I have been having thoughts about this subject since my mother is in the beginning stages of dementia. For example she was not eating properly so she had gotten down to 77 pounds. With family help she has gained back to 81 pounds. But a more serious problem is that of her not drinking enough water without constant reminding.
So I began to think about her doctor wanting her to have a Colonoscopy test so they could see if she has cancer. However she and me and my brother all agree that she is in no condition to have such an instrusive test. She already had a bout with dehyration that put her in the ER. Prepping for the Colonoscopy would severely dehydrate her. There are dangers of puncturing her colon. As of now she is not in any pain. In talking with the gastroenterologist, he said that if she is not willing to go through chemo or radiations etc. there is no point in even having the test done. She does not want any of those treatments. Why put her through all of that?
The mother of a friend of mine did opt to go through all of those tests and treatments and now she can barely communicate or take care of herself. I do not want my mother to go through all of that to have her be unable to enjoy life until her death.
I have read comments on this site about people who were given drugs to halt alzheimers and ended up with depression and suicidal thoughts. What is the purpose of that?
Both my mom and myself have advance health care directives to not keep us alive if there is no chance of us living on our own naturally.
Personally I just do not see the point in it all just to keep a body alive in a bed.
I would like for others out there to give your opinions about this. Doctors are constantly pushing prescriptions that have side effects sometimes worse than the original complaint. And surgeries that leave a person worse off than if they were just left as they were. Elderly people being put through chemotherapy and end up worse than when they started.
Please understand that I in no way approve of euthanasia. That is not what I am talking about. I am referring to prolonging life with medical procedures and drugs when a person would be more comfortable living life until natural causes bring death.
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Sometimes I think doctors can get wacky when it comes to testing. If I had not been there, my mother would have probably said okay to tests, which would have only cost Medicare more money and been of no benefit. I say no to any procedure that seems pointless to me. Medicare might pay for it all, so it looks free, but someone (taxpayers) is having to pay for unnecessary things.
I too in years past took acid reflux meds and that caused me to have osteoporosis. And no I will NOT take meds for that. I stopped the acid reflux meds and take probiotics which work WAY better than drugs.
I have had my own thoughts about what I want if my health should go south. Would I want something like a heart transplant at my age? Then I ask myself why I would want that after watching my parents decline with age. I do not want the misery that I've seen. What I would really like is to live with good enough health until the moment I die, then poof! I'm gone just like that. That would be a blessing. I hope it waits for a few years, because I still have some living I want to do.
My personal thoughts for the medical profession is that they have the responsibility to make sure the lives they prolong are quality lives, and not just unhappy people lying in bed all day waiting for God. I don't know how this could be accomplished without violating medical ethics. I guess it would require some hard choices on the part of the doctors, patients, and family members. No one wants to make these choices until the end is close and inevitable.
After doing tons of research into the side effects of all his medications I promptly had a discussion with his doctor. He was taking two meds for his stomach because 5 meds were causing him to have acid reflux. Other meds were causing agitation and mental confusion... ??? I thought he had dementia. Another med supposed to help him sleep was causing him to have hallucinations!
Now he is on a vitamin smoothie designed for seniors, a supplement for memory, one for his prostate and red yeast rice for the cholesterol. I also have him on a low salt diet for the blood pressure and his pressure is the lowest it has been in 5 yrs.
Like you I don't believe in making things worse with operations that will cause more pain than good. Ten years ago he has an operation for a hernia... he still has it... the same one??!! What is wrong with this picture?
All the symptoms he was demonstrating were mostly due to meds, yes, the dementia is there but it is far less advanced than we originally thought at the beginning of the summer. Now he is just complaining because I can't be there 24/7 but I do have a home and a disabled son to care for as well as my dad.