Who should decide when it's time to pull the plug? Do you have it covered in a will?

**austinite** · 02-09-2014, 11:21 AM

Doctors can't make the call. Family members can. Do you think that's right?

Anyone have a living will and have this covered?

**derekkpapa1** · 02-09-2014, 11:54 AM

Austinite you okay man?? Lots of dying and killing scenario shit lately

**kelkel** · 02-09-2014, 11:55 AM

Yes, I have a living will.

**slfmade** · 02-09-2014, 12:04 PM

I've been meaning to do a living will, but haven't got around to it yet. I trust my wife to make the call. We've had the conversation and she knows that if I were a vegetable or had little chance of living any normal life then I would want to just go.

**kelkel** · 02-09-2014, 12:40 PM

Get it done. Don't put that pressure on your family.

**Black** · 02-09-2014, 12:45 PM

I told my wife, that if I can't get up and use the restroom myself, I'm done. I need to get that in writing cause right now, I bet she'd just let me suffer.

Also, I need to put in there that I want my body immediately put in a capsule and attached to a rocket. Then I want to be shot into space and just float across the galaxy. I'm pulling for aliens to pick me up and revive me with their super advanced technology. I figure I have better odds of coming back to life than being buried 6 feet on earth.

**kelkel** · 02-09-2014, 12:49 PM

May have to add that last part to mine....

**RaginCajun** · 02-09-2014, 01:10 PM

Just had a really good friend in which this happened only a few months ago. Tragic accident (so we think) and the fam had to make the decision. It was and is still very tough to deal with but I know that there are around 60 other people that he now lives through with all his organs he donated! Somebody somewhere is prob wondering why the hell they like Bud Lite so much!!!

**Hoggage_54** · 02-09-2014, 01:37 PM

I don't have a will, so until then, Austinite gets to decide.

**austinite** · 02-09-2014, 01:41 PM

Originally Posted by Hoggage_54

I don't have a will, so until then, Austinite gets to decide.

Pull it. Now.

**FRDave** · 02-09-2014, 02:17 PM

I don't think Dr's should have the call for this very reason...

A couple years back my cousin OD'd and was placed in an induced coma. After several months in a coma they stated he would never pull through and if he did, he would be a vegetable for life. They suggested we pull the plug but my Aunt (his mother) refused.

A few months later he came to and only with a slight speech impediment. So according to the Dr. this was impossible and since he did come to, he should be brain dead now.

Do Dr's have your best interest?

**Euroholic** · 02-09-2014, 02:58 PM

Yea i got my will. Not many 25 year olds that do tho. I got money set aside and wishings to have a open bar and fireworks and if i die after my nan ill have stripers. May as well make a party out of it.

**Bonaparte** · 02-09-2014, 03:09 PM

Originally Posted by FRDave

I don't think Dr's should have the call for this very reason...

A couple years back my cousin OD'd and was placed in an induced coma. After several months in a coma they stated he would never pull through and if he did, he would be a vegetable for life. They suggested we pull the plug but my Aunt (his mother) refused.

A few months later he came to and only with a slight speech impediment. So according to the Dr. this was impossible and since he did come to, he should be brain dead now.

Do Dr's have your best interest?

From many of your posts lately, I'm gathering that you have a pathological mistrust of doctors (along with the FDA, pharmaceutical companies, governments, etc).

That doctor wasn't trying to murder your comatose cousin. He was giving his professional opinion based on all the info and statistics at hand.

What if the scenario had played out any other way? Suppose the doctor had said that there was a chance that he'd pull through, and he never did; while wasting millions of dollars on life support and torturing the family with false hope for years. Would you be thanking the doctor for his positive thinking, or blaming him for misleading your family and making a healthy profit in doing so?

I'm not saying that doctors should be able to pull the plug, but your experience is hardly a sound argument against it.

**MuscleInk** · 02-09-2014, 06:32 PM

Originally Posted by austinite

Doctors can't make the call. Family members can. Do you think that's right?

Anyone have a living will and have this covered?

Very interesting thought experiment. I've seen similar issues among cancer patients. In situations where no further effective therapy exists, switching from an interventional approach to quality of life care becomes a difficult decision for everyone. Many times the patient will decide enough is enough and they would rather have quality rather than quantity of life. The former involves discontinuing toxic chemo or biology based drugs and switching to palliative care to manage pain and keep the patient comfortable.

I have been part of cases where the patient chose the QoL option but the family insisted on continuing active therapy. It's not an easy position for anyone to be in, including the doctor, and when families disagree it can be very stressful for everyone unless the patient has a set of advanced directives or has assigned a custodial agent the power of attorney for such decisions. Even then there are mixed feelings among family members as to when active care should be discontinued.

**FRDave** · 02-09-2014, 06:38 PM

Originally Posted by Bonaparte

From many of your posts lately, I'm gathering that you have a pathological mistrust of doctors (along with the FDA, pharmaceutical companies, governments, etc).

Based on this post and the fact that I think the flu is started and spread for pharmaceutical gain?

And yes, this is a sound argument since my cousin would be dead if Dr's were able to pull the plug. Austin's asked a question and I answered with my opinion (clearly not yours) and a reason for my opinion (clearly the life of my cousin is not good enough reason for you).

My statement still stands for both cases regardless of your thoughts and if you approve or not ;-)

**MuscleInk** · 02-09-2014, 06:46 PM

Originally Posted by FRDave

Based on this post and the fact that I think the flu is started and spread for pharmaceutical gain?

My statement still stands for both cases regardless of your thoughts and if you approve or not ;-)

Interesting.....since the earliest use of the word "influenza" or flu, dates back to the late 1600s and symptoms of human influenza appeared as far back as 2500 years ago. Much earlier than pharmaceutical companies have been engaged in R&D.

I can see where many of these conspiracies come from. There is money in treating not curing disease. Many times I've been asked if I believe a cure for cancer has already been found but pharmaceutical companies would rather treat than cure the disease pathology.

**austinite** · 02-09-2014, 06:46 PM

Show us your tits.

**FRDave** · 02-09-2014, 06:49 PM

Originally Posted by austinite

Show us your tits.

My e2 is dialed in haha

**lovbyts** · 02-10-2014, 01:20 AM

Originally Posted by slfmade

I've been meaning to do a living will, but haven't got around to it yet. I trust my wife to make the call. We've had the conversation and she knows that if I were a vegetable or had little chance of living any normal life then I would want to just go.

Originally Posted by kelkel

Get it done. Don't put that pressure on your family.

Thanks for the reminder, I just did mine tonight. Several places you can do it online such as legal zoom but it's like $40. I found a place to download a basic word template for free at doyourownwill.com