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Thankfully both my parents put their wishes in writing and didn’t suffer unnecessary procedures at the end of their lives. Although the VA doctors tried to get my dad to have surgery when he was dying. He was 6ft and weighed 90 pounds because of severe emphysema and he had a big stroke 14 years before. He wanted to die for years. When they couldn’t get my mom to consent to surgery because he had a stomach aneurysm they tried to talk my dad into after we left although legally he wasn’t competent. He refused and died 5 days later.
I asked him why he wanted to subject the family to this indignity? He told me the same thing he had said in the room. I put my hand on his shoulder, pulled him close and said that I would approve the autopsy ONLY if I received a copy of the report to prove last week's surgery was unneeded, except to make him more money. Then I would sue his ass
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You're saying he kept your loved one alive an extra week just to make himself more money? How exactly does that work?
Where was this? Hospital? He should lose his medical license, he's violating the Hippocratic Oath and sounds like the worst scumbag I've ever heard of.
It’s not always the doctors that push the patients to undergo painful treatment against the odds. Here is a piece by an oncologist discussing how patients expect another round of chemo when the cancer returns…
I have found this article to be of great information. In it it touches on why doctors keep patients alive, from running tests to useless procedures. Short and interesting article. From Readers Digest.
Some months back, somebody else posted a similar article. It was very good with a doctor explaining the view of other doctors for end of life and how they don't choose to drag out their own deaths endlessly. I wish I could find that old thread. It would add good context to your link. It is just more of the same but it was a really good read.
It is always hard to find old things when you need them.
For whatever reason, they want to keep us hooked up, drugged up, and bedridden in perpetuity while time and effort goes completely wasted for someone on death's doorstep that would be better spent treating someone young with a correctable condition. It is illogical.
Not so much illogical, but profitable. There is no more Hippocratic oath and there hasn't been for a few decades now. The reason you ponder is money, pure and simple.
Honestly, I don't think I could trust a modern day doctor face to face any more than a diagnosis from Web MD. They both lead to the same thing - a circuit of expensive drugs, treatments, and various 'procedures' to prolong life and treatment as long as possible, even if a person ends up incapacitated in a wheelchair pooping in a diaper. "We saved their life". Ain't no life left, it shouldn't even come to that.
Many years ago when my father was dying of terminal kidney failure and his body was shutting down, his surgeon wanted to operate to "save him." My mother never said no, she felt that there was always hope. She overrode me and said yes.
Dad suffered another week and finally (and thankfully) died. The same surgeon came in the room while Dad was still warm and said that he would like to order an autopsy "to help future medicine"
I told him that he and I could talk in the hall while Mom was saying her goodbyes.
I asked him why he wanted to subject the family to this indignity? He told me the same thing he had said in the room. I put my hand on his shoulder, pulled him close and said that I would approve the autopsy ONLY if I received a copy of the report to prove last week's surgery was unneeded, except to make him more money. Then I would sue his ass
In my experience, it's not the physicians who are the problem. It's usually the patient's family.
When there is no advanced care directive (living will) and family members disagree you can pretty much bet the hospital will want to go to heroic lengths to keep the patient alive.
If you don't want that to happen than have an advanced care directive. Good hospitals will try to get conscious patients to sign one at the time of admission.
Some months back, somebody else posted a similar article. It was very good with a doctor explaining the view of other doctors for end of life and how they don't choose to drag out their own deaths endlessly. I wish I could find that old thread. It would add good context to your link. It is just more of the same but it was a really good read.
It is always hard to find old things when you need them.
In my experience, it's not the physicians who are the problem. It's usually the patient's family.
A friend of mine is going through this now. The family wants her to try everything, chemo, surgery, etc. She has pancreatic cancer.
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