rookie Posted February 4, 2010 Report Share Posted February 4, 2010 My friend here in BKK was in the hospital last year and "crashed" at 10PM on night. The doctor called me and asked me what to do...I told the doc to "do all he can and spare no expense!".My friend came out of the coma and is on the mend but I surprised that the doc would phone me for instructions...[color:blue]if I had said, don't do nothing, let the guy die, would the doc/hospital have done so?[/color] If that had occurred, I believe both you and the doc would be open to legal action from his relatives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavanami Posted February 5, 2010 Report Share Posted February 5, 2010 ...the guy was an orphan...no relatives, no will, nothing...all his new worth would have been sucked up by the governments (USA and Thailand)...that would have been a shame!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave32 Posted February 5, 2010 Report Share Posted February 5, 2010 best to have something in writing to make it legal and eliminate questions. Yep. It's called an "advanced directive". Everybody should have one. Takes the "heat" off those to who you provide any responsibility for decisions which you may be unable to make. BTW' date=' while Dave32 is correct above, it should be noted that you may not want to have a complete "do not recusitate" in your directive. For example, what if you should have a problem at a hospital while visiting a friend? Quick action to recusitate could save your life and give you many more years of quality life. Just something to think about. HH [/quote'] Very good HH. Where did you learn? 100% correct. An Advanced Directive is actually a set of detailed instructions with much greater scope than a DNR order (you could think of DNR as a subset of the AD, DNR is simply not to resuscitate in the event of cardiac arrest or place on a ventilator if breathing stops). Advanced Directive can also cover things like tube feeding, pain meds, etc., and also cover specific scenarios -- eg, when it would be acceptable to go on a ventilator and when it wouldn't. Advanced Directive is very clear and they are carried out in hospitals (whereas a living will or other legal documents are more murky and frequently bypassed if their instructions have any margin of doubt). DNR is common in UK, Ireland, Europe, Australia, US, Canada, etc -- and I know they exist in Thailand, but there it's not a common practice so you would need to consult your physician. As for setting up an Advanced Directive in your chart, I'm sure comparable structures exist in Thailand, but once again -- would need to consult with physician or a Case Manager to get detailed info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavanami Posted February 5, 2010 Report Share Posted February 5, 2010 After seeing my friend come around after two months in a coma and on a respirator, seems like a good idea to say, "OK to resuscitate, but limit it to some time period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stickman Posted February 7, 2010 Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 I'm all in favour of it. I would imagine that most people reading your post would be - your example makes a very compelling argument indeed. Condolences on the loss of your sister in law. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bust Posted February 7, 2010 Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 Sorry for your loss Mekong. My father lasted 13 days from diagnosis to death. Good in a way as I have seen so many drawn out deaths with not only the patient suffering but the family as well. Not a debate I have a view on. I don't support the death penalty so euthanasia to me would seem inconsistant with my views on life and death. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BelgianBoy Posted February 7, 2010 Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 Mekong, I am late in replying but my condoleances to your sis-in-law and the whole family. I already conveyed those feelings in december when we met. She is definitely in a better place now. RIP. Pro euthanasia of course. BB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mekong Posted February 8, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2010 BB, We were sharing a beer together in BKK when I got the call about sister in law on last legs, hence the reason why I did not join up at Bradmans that evening. Poll results are rather surprising, I never expected the majority to be pro-euthanasia, we cremated her on saturday and floated her ashes on sunday, her little son is confused but my wife and I will try our best to see him through it. Thanks to BM's who sent condolances, its a difficult decision to terminate a family member but that is what we did, I hope no one else has to face the moral / legal decision we had to make... She suffered but now she is at peace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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