End of life: Thin line between care and torture

“Doctor gave 80-year-old woman chemo she didn’t want, and it almost killed her, lawsuit says,” (TNT, 10/4).

Imagine an eighty-seven year old woman in the hospital with end-stage kidney disease, heart failure, type II diabetes and colon cancer. She receives 12 drugs every morning at 9 a.m., eight at 2 p.m., and 14 at 9 p.m.

Among various intrusive medical procedures/devices, she has a feeding tube and a colostomy bag. Her family has not discussed hospice care, she is not currently “Do Not Resuscitate” status.

She is still capable enough cognitively to make her own medical decisions, but is often not herself due to constant pain management and side effects of medications.

At what point do we step in and say enough is enough? At what point is it better to celebrate a long, fulfilling life than to witness one end like this?

Sometimes the best treatment is no treatment at all, except for some basic comfort measures.

I personally would rather leave this world in the comfort of my own home, surrounded by those I love. Life is precious, death is inevitable, and I want to go out with some dignity.