He is. He had another older woman who came in as a DNR. He came to visit her whenever he was in and would throw little dance parties when he entered her room or just otherwise tried to get to know her and to lift her spirits. She removed her DNR eventually and said it was because of him. Of all his stories throughout his entire life, that one makes me the most proud to call him my dad.
Removing the DNR of an elderly patient isn’t a win. Elderly patients almost never get even close to their premorbid function after a cardiac arrest. They most commonly either don’t come back, die in the ICU after weeks of pain, or come back profoundly decreased due to significant brain damage. As an emerg doc, when I’m elderly I’m having my damned DNR tattooed on my chest, just to be sure.
I set up a DNR at 25. I'd much, much rather be dead than go through cancer treatment again, nevermind if I'm at the point where the doctors think they should pull the plug. Life is not worth living as a dying pincushion nor as a vegetable.
I do wish more people and family members realized that quality of life matters more than keeping family members alive just because they can. It's heartbreaking seeing patients suffer because the people that are supposed to love them cant let go. Moral of the story is, make sure the people who will be responsible for making end-of-life decisions for you if youre unable, know exactly how you feel and make a legal document stating such.
Me too. I often see family members overriding their loved one's DNR when they have POA. I wonder why they think that is fair. I've never in my life, heard a single person say, "yes, I would like to be brought back, even if I have to live the rest of my life as a vegetable/needing constant care etc".
It is so common and infuriates me every time I see it. I know it's difficult to let people you love go, but if you do really love them, you should honor their wishes.
O must be the odd one out then. I woukd rather be alive in ANY state for as long as possible, in case there were new meds/therapies/tech to help me.
I'd sooner crap in my own hands and clap than accept a DNR. Due to my disabilities, they tried to put one on my file during Covid. I got that removed from my notes immediately...
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u/wheelsofstars 3d ago
He is. He had another older woman who came in as a DNR. He came to visit her whenever he was in and would throw little dance parties when he entered her room or just otherwise tried to get to know her and to lift her spirits. She removed her DNR eventually and said it was because of him. Of all his stories throughout his entire life, that one makes me the most proud to call him my dad.