This link has been bookmarked by 142 people and liked by 1 people. It was first bookmarked on 03 Dec 2011, by Carlene Oleksyn.
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13 Apr 12
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14 Mar 12
bob dolanIt’s not a frequent topic of discussion, but doctors die, too. And they don’t die like the rest of us. What’s unusual about them is not how much treatment they get compared to most Americans, but how little. For all the time they spend fending off the deaths of others, they tend to be fairly serene when faced with death themselves. They know exactly what is going to happen, they know the choices, and they generally have access to any sort of medical care they could want. But they go gently.
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12 Mar 12
Tim MullerIt’s not a frequent topic of discussion, but doctors die, too. And they don’t die like the rest of us. What’s unusual about them is not how much treatment they get compared to most Americans, but how little. For all the time they spend fending off the deaths of others, they tend to be fairly serene when faced with death themselves. They know exactly what is going to happen, they know the choices, and they generally have access to any sort of medical care they could want. But they go gently.
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11 Feb 12
John LuceroSeveral years ago, my older cousin Torch (born at home by the light of a flashlight—or torch) had a seizure that turned out to be the result of lung cancer that had gone to his brain. I arranged for him to see various specialists, and we learned that with aggressive treatment of his condition, including three to five hospital visits a week for chemotherapy, he would live perhaps four months. Ultimately, Torch decided against any treatment and simply took pills for brain swelling. He moved in with me.
We spent the next eight months doing a bunch of things that he enjoyed, having fun together like we hadn’t had in decades. We went to Disneyland, his first time. We’d hang out at home. Torch was a sports nut, and he was very happy to watch sports and eat my cooking. He even gained a bit of weight, eating his favorite foods rather than hospital foods. He had no serious pain, and he remained high-spirited. One day, he didn’t wake up. He spent the next three days in a coma-like sleep and then died. -
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09 Jan 12
Jussi KiovaHow Doctors Die
It’s Not Like the Rest of Us, But It Should Be
"Years ago, Charlie, a highly respected orthopedist and a mentor of mine, found a lump in his stomach. He had a surgeon explore the area, and the diagnosis was pancreatic cancer. This surgeon was one of the best in the country. He had even invented a new procedure for this exact cancer that could triple a patient’s five-year-survival odds—from 5 percent to 15 percent—albeit with a poor quality of life. Charlie was uninterested. He went home the next day, closed his practice, and never set foot in a hospital again. He focused on spending time with family and feeling as good as possible. Several months later, he died at home. He got no chemotherapy, radiation, or surgical treatment. Medicare didn’t spend much on him." -
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Daniel LovinsIt’s not a frequent topic of discussion, but doctors die, too. And they don’t die like the rest of us. What’s unusual about them is not how much treatment they get compared to most Americans, but how little. For all the time they spend fending off the dea
four-stars Ken Murray Hospice doctors healthcare medicine death
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08 Jan 12
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05 Jan 12
Fire crackerOf course, doctors don’t want to die; they want to live. But they know enough about modern medicine to know its limits. And they know enough about death to know what all people fear most: dying in pain, and dying alone. They’ve talked about this with their families. They want to be sure, when the time comes, that no heroic measures will happen—that they will never experience, during their last moments on earth, someone breaking their ribs in an attempt to resuscitate them with CPR (that’s what happens if CPR is done right).
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04 Jan 12
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03 Jan 12
Ian HechtInteresting article on end-of-life measures for doctors - they don't generally have any. Western medical science has focused much attention on extending life, whatever the cost, but doctors seem more concerned with quality of death.
death health medicine healthcare dying Palliative care physicians doctors
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Tracey BoothIt’s not a frequent topic of discussion, but doctors die, too. And they don’t die like the rest of us. What’s unusual about them is not how much treatment they get compared to most Americans, but how little. For all the time they spend fending off the dea
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01 Jan 12
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31 Dec 11
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Alessandra FarabegoliHow doctors treat themselves when facing death (short answer: much less) http://t.co/dZsy7lrO via @timoreilly
ifttt twitter alebegoli How doctors treat themselves when facing death (short answer: much less) http:__t.co_dZsy7lrO via @timoreilly
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17 Dec 11
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It’s not a frequent topic of discussion, but doctors die, too. And they don’t die like the rest of us. What’s unusual about them is not how much treatment they get compared to most Americans, but how little.
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All of this occurs in the Intensive Care Unit at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars a day. What it buys is misery we would not inflict on a terrorist. I cannot count the number of times fellow physicians have told me, in words that vary only slightly, “Promise me if you find me like this that you’ll kill me.” They mean it. Some medical personnel wear medallions stamped “NO CODE” to tell physicians not to perform CPR on them. I have even seen it as a tattoo.
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More commonly, though, doctors are fearful of litigation and do whatever they’re asked, with little feedback, to avoid getting in trouble.
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Even with all his wishes documented, Jack hadn’t died as he’d hoped. The system had intervened. One of the nurses, I later found out, even reported my unplugging of Jack to the authorities as a possible homicide. Nothing came of it, of course; Jack’s wishes had been spelled out explicitly, and he’d left the paperwork to prove it. But the prospect of a police investigation is terrifying for any physician.
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16 Dec 11
Micah SchuurmanIt’s easy to find fault with both doctors and patients in such stories, but in many ways all the parties are simply victims of a larger system that encourages excessive treatment. In some unfortunate cases, doctors use the fee-for-service model to do everything they can, no matter how pointless, to make money. More commonly, though, doctors are fearful of litigation and do whatever they’re asked, with little feedback, to avoid getting in trouble.
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15 Dec 11
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13 Dec 11
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What’s unusual about them is not how much treatment they get compared to most Americans, but how little
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They know exactly what is going to happen, they know the choices, and they generally have access to any sort of medical care they could want. But they go gently.
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what all people fear most: dying in pain, and dying alone.
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futile care
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Intensive Care Unit at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars a day. What it buys is misery we would not inflict on a terrorist.
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How has it come to this—that doctors administer so much care that they wouldn’t want for themselves? The simple, or not-so-simple, answer is this: patients, doctors, and the system.
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shocked and scared family members find themselves caught up in a maze of choices. They’re overwhelmed.
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do everything that’s reasonable.
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Poor knowledge and misguided expectations lead to a lot of bad decisions.
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The trouble is that even doctors who hate to administer futile care must find a way to address the wishes of patients and families.
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They do not know the doctor. Establishing trust and confidence under such circumstances is a very delicate thing.
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doctors are fearful of litigation and do whatever they’re asked, with little feedback, to avoid getting in trouble.
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the prospect of a police investigation is terrifying for any physician.
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It’s no wonder many doctors err on the side of overtreatment
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Amazingly, studies have found that people placed in hospice care often live longer than people with the same disease who are seeking active cures.
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he knew he wanted a life of quality, not just quantity
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death with dignity
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it’s important to remember that they are there to provide a service and not to moralize.
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degree to which medicine should pursue care is up to the patient, and no one else, least of all cost analysts.
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The cost is the torture that the patient must endure and the benefit is so very minimal.
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The fact that money and resources would be saved is secondary and while it is important to guard against it becoming the primary consideration.
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every situation is unique and that every patient is an individual with his or her own levels of sickness, hope, and fortitude.
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It isn’t always as easy as he makes it sound, even with a living will and a POA willing to fight for it.
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12 Dec 11
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09 Dec 11
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It’s not a frequent topic of discussion, but doctors die, too. And they don’t die like the rest of us. What’s unusual about them is not how much treatment they get compared to most Americans, but how little.
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Of course, doctors don’t want to die; they want to live. But they know enough about modern medicine to know its limits. And they know enough about death to know what all people fear most: dying in pain, and dying alone.
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It’s easy to find fault with both doctors and patients in such stories, but in many ways all the parties are simply victims of a larger system that encourages excessive treatment. In some unfortunate cases, doctors use the fee-for-service model to do everything they can, no matter how pointless, to make money. More commonly, though, doctors are fearful of litigation and do whatever they’re asked, with little feedback, to avoid getting in trouble.
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Almost anyone can find a way to die in peace at home, and pain can be managed better than ever.
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a life of quality, not just quantity
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It’s not a frequent topic of discussion, but doctors die, too. And they don’t die like the rest of us. What’s unusual about them is not how much treatment they get compared to most Americans, but how little.
-
Of course, doctors don’t want to die; they want to live. But they know enough about modern medicine to know its limits. And they know enough about death to know what all people fear most: dying in pain, and dying alone.
-
It’s easy to find fault with both doctors and patients in such stories, but in many ways all the parties are simply victims of a larger system that encourages excessive treatment. In some unfortunate cases, doctors use the fee-for-service model to do everything they can, no matter how pointless, to make money. More commonly, though, doctors are fearful of litigation and do whatever they’re asked, with little feedback, to avoid getting in trouble.
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Almost anyone can find a way to die in peace at home, and pain can be managed better than ever.
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a life of quality, not just quantity
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08 Dec 11
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darylfrancisHow doctors die - not like the rest of us.
Great article on end of life care. Excellent discussion from readers. -
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I suspect it’s one reason physicians have higher rates of alcohol abuse and depression than professionals in most other fields.
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Lee Durbin@wynkenhimself: This matters: hospice not hospitalization. It's how my father, a doctor, died. RT @betajames: How Doctors Die http://t.co/7Jkpg3Na
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07 Dec 11
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06 Dec 11
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05 Dec 11
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Years ago, Charlie, a highly respected orthopedist and a mentor of mine, found a lump in his stomach. He had a surgeon explore the area, and the diagnosis was pancreatic cancer. This surgeon was one of the best in the country. He had even invented a new procedure for this exact cancer that could triple a patient’s five-year-survival odds—from 5 percent to 15 percent—albeit with a poor quality of life. Charlie was uninterested. He went home the next day, closed his practice, and never set foot in a hospital again. He focused on spending time with family and feeling as good as possible. Several months later, he died at home. He got no chemotherapy, radiation, or surgical treatment. Medicare didn’t spend much on him.
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It’s not a frequent topic of discussion, but doctors die, too. And they don’t die like the rest of us. What’s unusual about them is not how much treatment they get compared to most Americans, but how little. For all the time they spend fending off the deaths of others, they tend to be fairly serene when faced with death themselves. They know exactly what is going to happen, they know the choices, and they generally have access to any sort of medical care they could want. But they go gently.
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04 Dec 11
Maggie Wolfe RileyThis is a very thought-provoking look at the limits of modern medicine, and a reminder to think about what you want to happen to yourself in this situation - advance directives, discussion with family and friends, is important. Also understanding what is "reasonable."
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03 Dec 11
Elena LaVictoireVery thought provoking. The author of this article promotes the use of hospice care. I would too with the caveat that you choose the hospice care provider with care. I would avoid using hospice care in a nursing home setting because my experience with that was not a good one.
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Several years ago, my older cousin Torch (born at home by the light of a flashlight—or torch) had a seizure that turned out to be the result of lung cancer that had gone to his brain. I arranged for him to see various specialists, and we learned that with aggressive treatment of his condition, including three to five hospital visits a week for chemotherapy, he would live perhaps four months. Ultimately, Torch decided against any treatment and simply took pills for brain swelling. He moved in with me.
We spent the next eight months doing a bunch of things that he enjoyed, having fun together like we hadn’t had in decades. We went to Disneyland, his first time. We’d hang out at home. Torch was a sports nut, and he was very happy to watch sports and eat my cooking. He even gained a bit of weight, eating his favorite foods rather than hospital foods. He had no serious pain, and he remained high-spirited. One day, he didn’t wake up. He spent the next three days in a coma-like sleep and then died. The cost of his medical care for those eight months, for the one drug he was taking, was about $20.
Torch was no doctor, but he knew he wanted a life of quality, not just quantity. Don’t most of us? If there is a state of the art of end-of-life care, it is this: death with dignity. As for me, my physician has my choices. They were easy to make, as they are for most physicians. There will be no heroics, and I will go gentle into that good night. Like my mentor Charlie. Like my cousin Torch. Like my fellow doctors.
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