Very interesting Sue, and I agree about
taking the guilt of having an animal put down rather than watching them suffer,
but in that role I see myself as a guardian rather than an equal…..if you
see what I mean J
I have an Advanced Directive, or Living
Will, which specifies my choices – I do not want any treatment to prolong
my life if I am not going to recover. Personally, I don’t think I agree
with taking a life (assisted suicide) BUT, until you’ve been there, you
never know. My Dad was also on morphine and, although we knew what it would do,
it wasn’t ever specifically highlighted by the hospice staff. I think we
all accepted that they knew what they were doing and had the most incredible
respect and love for him. He needed to be sedated because of the pain and increasing
confusion but it still gave us the chance to be with him and share some very
special moments. They also had a ‘do not resuscitate’ policy which
they made clear when he was admitted.
Sarah
-----Original Message-----
From: bbgforum@...
[mailto:bbgforum@...] On Behalf
Of Michael Forsyth
Sent: 04 June 2006 07:29
To: bbgforum@...
Subject: [bbgforum] Re: Discussion
Topic
Hi all,
It was very interesting reading what
Sarah had to say and I feel exactly the same way about having animals put
down... but
I would still do and suffer the guilt rather than let them suffer.
And where does the use of Morphine
fit in?
When Dad was dying last year we were
offered Morphine on the understanding that it would shorten his life. He had
been ill for 6 months and at that point he had no quality of life. He was
blind, deaf, paralysed, confused, unable to eat and in pain. My sister was
adamant that to shorten his life was wrong and so we didn't - after
watching him suffer on and on until he finally died of pneumonia 2 weeks
later, all I came away with was the question of motive. What were our
motives in allowing him to struggle on and on? My sister insisted that there
was always the hope that he would have one last lucid moment and at
one point he whispered 'thank you lovely' to me. My sister leapt upon this a
reason enough to go on but it just left me feeling cold - like he was a performing
animal in a circus. I don't blame my sister because none of us knows how we
will feel and for her it was the right thing. I'm just not sure it was right
for Dad. Sitting with him at night after night and watching him struggle to
breath through the fluid that was drowning him I wonder what I would have
done if he had asked me to end his life...? I don't know.
I do know that everyone has a
right to die peacefully and Dad died afraid and in pain.
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