Swingman wrote in
:

On 7/3/2012 9:03 AM, basilisk wrote:
On Mon, 2 Jul 2012 07:33:27 -0500, HeyBub wrote:


To my knowledge, we in the U.S. have nothing like a physician
writing "LCP" on the patient's chart. ("DNR" is a completely
different critter.)

Maybe not exactly, but in practice.
During the recent passing of my wife, she was moved to comfort care
which involved no medical care other than I could request pain meds
if needed, no monitoring, no oxygen, no IV.

The physician didn't make this decision, it was offered as an an
option and I made the decision.

Agreed ... it is tacit instead of written in many cases. Mom died on
June 21, 2012, in a nursing home, but basically in a hospice
environment, with no physician intervention for the three weeks
preceding her passing. Considering a prolonged illness with no hope of
recovery, it was as it should be.

While I do have a DNR, I could only hope (but knowing it would be
horrific to put someone in that position) that someone I know had the
training, and fortitude, to practice the merciful wielding of a pillow
in a similar circumstance.

I keep thinking of that Indian chief in that movie Little Big Man(?),
where he just went off to die in the forest.

My sister in law (wife's brother's wife) recently passed after a fairly
short illness, in Holland. Stomach cancer, diagnosed mid-January, passed
May 1. First chemo to shrink the tumor, but that didn't really work.
Then an operation as a last resort. Open and close, nothing could be
done. Thereafter, palliative care (comfort care), at home, with lots of
friends (nurses) and family around. Daily visits of house doctor, every
4 hours nursing care to turn the patient over. In the end she chose
getting sleep medication and morphine while withholding sustenance and
fluids over more active end of life medication (Holland). We were there
from right after she was made to sleep till the end 6 days later. While
in a sense this passing was honorable and beautiful (can't find the right
word anymore), it was also terrifying to be so helpless.

--
Best regards
Han
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