Old-Timers
 

We got a text yesterday on the way home from Killington that Pete's step-Dad's alcohol, Alzheimer's, heart arrhythmia routine has been punched up to include a stroke. Remind me to look at a DNR for myself. Anyway late night holding hands with a pretty out of it old guy keeping him from getting agitated. Not a great scene. We know how this ends but not how much time modern medicine will prop him up for be it hours or years.

A good thing can come if everyone does check their DNR and other orders.

Shit Griff, that's tough, man.

Let Pete know we're thinking about her.

Tough times. Sending love.

Sent by magick

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroic_measure

In medicine, heroic treatment or course of therapy is one which possesses a high risk of causing further damage to a patient's health, but is undertaken as a last resort with the understanding that any lesser treatment will surely result in failure.[1]

Heroic measures are often taken in cases of grave injury or illness, as a last-ditch attempt to save life, limb, or eyesight. Examples include emergency trauma surgery conducted outside the operating room (such as "on-scene" surgical amputation, cricothyroidotomy, or thoracotomy), or administration of medication (such as certain antibiotics and chemotherapy drugs) at dosage levels high enough to potentially cause serious or fatal side effects.[2][3]

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is a particularly well-known heroic measure; vigorous chest compressions often result in fracturing one or more of the patient's ribs, but since the alternative is certain death, the technique is accepted as necessary.

Patients with advanced AIDS and concomitant pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) are in serious danger of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). A heroic rescue could use the chemotherapeutic drug trimetrexate, which would destroy bone marrow as well as the PCP, although leucovorin can protect the marrow.

Trying to think about level of care vs quality of life... too many known unknowns.

A Do Not Resuscitate order sounds very final (IS very final), but it isn't the only option, indeed, not always applicable.

Please include a POLST.

Ya do the best ya can do, and that's all ya can do.

I've been thinking a lot about this lately. The mind numbs.

Fuck that, resuscitate me so I can grope the nurse and curse you motherfuckers one more time. [evil]Bwahahahahaha!![/evil]

Ran across an interesting tidbit awhile back.
Since 2000, hospice patients have tripled in Minnesota, accounting for half the deaths.

Better insurance? More doctors recommending? Get the almost dead one out of the way of normal routine? Ain't nobody got time for that? I'm agonna inherit that house I don't want 'em dying there?

I'm sorry Griff and Pete. It's a difficult thing to go through. No schedule, no map, no control.

I'm so sorry to hear you're going through this. It's such a painful thing. My thoughts are with you and the whole family.

:sniff:

It's the worst because you know what's happening and there's not a damn thing you can do about it no matter how hard you wish.:(

Thanks all.

Interesting. Thanks again.

Yeah, I need to just admit this and let it happen.

Sorry, Griff. Please pass along a hug to Pete for us.

Thanks Clod. Vascular surgery today. Pete's mom is pretty much a Pollyanna, this shits gonna hit hard when it hits but that is the way she's rolled for 83 years so interfering in that would be like telling me the glass ain't half-empty. I wouldn't know what to do with a half-full glass, I might spill it.

I hear ya. Like, even if the glass is completely full, the smart thing to do would be to split it into two half-empty glasses so they're more manageable. That's just common sense.