| Blogs > swallowtsui > Hopping Swallow 鍋爐焰焰 |
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A Cut (Surgery) at Your Old Age Old and some not old Chinese ppl generally hold that all our body, hair and skin, are given from father and mother and a natural creation. If not very necessary, they dont want a cut on the body. That's why in the past, a curse 'die with an imcomplete body' was a very sinister one. Now I (we) face this dilemma: My grandma, 82, being all the time very healthy, suddently contracted gall disease and duodenum cancer. Doctor suggested do a surgery to install a pipe there to enable her digestive system. But they didnt say how is the effect. She now cannot eat, just a very bit of soup sustain her. She's weak and look yellowish pale. Doctor forecast there's only...(sad, we dont tell her of her actual situation.) She herself doesnt want the cut; her only (my father0 and all daughters also not - quoting that too old to do it, if forcefully do it, would do harm than good. What if you are facing this? |
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4/12/2007 5:34 am |
If I were in that case, I would ask them to let me go without doing anything further to save my life. I would not want to drag people I love into a difficult situation, it'd be good both for them and for myself. I have seen what the suffering was like for people who had cancer and had stayed in hospital for more than half a year, doing nothing every day just waiting for that day coming up. SO SAD! I am reluctant to recall those miserable days. If possible, I would like to be a meteorite instead of a star.
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Peter, 多谢祝福! Oasis, 你的建议是对的. 我们应带她多看几家, 综合比较意见. 那个说植管的是广州大医院的教授, 应该再带她到中大肿瘤医院或军方医院再诊. 但我女麻因食嘢少, 要奔波加上每间医院基于潜规则都要重新检验, 不依据外院的检验结果和报告. 做一个磁共震对一个衰弱老人是消耗很大的. 有些不负责任只收钱的嫌疑. 请你读读我同一主题的英文贴子, 我觉得评论者的话有些道理. 其实可能开了手术结果一样, 只徒增痛苦. 这正是我们难以决定之处. 谢谢你的建议.
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SFB & HB, I get your points - of individual and western perspective. It sounds. But the dilemma still lies: If do the operation, a little hope will be there and life can prolonged; if doing nothing, we are watching her life/energy would be consumed, isnt it not humane? Is a life an individual choice or family's?
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Abt how to close your life's chapter: Can we have the right to decide? Which way you like best?
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4/13/2007 12:27 am |
swallow, Yeah, you are right. It's difficult to decide what to do with the situation, that's why 安乐死 has been controversial over the years, we always have to wander about the road when it comes to choose between less suffering and humaneness. We have no right to decide when/where to be born/die, that's the truth. To me, I perfer 安乐死.
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HBird. Mercy death is not yet legal in China. Currently a woman suffering fm lifelong vital disease to such extent that even rips her suicidal capability is pleaing for mercy death on internet. In my grandma's case, she can eat a very bit liquid food, can talk, can walk and is able to take care of herself. That's why we need to ponder on the operation's effect, of which the main purpose is to enable her gall and digestive system. We have no right on our birth, but more right on how we would end our life if we are couregous?
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DVC, Thank you for sharing your father's. Swiss looks civic on death choices. I am pro it. To go with living dignity is very important, especially not to hurt self-respect. So is it advisible we let Grandma deal with it naturally w/o medical interference, which, in China, is widely regarded as a ripoff of money and careless act by the unclean medical system?
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4/16/2007 5:37 am |
Swallow, Quote: "在最近几十年，医学技术的进步使得人类有可能比过去活得长了。但是当论及延长一个无可挽救、濒临死亡的人的生命是否必要时，有些人，包括有些医生认为生命的质量和生命本身同样重要；当病情已变得不堪忍受了，就不应迫使这些人再活下去。他们坚持说应允许一个人尊严地死去，允许他们决定什么时候死。但是赞成采取延长生命的方法的人认为在任何情况下生总比死好；一个医生的责任就是尽可能延长一个人的生命。或许双方都有点道理，但是最近公众要求对自愿安乐死合法化的呼声似乎越来越高。 In the last decades, advances in medical technology have made it possible for people to live longer than in the past. Yet when it comes to the desirability of extending the life of the terminally ill, some people, including some doctors, say that the quality of life is as important as life itself, and that people should in be forced to go on living when the conditions of life have become unbearable. They argue that people should be allowed to die with dignity and decide when they want to die. However those who are in favor of life-extending measures argue that life under any circumstances is better than death and that the duty of doctors is always to extend life as long as possible. There is probably some truth on both sides, but recently the public clamor for the legalization of voluntary euthanasia seem increasingly strong." Although the above is probably nonsense, I hope it could help. Best wish to you and your grandma.  Please don't disturb a chicken before he hatches.
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Oasis, The contradictions lies there...thank you, your post takes out my words. We are watching and pondering.
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Dvc, We wont tell her of her real problem. We try to cover it. Not humane to reveal it. Are we ripping her off her right to know?
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