Article 26

This article was the most interesting article we have read all semester. I don't think it's so much that I enjoyed reading the article, I just found all the information to be very important. When I do think about dying I don't normally think about emotional side of things or even the legal side. I mostly just think about where you go after you die. But this article really made me think about all of those things. Before reading this article I never really thought about the downside of pain medication; when a person is in pain the first thing you want to do for them is to just get rid of it. The article pointed out important points. I know that when I'm dying I would want to spend as much time as possible with my friends and family. I would not want to waste my last day’s unconscious from pain medication. I was surprised when the article stated that many people embrace death easily. I can only hope that when my time comes, I’m able to make the most of the moment and make it an easy transition. Doctors really have a hard job when it comes to dealing with dying patients. It must be extremely hard to have to tell someone of any age that they are going to die and there really is nothing left they can do about it. It must be one of those things that no matter how many times you do it, it never gets easier. The article explained that some patients continue to hope that they will get better; they stay in a state of denial. That has to be so hard on the family because they know that their loved one is not getting better but it’s too hard to tell their loved one they only have false hope. It must be hard because they want to accept it and come to terms with their family member dying but its hard when the one dying won’t even admit it. I agree that when a person talks about what fears them the most, especially in the case when they are dying, talking about their fears will only make them feel more at ease. I also agree with the fact that many people try to avoid everything related to death, even when that means avoiding a family member that is dying. As hard as it is to see someone you love die, I think the guilt of not being there and not saying goodbye would be a lot worst. I think it’s very important for ever person to decide what happens to them when it comes to designing their care. Obviously there are times when a person can not make those decisions for themselves, so it’s extremely important to choose someone you trust and can confide in to make those decisions for you. It’s scary for any person to have to make their living will or decide who their surrogate should be but it really is in their best interest to do it before it’s too late. The last thing I would want to have to worry about when I’m dying is if my wishes are going to be followed or not. I personally feel that assisted suicide should be legal in more states. There obviously should be restrictions to it but if someone has been fighting their illness for a long time and is in extreme pain, they should be allowed to make the decision if they want to die or not. It’s absolutely ridicules how expensive health care treatment is. People should not have to worry about the costs of their health care when they are dying. A lot of people do want to die in the comfort of their own home but because their insurance doesn’t cover it or it’s just too expensive for them they don’t get their wish. It just is very sad that someone who is dying or the family members of that dying person have to worry so much about the cost of the treatment, as if they don’t have enough to deal with already. I’m really glad we had to read this article; it was very interesting and made me think about a lot of things.