Thursday, February 3, 2011
Medical guests follow-up
Do you have any questions arising from our guests' visit on Tuesday (1 Feb)? Did they help you understand some issue/question better? Do you think it is important/relevant to hear from medical personnel when trying to determine what you think the appropriate definition of death is? Explain.
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I definitely learned a lot from our visitors. I really liked how they explained that that taking out a feeding tube is not the same as "murder." As our guest explained, the tube is unnatural, and taking it out is just allowing the individual to die a natural death. I also liked how they explained pain management and how although most families fear their loved ones will be in excruciating pain when they die, that this fear is typically unwarranted.
ReplyDeleteTo answer the previous question about the new technologies, I agree that they are perhaps used unnecessarily at times. As I wrote in my paper, I feel that when a patient meets the criteria for whole-brain, brainstem or higher-brain death, it is appropriate to cease medical interventions that are unnaturally sustaining life. I do feel that these interventions should be used at times, and I hope that if I am ever in the situation that life support needs to be used temporarily to save my life that this measure will be taken. However, my personal wishes are: if my higher-brain functioning is gone and life support is all that is keeping me alive, that treatment will be stopped.
I really enjoyed the guest speakers, and I think their medical expertise added a necessary perspective to have a better understanding of this matter.
Having the medical experts come in and talk with us about end of life issues was very valuable in gaining a better understanding and pulling away the curtain of myth from the subject. Their explanation of pain management, and ventilation systems helped clarify what the actual machines/technologies are doing. I just wish we had a few more classes with them.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed our guest speakers. I am glad they clarified that removing feeding tubes isn't murder because I feel that sometimes people think it is. I see feeding tubes and life support as invasive procedures used to prolong life. Removing those invasive devices may cause allow one to die, but I don't believe that that kills them. They die naturally instead. I do agree with Katrina that I want to have life support temporarily if needed for surgery or if I go into a coma. I don't however want to live longer by being on life support just to keep me alive indefinitely.
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