What would you do for love?

[SeaCat]

What would you do for Love? For a loved one?

This question was asked of me today during an interview. (No I will not say with whom the interview was.)

The question was asked dealing with a loved one who was terminally ill, with no chance of recovery. What would you do? Would you allow the medical community to continue lifesaving efforts or would you do what needed to be done to allow them to die. (Yes this does include pulling the plug if so needed.)

I think I surprised the questioner not only with my answer but more importantly with how quickly I answered. (Yes I have thought about this.)

So how would you answer? What would you do for Love?

Cat

 

[Jubal_Harshaw]

I would not want a life trapped inside a useless body nor would I condemn someone I love to such a torture.

 

[Guest]

My parents have Living Wills; my husband and I have discussed it.

No ridiculous measures. If terminal, let them die, at home if that is their wish.

Hospice is a wonderful organization.

 

[R. Richard]

I would not want a life trapped inside a useless body nor would I condemn someone I love to such a torture.

Well said! Sometimes life = torture.

 

[rgraham666]

I'd let them go. No sense in prolonging a terminal illness.

 

[kiten69]

The question was asked dealing with a loved one who was terminally ill, with no chance of recovery. What would you do?

Cat

If you love something enough you set it free.

I have had 3 of my family members make this decision. Heartbreaking yes, but in the end it was the right thing to do.

 

[slyc_willie]

I think you pretty much know what my answer would be.

 

[SeaCat]

Down here recently we had a court case where a Nursing Home ignored a Living Will and called in the Paramedics for one of their patients who went into Cardiac Arrest.

The patient was Intubated and Shocked multiple times until they were "Brought Back". They had several broken ribs from the C.P.R., they were on a Ventilator. (The patients M.D. was not called until the patient had been transported to the hospital.)

The outcome of the court case? The patients life saving measures were withdrawn. (The patient died within five hours.) The Nursing home owes some major fees to the family. (The M.D. was cleared as he wasn't consulted.)

I, my wife and my parents all have Living Wills. (We are also Organ Donors which is something else I wish more people would do.)

Cat

 

[glynndah]

I have witnessed both decisions. Please use no "heroic measures" if there is no hope.

 

[SeaCat]

I have witnessed both decisions. Please use no "heroic measures" if there is no hope.

As have I dear lady, which is why this question holds so much importance to me.

Cat

 

[Liar]

Uh. Y'all seem to be assuming that the loved one wants to go. It is not my right to call it torture, or to call the shots.

Whichever they wish, I'll see done. And I'll also see done that I know, when the time comes, what they wish, if they can't tell me.

 

[glynndah]

Someone very close to me was brought back from a horrible stroke because her husband didn't have a chance to say "goodbye" to her. She lingered for almost 3 years in a vegetative state. Her husband (and the rest of us) regret it to this day.

 

[impressive]

Uh. Y'all seem to be assuming that the loved one wants to go. It is not my right to call it torture, or to call the shots.

Whichever they wish, I'll see done. And I'll also see done that I know, when the time comes, what they wish, if they can't tell me.

Exactly.

 

[Guest]

Uh. Y'all seem to be assuming that the loved one wants to go. It is not my right to call it torture, or to call the shots.

Whichever they wish, I'll see done. And I'll also see done that I know, when the time comes, what they wish, if they can't tell me.

Hence the need for a Living Will.

 

[starrkers]

I would not want a life trapped inside a useless body nor would I condemn someone I love to such a torture.

My thoughts exactly.
My brother choked on a piece of steak and was brought back. He'd been without adequate oxygen for 15 minutes.
My parents got to make the decision to turn off the machines. That's a decision I really wish they hadn't had to make. But it was the right one.

 

[cloudy]

I'd do what I had to.

Isn't that what it ultimately boils down to?

 

[Jubal_Harshaw]

Uh. Y'all seem to be assuming that the loved one wants to go. It is not my right to call it torture, or to call the shots.

Whichever they wish, I'll see done. And I'll also see done that I know, when the time comes, what they wish, if they can't tell me.

And if they cannot communicate their wishes, is it your right to keep them alive if they don't wish it?

 

[3113]

My brother's wife, who worked as a nurse, said she's seriously considered tattooing the letters: "DNR" across her chest.

 

[Guest]

My brother's wife, who worked as a nurse, said she's seriously considered tattooing the letters: "DNR" across her chest.

My mother is a retired Director of Nurses.

She's mentioned the same sort of thing.

 

[only_more_so]

So how would you answer? What would you do for Love?

Well, if there was a living will, then it would be an easy matter. I am not going to co-op someones wishes about their life/death, especially not someone I loved.

Frankly, if there wasn't a living will, I would be too tempted to pull the plug. My grandfather had strokes and heart-attacks that left him in a state where he didn't recognize his daughters and seemed completed confused by, possibly even afraid of, us grandchildren.

 

[Dar~]

What would you do for Love? For a loved one?

This question was asked of me today during an interview. (No I will not say with whom the interview was.)

The question was asked dealing with a loved one who was terminally ill, with no chance of recovery. What would you do? Would you allow the medical community to continue lifesaving efforts or would you do what needed to be done to allow them to die. (Yes this does include pulling the plug if so needed.)

I think I surprised the questioner not only with my answer but more importantly with how quickly I answered. (Yes I have thought about this.)

So how would you answer? What would you do for Love?

Cat

If nothing had been specified by the person in question (because what he/she wanted would be foremost to me) three word scome to mind. MIllion Dollar Baby.

 

[Carnevil9]

You are all insane! No pulling plugs around here, thank you very much.

Keep me plugged in. Life is precious, even if it is in a vegetative state. How do we know that a vegetative state isn't FABULOUS? For all we know, it could be like a 24 hour a day orgasm.

As for that contemptible lie "no hope for recovery," how the hell do they know? Doctors don't know shit. They are worse than weathermen. People wake up from comas after ten, twenty, thirty years, asking for their breakfast and the baseball scores.

"Death with dignity" - what horseshit! There is no dignity in being dead. Put some moss on my north side and give me a Jack Daniels IV drip. I'll come out of it eventually. And if I don't, so what? I'm not paying for it......Carney

 

[Chantilyvamp]

What would I not do for love is the better question.

I would move hell and high water to make sure those I love got their wishes.

This last year my best friend who had progressive breast cancer for the 2nd time was finally told she was terminal. She spent most of last year in severe pain and sick a good portion of the time.

She asked me in December if it got to much did I think it was ok if she ended it. Mind you when she asked I started crying and even the hubby wasnt able to console me. My darling friend was in so much pain she wanted out.

And you know what had she have asked me I would have handed her the pills myself, walked out of the room while she took them, came back in and held her hand until she slept making sure to tell her how much we all loved her.

Thankfully she didnt have to make that final decision, one Sunday morning in February she passed away in her bed at home with her family in the house with her.

No one has the right to ask someone else to suffer when they have other wishes. For those that I love their wish at the end is what I will abide by and if it means doing things that others dont agree with ...well I never fit the same mould anyways.

 

[champagne1982]

There is no question that the terminally ill have a right to die with dignity. I think that modern medicine relies too much on science and not enough on the first value of the vocation... First do no harm.

In artificially prolonging the body's demise I think those responsible are doing definite harm. They cause all manner of pain; physical, mental and emotional. Keep the body as comfortable as possible and allow it to stop functioning.

I was in the unenviable position of expressing a living will. My wishes were that if I were to come out of surgery so damaged and needing a respirator for over a week, then they were to remove life support. If I continued to breathe on my own for over 72 hours, resume feeding. Otherwise, let me go. I'd said my I-love-yous and my I'm-sorries, granted forgiveness and asked for the same and found that I was resolved in having surgery.

I went to the OR knowing that I would be giving my body over to the medical community and in the event of my death, that they were to use what tissues they found useful and that my family would cremate the rest.

 

[Liar]

And if they cannot communicate their wishes, is it your right to keep them alive if they don't wish it?

Um...

Is it your right to end their lives if they don't wish it?

Answer to both is: Of course not.

Which is why I said: "And I'll also see done that I know, when the time comes, what they wish, if they can't tell me."

As in, if I'm someone's go-to guy for that call, I make sure I know . The only person for whom the doctors would ask for my advice would be my mother. Therefore I'veinformed myself on her position on the question long ago.