Hard Choice for a Comfortable Death: Sedation

[strollingbones]

drugs are used to sedate the dying but may hasten death:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/27/health/27sedation.html

 

[uscitizen]

Better to go out screaming?

Seems to me that the suffering would shorten your life a bit? LIke a cardiac arrest?

 

[geauxtohell]

drugs are used to sedate the dying but may hasten death:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/27/health/27sedation.html

It's the ethical dilemma of risk versus reward when it comes to alleviating suffering versus mortality.

The party line is that it is acceptable to give medications to alleviate suffering but not to end life.

 

[xotoxi]

drugs are used to sedate the dying but may hasten death:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/27/health/27sedation.html

The alternative to treating someone with these meds is to not treat them at all, and instead watch them writhe and moan in agony, and possibly get up and stumble around in an agitated state, and fall and fracture their hip or hemorrhage into their brain.

I'm not exaggerating.

 

[uscitizen]

drugs are used to sedate the dying but may hasten death:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/27/health/27sedation.html

The alternative to treating someone with these meds is to not treat them at all, and instead watch them writhe and moan in agony, and possibly get up and stumble around in an agitated state, and fall and fracture their hip or hemorrhage into their brain.

I'm not exaggerating.

No you are not xaggerating.

The younger ones have not seen much of this.

 

[noose4]

If I am terminal and there is no hope I'd rather go in 1 week sedated and comfortable rather than lasting a month experiencing excruciating pain.

 

[Mr Natural]

I hope I die before I get old.

 

[uscitizen]

I hope I die before I get old.

Depends, some old folks do great, but many/most have problems that seriously degrade their quality of life.

Why we need death panels

 

[Mr Natural]

I hope I die before I get old.

Depends, some old folks do great, but many/most have problems that seriously degrade their quality of life.

Why we need death panels

Some get lucky. But hang around long enough and there's a real good chance that the last few years, months, or weeks of your life will be shit and there's a real big difference between living and being alive.

 

[uscitizen]

I hope I die before I get old.

Depends, some old folks do great, but many/most have problems that seriously degrade their quality of life.

Why we need death panels

Some get lucky. But hang around long enough and there's a real good chance that the last few years, months, or weeks of your life will be shit and there's a real big difference between living and being alive.

But from what I have seen most of the oldsters want to hang on just as long as they can.
And if they don't their family wants to keep them alive at any cost.

Me, I am checking out when it gets too bad.