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People have to realize that one is treated differently when one gets older, right, wrong, or indifferent. I first noticed that when I would do my walking exercises in the park where all the young women would ignore and ghost me and gray-haired women would give a semi-wink.
One needs to prepare accordingly. I asked my cardiologist about my next aortic valve replacement since the one and about about due for another and he said we will use the new procedure. I then asked him about what came next (with regard to heart care) and he said "and then you die". Well I already knew that but I guess he doesn't have any plan B if I don't. I was really asking about heart monitoring care. I think he is also about due for retiring. He does look worn out and beat up. When I first saw him he was younger and more fun and positive.
His beside manner has suffered as he got older or if I got older or maybe both.
What is wrong with these doctors? About 15 years ago I went to an ortho surgeon to get a consult on ACL knee surgery, and when he realized I wasn't eager to get surgery he says, "you know you are going to die someday, right?" Well, I'm still alive and walking on both knees, one with a partially torn ACL and the other with a partially torn meniscus.
I hope I don't get in trouble here for being off-topic.
What is wrong with these doctors? About 15 years ago I went to an ortho surgeon to get a consult on ACL knee surgery, and when he realized I wasn't eager to get surgery he says, "you know you are going to die someday, right?" Well, I'm still alive and walking on both knees, one with a partially torn ACL and the other with a partially torn meniscus.
I hope I don't get in trouble here for being off-topic.
Context lol. Why did the doc bring up death over ACL surgery
I remember reading that physicians are less likely to follow medical guidelines and SOC on themselves (or close family) than the general public.
Burnout. You do all these procedures and you’re never really sure if they’re having much impact besides torturing the patient. So you become jaded, cynical and resigned to die with dignity.
They don't care about high cholesterol when you are older, either. My mother was in her 70s, and they acted like it was just normal in your 70s to have very high cholesterol. What? You might live 10 -12 years more at best. That is how they talk. At any rate, she died of sepsis from hospital neglect from being older. Unreal. Felt helpless. Nothing I could do.
I remember reading that physicians are less likely to follow medical guidelines and SOC on themselves (or close family) than the general public.
Burnout. You do all these procedures and you’re never really sure if they’re having much impact besides torturing the patient. So you become jaded, cynical and resigned to die with dignity.
IMHO, it is not burnout but common sense. Doctors know they spend enormous effort to keep people dying, not living, and they don't want that for themselves. They just extend the dying process. Who wants to drag that out? So Doctors push all kinds of care on us to drag out our dying process longer, but don't want that for themselves.
For example, terminal cancer. Why go on chemo so you have a horrible year slowly dying, instead of 3 good months dying and 3 terrible months dying?
IMHO, it is not burnout but common sense. Doctors know they spend enormous effort to keep people dying, not living, and they don't want that for themselves. They just extend the dying process. Who wants to drag that out? So Doctors push all kinds of care on us to drag out our dying process longer, but don't want that for themselves.
For example, terminal cancer. Why go on chemo so you have a horrible year slowly dying, instead of 3 good months dying and 3 terrible months dying?
I agree with you. But also, there is a big money involved in keeping living longer. More treatment = more money. They make enormous amounts of money off of terminally ill patients.
There are a lot of people who think getting chemo in your +70s will do way more damage than good.
A lot of people are living longer, but are they living better? I know a lot of people in their 70's and 80's who are just being kept alive by medicine, but their quality of life is terrible.
I agree with you. But also, there is a big money involved in keeping living longer. More treatment = more money. They make enormous amounts of money off of terminally ill patients.
There are a lot of people who think getting chemo in your +70s will do way more damage than good.
A lot of people are living longer, but are they living better? I know a lot of people in their 70's and 80's who are just being kept alive by medicine, but their quality of life is terrible.
Right, and Doctors often have more sense than to waste any of their kids' inheritance on another month dying.
I get it. Dying is scary. "Ay, there's the rub", as Shakespear said.
Nobody is ever ready to die but there is no escaping it. There is no "death with dignity". We just die. The overwhelming desire to put it off, if even for just one day, is understandable. Not logical though. If you think it through, taking death when your time is up is the "smart" thing to do, but we are emotional creatures.
Ask me when I get there. I will probably be BEGGING doctors to give me just one more day. I can only logic prevails.
IMHO, it is not burnout but common sense. Doctors know they spend enormous effort to keep people dying, not living, and they don't want that for themselves. They just extend the dying process. Who wants to drag that out? So Doctors push all kinds of care on us to drag out our dying process longer, but don't want that for themselves.
For example, terminal cancer. Why go on chemo so you have a horrible year slowly dying, instead of 3 good months dying and 3 terrible months dying?
It is more often patients and family who push for treatment.
Right, and Doctors often have more sense than to waste any of their kids' inheritance on another month dying.
I get it. Dying is scary. "Ay, there's the rub", as Shakespear said.
Nobody is ever ready to die but there is no escaping it. There is no "death with dignity". We just die. The overwhelming desire to put it off, if even for just one day, is understandable. Not logical though. If you think it through, taking death when your time is up is the "smart" thing to do, but we are emotional creatures.
Ask me when I get there. I will probably be BEGGING doctors to give me just one more day. I can only logic prevails.
I understand your point very well.
It's like people trying to cram in all these memories when a person is terminal. To me, it's not a time to make memories; it's a time to face the reality of death. You can't prepare for death anyways. You can make as many memories as you want - death is still coming. Our culture really is death-denying and youth-obsessed.
I like when you say "there is not death dignity...we just die." That's true. Dying is just as natural as being born, or eating or going to the bathroom. We make it like it's something wrong or taboo - it's part of life. Every one who has every lived has died. No one gets out of life alive. Sorry, everyone! Would you want to live forever anyways. At 90 or 100, who is going to care about high cholesterol?!!
It is more often patients and family who push for treatment.
Well, that may be true in some cases. But a lot of money is to be made from treating terminally ill people. It's a business, for-profit. I would agree, however, that most doctors are not going to push aggressive treatment on people in their late 80's and onwards. That would be silly.
It is more often patients and family who push for treatment.
But if the doctor explained to them the slightly extended life would not be worth the extended suffering, they might not push for it.
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