"While I agree with both your points, I still say throwing public money into medical procedures which have very little chance of increasing quality of life or lifespan are a waste -- whether it be $25,000 or a million bucks a person."
The enitre medical system is screwed up. Even a simple check up costs more than many people can afford. Why does it cost $200 for an adult to get a physical, not including blood tests or unusual procedures? Why are hospital beds - not the care or anything else, just the bed space for a night - in excess of $500? Why do pills which cost pennies to make end up costing $5 a piece to the person they are prescribed to? Why are people who have almost no chance of surviving a pervasive cancer tortured with pointless radiation and chemotherapy and surgery until the very end instead of being given adequate pain medication and whatever else they need to be comfortable in their last days?
When I was in hospital hell last year, my roomate was a 98-year-old woman. She had developed complications to her already difficult breathing due to a heat wave (it was late August.) Every night she had panic attacks at least three or four times becasue she felt like she was choking to death. THe nurses tries to be patient, but it got to where they ignored her incessnant call button pushing because there was little they could do. She would yell over and over that she was choking, she couldn't get a deep breath, she was dying. The nurses in the day would tell her she would be better soon and could go "home" - to the nursing home she lived in. Her family came to vist on the same day Aaron came to see me. She saw him and asked her 65 year old daughter if that was her child - she didn't know who her grandchildren or children were anymore. She didn't know anyone. She kept asking where she was. I found out she will be on oxygen the rest of her life. After four days of hearing this woman in constant misery and confusion I had to wonder why the hell they didn't just stop torturing her and let her die.
There are "pro-life" people who sneer at quality of life arguments in favor of abortion or euthanasia. I have to wonder if they've ever witnessed people in truly miserable situations such as this.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2003-10-28 12:41 pm (UTC)The enitre medical system is screwed up. Even a simple check up costs more than many people can afford. Why does it cost $200 for an adult to get a physical, not including blood tests or unusual procedures? Why are hospital beds - not the care or anything else, just the bed space for a night - in excess of $500? Why do pills which cost pennies to make end up costing $5 a piece to the person they are prescribed to? Why are people who have almost no chance of surviving a pervasive cancer tortured with pointless radiation and chemotherapy and surgery until the very end instead of being given adequate pain medication and whatever else they need to be comfortable in their last days?
When I was in hospital hell last year, my roomate was a 98-year-old woman. She had developed complications to her already difficult breathing due to a heat wave (it was late August.) Every night she had panic attacks at least three or four times becasue she felt like she was choking to death. THe nurses tries to be patient, but it got to where they ignored her incessnant call button pushing because there was little they could do. She would yell over and over that she was choking, she couldn't get a deep breath, she was dying. The nurses in the day would tell her she would be better soon and could go "home" - to the nursing home she lived in. Her family came to vist on the same day Aaron came to see me. She saw him and asked her 65 year old daughter if that was her child - she didn't know who her grandchildren or children were anymore. She didn't know anyone. She kept asking where she was. I found out she will be on oxygen the rest of her life. After four days of hearing this woman in constant misery and confusion I had to wonder why the hell they didn't just stop torturing her and let her die.
There are "pro-life" people who sneer at quality of life arguments in favor of abortion or euthanasia. I have to wonder if they've ever witnessed people in truly miserable situations such as this.