A spin off of this thread ---> http://www.conversationchamber.com/t8613-taking-a-loved-one-off-life-support

Say you've been in a deep coma for six months to a year, via life support, with no signs of improvement and doctors aren't optimistic about your prospect of recovery. Would you want your family to turn off the machine or to let you continue to exist?

Have you had this conversation with your loved ones?

Never talked about this. I really dont know what i'd have them do in this call. Whatever choice they can deal with is up to them.

The problem with doctors is that they often get it wrong when it comes to a patient's chances of recovery. It also depends on what would be withdrawn. Nobody is ever to take nourishment from me cause taking nourishment is blatant starving me to death. The breathing machine is different. I'm not opposed to withholding truly extraordinary measures of life sustenance, but nourishment is not extraordinary. So in the modern age, I really don't trust doctors to make decisions anymore.

If there is no hope pull the plug. Its up to one of my brother's how they feel about the situation.

If it's some random thing where for whatever reason I slip into a coma, give me at least a year to wake up. If it's some kind of brutal accident I was in and there's no brain activity, then pull the plug right away.

People seldom pull out of long-range comas, or life-support, being anywhere near what they used to be. I don't want that.

My husband is well-aware of my wishes; however, my brothers are not, and that's where conflict would start. I do intend to get a DNR.

After the whole Terri Schiavo thing, my mother decided we should have the DNR thing that we would not be kept on life support for years and years. But I don't know, I read about one man who for 20 years the doctors insisted he was in a coma, in a vegetative state, but THEN it turned out he was NOT, he was paralyzed and something else I don't know, but for the 20 years the doctors were saying he didn't know anything, he did he just couldn't do anything about it. So I don't know, for the time being just keep my fingers crossed and hope that day never comes.

Bluesmama wrote:

...I do intend to get a DNR.

Today?

I used to work on an ortho unit at a large hospital. Our admission policy was to inform about Advance Directives and DNR. However, somehow going to surgery was beurocratically pre-admission, so I would get these ppl after recovery and admitted to the unit who never had this info.

I always started with "Well you made it thru the woods - let me tell you about the bears there." It was insane that this did not take place before going under anaesthesia (notice I didn't say knife - the anaesthesia can kill you faster than the cutting).

Even you young healthy ppl should PUT YOUR WISHES IN WRITING because you never know when you will end up like Nancy Cruzon or Terri Shiavo.

Supernova wrote:

After the whole Terri Schiavo thing, my mother decided we should have the DNR thing that we would not be kept on life support for years and years. But I don't know, I read about one man who for 20 years the doctors insisted he was in a coma, in a vegetative state, but THEN it turned out he was NOT, he was paralyzed and something else I don't know, but for the 20 years the doctors were saying he didn't know anything, he did he just couldn't do anything about it. So I don't know, for the time being just keep my fingers crossed and hope that day never comes.

I see that we were writing at the same time. For me, if paralyzed then following the same directives for vegetative state would still be appreciated.

So you are gambling that your mindless body would be kept breathing if you ended up like Terri. I guess the gov would pay for that long-term care thru Medicaid, unless they could first pin it on your mother until she was bankrupted.

Guess I am just old-fashioned. Half a century ago this was not much of an issue. You suffered a greivous injury you died. It was built into the living contract.

Supernova wrote:

After the whole Terri Schiavo thing, my mother decided we should have the DNR thing that we would not be kept on life support for years and years.

The sad thing is that Terri Schiavo was not on life support. She could breathe on her own, and likely even be able to eat too. They just mandated that nobody was allowed to feed her or give her water and they had sharpshooters in place to enforce that. Such a humane way to go!

I really don't give a shit at that point. I've told my family NOT to pull the plug so quickly though. Give me at least a year.

I have a cousin that was 22 when she had a car accident in 1985. Her parents have spent millions of dollars keeping her alive. They have lost 2 houses in the past 10 yrs, and spend every dime on her. In my thinking, even if she woke up, she would have missed half her life already... missed her chance to marry her fiance and have kids... would see gray hair in the mirror... that shock alone could kill her.

There is no way I want this for myself!

wants2laugh wrote:

I have a cousin that was 22 when she had a car accident in 1985. Her parents have spent millions of dollars keeping her alive. They have lost 2 houses in the past 10 yrs, and spend every dime on her. In my thinking, even if she woke up, she would have missed half her life already... missed her chance to marry her fiance and have kids... would see gray hair in the mirror... that shock alone could kill her.

There is no way I want this for myself!

She's still comatose?

Marc™ wrote:

She's still comatose?

I'd like to know too. That's crazy.