jack... He explained to me that he never, under any circumstances, wanted to be placed on life support machines again. > Even with all his wishes documented, Jack hadn’t died as he’d hoped. The system had intervened. One of the nurses, I later found out, even reported my unplugging of Jack to…

There is a huge unspoken blind spot for a terminal hospice patient. The medicine cabinet just opens up. My dad asked the doctor exactly how much of what he shouldn't take if he didn't want a quick easy death, and the doctor just told him. He didn't end up using it but it was a comfort to him.

Re: How Doctors die. It’s not like the rest of us (2016)

#14

Post by Simulacra »

djoldman wrote: post #4

> Even when the right preparations have been made, the system can still swallow people up. One of my patients was a man named Jack... He explained to me that he never, under any circumstances, wanted to be placed on life support machines again. > Even with all his wishes documented, Jack hadn’t died as he’d hoped. The system had intervened. One of the nurses, I later found out, even reported my unplugging of Jack to…

[flagged]

Re: How Doctors die. It’s not like the rest of us (2016)

#15

Post by netsharc »

gerdesj wrote: post #5
djoldman wrote: post #4

> Even when the right preparations have been made, the system can still swallow people up. One of my patients was a man named Jack... He explained to me that he never, under any circumstances, wanted to be placed on life support machines again. > Even with all his wishes documented, Jack hadn’t died as he’d hoped. The system had intervened. One of the nurses, I later found out, even reported my unplugging of Jack to…

Does the US have the concept of DNR (Do Not Resuscitate)?

There was a "culture war" (the rightwing government intervening due to religious reasons) in the 2000's involving a "DNR"-esque case https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terri_Schiavo_case

Re: How Doctors die. It’s not like the rest of us (2016)

#16

Post by ourmandave »

djoldman wrote: post #4

> Even when the right preparations have been made, the system can still swallow people up. One of my patients was a man named Jack... He explained to me that he never, under any circumstances, wanted to be placed on life support machines again. > Even with all his wishes documented, Jack hadn’t died as he’d hoped. The system had intervened. One of the nurses, I later found out, even reported my unplugging of Jack to…

This reminds me of an interview with neurosurgeon and author Henry Marsh who had prostate cancer.

He described how he's arranged to end his own life should he get alzheimer's or dementia as he didn't want to waste away. But he explained that he has access to knowledge and things ordinary people don't.

Re: How Doctors die. It’s not like the rest of us (2016)

#17

Post by oh_my_goodness »

j-conn wrote: post #3
ggm wrote: post #2

> Many people think of CPR as a reliable lifesaver when, in fact, the results are usually poor. I’ve had hundreds of people brought to me in the emergency room after getting CPR. Exactly one, a healthy man who’d had no heart troubles (for those who want specifics, he had a ‘tension pneumothorax’), walked out of the hospital. This point has been made by many medically trained people over decades. It's a very energetic…

Totally misleading. Early CPR (+AED if available) absolutely saves lives. Article is from 2011 by a family med doctor. Overly aggressive resuscitation attempts are definitely a problem but context matters

How has CPR (or CPR data) changed since 2011? What type of medicine do you practice?

Re: How Doctors die. It’s not like the rest of us (2016)

#18

Post by tialaramex »

2bitencryption wrote: post #7
ggm wrote: post #2

> Many people think of CPR as a reliable lifesaver when, in fact, the results are usually poor. I’ve had hundreds of people brought to me in the emergency room after getting CPR. Exactly one, a healthy man who’d had no heart troubles (for those who want specifics, he had a ‘tension pneumothorax’), walked out of the hospital. This point has been made by many medically trained people over decades. It's a very energetic…

> It's a very energetic intensive process, it cracks ribs. I feel like lately this is becoming more common knowledge - but still something most people don't realize. Part of it is probably the fact that it's impossible to depict "real" CPR in popular culture (movies, TV shows, etc) unless the production goes to extreme lengths to use a fake dummy. Even on The Pitt (which seems to make a point of being hyper realistic…

Yeah, akin to the Gell-mann Amnesia Effect, we notice a few things where we're experts but then forget everything else is likely just as bogus. Apparently one reason "Queen's Gambit" was a big deal was that most pop culture chess isn't just not very good chess (as you might innocently assume), it's literally nonsense. Like, pieces on the wrong squares, illegal moves, even simple continuity errors where pieces move between camera shots. So QG begins scoring points for chess fans when it remembers stuff like the White Queen starts on a White square...

Re: How Doctors die. It’s not like the rest of us (2016)

#19

Post by jrapdx3 »

I'm a physician, an old one. We're lucky to live as long as we do, but life will end. The article emphasizes the value of dying peacefully. Sure, that's how we want it to be, but we have to make it known to assure it goes that way.

Don't know what happens elsewhere, but every time I see a doctor someone asks if I have a signed, notarized directive. Yes, I've done that, but so should everybody else concerned about the issue.

I have asked aged patients the same question. More than not the answer is "no". Why haven't you? Various versions of "on my list of things to do". We can't really predict future events, in our own interests best to be prepared. Some will take the hint, more than not, people procrastinate.

At least I've done what I can do, but we can't save people from themselves. Maybe people in healthcare are more aware of what's at stake, but everyone has the option to make it as clear as possible their wish (no, their demand) to die in peace.

Re: How Doctors die. It’s not like the rest of us (2016)

#20

Post by croes »

Simulacra wrote: post #14
djoldman wrote: post #4

> Even when the right preparations have been made, the system can still swallow people up. One of my patients was a man named Jack... He explained to me that he never, under any circumstances, wanted to be placed on life support machines again. > Even with all his wishes documented, Jack hadn’t died as he’d hoped. The system had intervened. One of the nurses, I later found out, even reported my unplugging of Jack to…

[flagged]

Aren’t that contradicting actions
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