[medinformatics] The end of life

[Medical Informatics News]

Filed under: Family History, StoriesThis past weekend I was frantically throwing clothes into a suitcase, gathering some favorite toys for the kids, and my husband was telling everyone at the University he works for that due to a death in the family we will be out of town, indefinetly. My maternal grandmother, a young grandmother at 69 was put on life support last Thursday, against her will. She has written a living will explaining the measures she will go to in order to save her if she has another episode which ends her in the hospital. My Gramma has been suffering from cardiomyopathy for 16 years, in 1990 they told her to expect to live 5 more years. She has obviously given them a good fight. She is done fighting, and in a lot of pain everyday. She can hardly breathe, or walk, she has had seven surgeries, and five marriages, four kids, and seven grandchildren, she is happy with her life. She is ready to die.* Today she faces going home again, alone, I am three hours away, my mother has a full-time job, and two teenaged boys living with her. Now my Gramma does have help, someone to bring her groceries, clean the house, and even help with a few medical things. But Today is a different day, she is weaker going home than ever before. She should not have been resuscitated, it left her heart weak, and her moral weaker. My whole family feels cheated out of a natural time of death. We feel it was her time last week, she feels it was her time last week, but medical science has plans of its own. The end of life is different, it has changed*so much in the past 20 years,*instead of a heart attack taking you down at a ripe old age, doctors and hospital staffs are trained, educated, and believe in bringing you back. I am mad, upset, and would like others to give advice or even other ways to look at it. Please feel free to comment. *Permalink*|*Email this*|*Linking*Blogs*|*Comments









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