3 ms·
This Radiolab story (2013) covers the same theme: http://www.radiolab.org/story/262588-bitter-end/ http://www.radiolab.org/story/262588-bitter-end/ It notes t
by klenwell 10y ago
This Radiolab story (2013) covers the same theme:
http://www.radiolab.org/story/262588-bitter-end/ http://www.radiolab.org/story/262588-bitter-end/
It notes the discrepancy between doctors' preferences and the general public's and points to the role television medical dramas play in explaining it.
I've always been in the "If I'm too ill to enjoy life, please let me go" camp. Still, this was one of those pieces that significantly tilted how I look at an issue.
- gmarx 10y agoMany people think that when they see an ill person. I wouldn't want to live like that. In reality it sneaks up on you so slowly that by the time you are in that situation, you do want to live like that. My dad saw his dad slowly die of dementia and told me he wanted to get a cyanide pill and always have it on him. When he got in that condition and was restricted to bed in a nursing home and we asked if he wanted DNR, he was pretty clear that he did not. One could argue whether he understood. The only patient I ever saw who was eager to die was an end stage lung patient with horrible air hunger. He said enthusiastically "doc, let's do this" (he meant give me enough morphine for the air hunger that I stop breathing). It was kind of chilling
- maxxxxx 10y agoI have been thinking about this too and I also concluded that it will be hard to find the cutoff point. Most diseases take years to develop. How do you decide you had enough?
- gmarx 10y agoIf you go via dementia by the time you get there you long ago lost the ability to act
- ZeroFries 10y agoMore like fear is not present when they make that decision for "future me", and is present when making that decision for "present me".