Forum home The potting shed
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Very interesting discussion on End of Life care - join us

1246714

Posts

  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    Most of us expect that we may come across a bad car mechanic, far fewer of us appreciate, that we will come across bad doctors.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • Valley GardenerValley Gardener Posts: 2,851
    Punkdoc,my husband has been told the operation he's waiting for could cause a stroke.He's asked not to be resuscitated should this occur.Says he doesn't want to be a dribbling liability. The consultant has phoned him twice at home trying to talk him out of this decision,saying he could have a stroke any time,not necessarily under anesthetic. As a retired consultant do you know the reason for this? Or maybe this is not your field of expertise? Why do I feel there's more to it?
    The whole truth is an instrument that can only be played by an expert.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,138
    edited July 2018
    @Valley Gardener  I hope Punkdoc will excuse me jumping in here ... 

    A bit more than 25 years ago my father had quite a severe stroke in his early 70s initially losing the use of his arm and leg on one side, having speech problems and losing the sight of one eye ... with good care and physio etc not only did he regain his driving licence but he was able to take up pheasant shooting again (he was a farmer) ... in fact his long sight in his good eye was amazing, and he had no long term problems with his speech.  He did have a bit of a problem with hearing on the affected side, but he just said ... 'Sometimes I don't hear your mother ...' and winked.  He lived an active life for another nearly 20 years.  

    The outcomes for many stroke victims nowadays is not as bad as your husband may fear.

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • punkdoc said:
    My perspective on this, probably comes from a slightly different viewpoint, in that I spent my career as an intensive care consultant.
    My greatest worry is, medicine has progressed at an exponential rate, and we now have the ability to keep many people alive, that would have died a few years ago.
    However, we rarely seem to consider whether keeping these people alive, is in their benefit.
    Many doctors I worked with, thought that if you could do something, then you should.

    It is clearly much easier for a Dr. to do something, than to do nothing, but is often, IMO, the wrong thing to do.

    In respect of voluntary euthanasia, I have always believed, that it should be the right of the individual to decide, unless they are clearly not capable of making such a decision.
    I am almost GP, final year.
    Home visits sometimes can be difficult as families not coping, person not willing to go even for respite care.
    Another issue is DNACPR is seen as "washing hands off a patient", whereas in reality, it is a very specific decision, based on certain set of circumstances. It is always a medical decision, than family condemning the person to dnacpr. Person would still receive all the medical attention they need.
    Also this new link has another approach, which I feel as an improvement.

    https://www.respectprocess.org.uk 
  • Valley GardenerValley Gardener Posts: 2,851
    Well that's amazing Dove,and I'm so glad it turned out well for him.The trouble is we have seen three close friends plus my Mum,who didn't have any kind of recovery,and wern't able to walk or speak.I always said I didn't want to be "saved" after seeing my poor Mum in such a state.She was a very active woman who took care of herself. It's worrying when they obviously have to tell you this before an op! Makes you wonder why?
    The whole truth is an instrument that can only be played by an expert.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,138
    @kanwaljit.dhande  thank you for that link ... it's very interesting and as you say, looks as if it may well be an improvement on the current situation.

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,023

    It is strange, as has already been said, that this thread https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/comment/1949061#Comment_1949061 doesn't come up on the first page.

    So I'll repeat what I said there, for what it's worth.
    I am a Christian, but I don't believe in preserving life at all cost. Christians believe you shouldn't kill, but I don't see what that has to do with helping someone who is ill, in pain and who will die anyway to have as peaceful and pain free death as possible. I was also a nurse and morphine was used to help with this when I was young which I thought was a merciful thing to do. But nowadays I'm afraid that doctors are afraid of getting into trouble or being accused of euthanasia when it still isn't legal so that they are more reluctant to help people to die in a merciful manner. Assisted death in a controlled and caring manner should be legal if it is the wish of the patient or their relatives if the patient is no longer capable. I have agreed with a lot that has been said, and very well expressed, on here.


    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,092
    " Nowadays I'm afraid that doctors are afraid of getting into trouble or being accused of euthanasia "

    My experience is that it is a regular part of medical practice, but less open so now.
  • Mary370Mary370 Posts: 2,003
    @BuzzyLizzie is that not what they do in the hospices?  Controlled and assisted death?  It is happening here, and in the UK, but no-body talks about it.  Why...........I don't understand.  But sadly it seems it is only an option for those in the latter stages of cancer, there are many other painful diseases which people die from, but they, for some obscure reason don't have the specialised care teams that people with cancer have.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,092
    edited July 2018
Sign In or Register to comment.