I've heard other such stories.

Instead I had to go digging for a doctor with balls and ask him to integrate the picture for Dad's wife.

The key issue seemed to be a plethora of specialists - each one would pop in every day or so and tweak his own little area - adjust this to lower blood pressure, add more of that to improve circulation, some of this to reduce bleeding, etc.... Every guy, when asked, would mumble about how his latest little tweak improved his little symptom.

The problem was every tweak for one system hosed some other guy's tweak. Basically dad died of multiple system failure brought on by complications from radiation therapy to treat multiple myeloma.

I finally called in a separate oncologist and asked him to integrate the picture and provide the overview prognosis. Dad's primary oncologist had lost his own dad to multiple myeloma and didn't have the stones to come out and say it was game over. He just could not say it.

I have to say the guy I found was awesome, he called a bedside meeting (dad was unconscious and on a ventilator - already pretty much gone I think), explained that at this point what we had was technology run amok, and then point by point crushed all of his wife's false hopes with facts. Tough job but ultimately effective.

An hour later they shot him with extra morphine and discontinued the meds that were keeping him going. With the blood pressure regulating meds gone he didn't last 30 more minutes.

Post #196,919 by jbrabeck 3/2/05 1:32:04 PM Reply	I've heard other such stories. But, at least it WAS honored, even if it took a week. What would have happened if he didn't have the living will? A good friend will come and bail you out of jail ... but, a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn...that was fun!"
Post #196,924 by tuberculosis 3/2/05 2:33:05 PM 8/21/07 5:46:16 AM Reply	No, the living will didn't enter into it at all Instead I had to go digging for a doctor with balls and ask him to integrate the picture for Dad's wife. The key issue seemed to be a plethora of specialists - each one would pop in every day or so and tweak his own little area - adjust this to lower blood pressure, add more of that to improve circulation, some of this to reduce bleeding, etc.... Every guy, when asked, would mumble about how his latest little tweak improved his little symptom. The problem was every tweak for one system hosed some other guy's tweak. Basically dad died of multiple system failure brought on by complications from radiation therapy to treat multiple myeloma. I finally called in a separate oncologist and asked him to integrate the picture and provide the overview prognosis. Dad's primary oncologist had lost his own dad to multiple myeloma and didn't have the stones to come out and say it was game over. He just could not say it. I have to say the guy I found was awesome, he called a bedside meeting (dad was unconscious and on a ventilator - already pretty much gone I think), explained that at this point what we had was technology run amok, and then point by point crushed all of his wife's false hopes with facts. Tough job but ultimately effective. An hour later they shot him with extra morphine and discontinued the meds that were keeping him going. With the blood pressure regulating meds gone he didn't last 30 more minutes. "Whenever you find you are on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect" --Mark Twain "The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." --Albert Einstein "This is still a dangerous world. It's a world of madmen and uncertainty and potential mental losses." --George W. Bush Edited by tuberculosis Aug. 21, 2007, 05:46:16 AM EDT Expand All History
Post #196,929 by bionerd 3/2/05 3:12:10 PM Reply	That was a terrible experience No one should have to go through something like that. It's hell on the patient and the family. "I think animal testing is a terrible idea; they get all nervous and give the wrong answers."
Post #196,931 by tuberculosis 3/2/05 4:03:39 PM 8/21/07 5:46:22 AM Reply	Yes it was "Whenever you find you are on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect" --Mark Twain "The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." --Albert Einstein "This is still a dangerous world. It's a world of madmen and uncertainty and potential mental losses." --George W. Bush Edited by tuberculosis Aug. 21, 2007, 05:46:22 AM EDT Expand All History
Post #196,940 by tuberculosis 3/2/05 6:06:05 PM 8/21/07 5:46:49 AM Reply	This is timely (new thread) Created as new thread #196939 titled [link\|/forums/render/content/show?contentid=196939\|This is timely] "Whenever you find you are on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect" --Mark Twain "The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." --Albert Einstein "This is still a dangerous world. It's a world of madmen and uncertainty and potential mental losses." --George W. Bush Edited by tuberculosis Aug. 21, 2007, 05:46:49 AM EDT Expand All History
Post #196,933 by jb4 3/2/05 4:12:45 PM Reply	Man, that's tough... But congratulations on finding that particular doctor. You might want to keep his name around...just in case.... jb4 shrub\ufffdbish (Am., from shrub* + rubbish, after the derisive name for America's 43 president; 2003) n. 1. a form of nonsensical political doubletalk wherein the speaker attempts to defend the indefensible by lying, obfuscation, or otherwise misstating the facts; GIBBERISH. 2. any of a collection of utterances from America's putative 43rd president. cf.* BULLSHIT

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