Thinking about my Mum this morning, and her distressingly hard departure from this life. The Liverpool Care Pathway mentioned in this post has since been discredited.
Too late for her, unfortunately.
During the last quarter of her life, my Mum was often ill. Her breathing problems became so bad, there would be crisis after crisis, occasions where she was not expected to survive. After recovering from these, she would usually say the same things, and have an identical conversation with me. She lamented the fact that voluntary euthanasia was illegal in the UK. She could see a future where she would not want to go on, but be unable to end her life with dignity, at a time of her own choosing. A vocal supporter of the ‘right to die’ campaign, she would always tell me that she did not want to, in her words, ‘end up as a cabbage’. There were numerous times, when she would ask me to reassure her that I would advise any medical authorities that she was not to be resuscitated, and that her life was…
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I also haven’t clicked ‘like’, even though I applaud your courage in posting about this. I also support freedom of choice in end of life care, aka ‘assisted dying’. It has many supporters, but the campaign still seems like an uphill struggle. Cheers, Jon.
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I don’t think any government wants to be the one to go down in history as approving that change, John.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I don’t disagree, Pete; this country can be very reactionary, for various reasons, and that’s not directly associated with political affiliations.
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So sad! In America people can opt for DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) and those in charge must comply.
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My Mum had expressed that wish, but the way they handled it was nothing like any of us expected it to be.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I’m so sorry, Pete. Best to you
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I would dearly like to have a choice, such a shame that your mum had to suffer so much, as well as those around her. I still believe that my sister was given a little extra morphine when she wanted it, but perhaps its just wishful thinking, I know I would be happy with that as a solution.
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Me too, Eddy. I don’t want to go like my Mum had to.
Best wishes, Pete.
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A courageous post, Pete. Thank you for sharing.
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Thanks for reading, Nicholas. I wrote this a long time ago, still so angry about my Mum’s treatment.
Then yesterday I realised that anger has never left me.
Best wishes, Pete.
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So sad to have gone through this…we do have medically assisted death in Canada.
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Over here, it is necessary to travel to some European countries that allow ‘assisted suicide’. But it costs a lot of money, and some people are too ill to be able to travel far. It has been a ‘hot topic’ here for decades now, June.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I think euthanasia should be legal for anyone who wants it for themselves in cases of terminal illness.
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I feel exactly the same way, Maranda. Much better than watching someone die in pain.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Pete I am so sorry to read this – I also read the original post and, of course, the LCP is public knowledge and utterly condemned now. Myself and my husband (who I read your post aloud to as he wondered why I looked so serious) can only admire your courage in telling your mother’s story x
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Thanks for your thoughts, TP.
It’s lovely to see you back in my comments.
Best wishes, Pete.
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It is lovely to be back – I really missed everyone x
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Because he couldn’t bear her pain.
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Oh Pete! I can’t even imagine her pain and yours… My grandmother was in a coma for 7 days. She was 85 and even in coma, she shuddered with pain. Several tubes were put on her body and they had to take measures to stop her tongue from rolling back and chocking her, and to stop her from biting her tongue. My father allowed me to visit on the last day. That day he withdrew life support because
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That sounds like a similar situation to my Mum, Shaily. She was 87, and it was very hard for me to watch her like that.
Best wishes, Pete.
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A couple of your followers could not bring themselves to tap the Like button. But I think sometimes doing so does not indicate pleasure with the subject matter, but rather the power of your text and the emotions it evokes.
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Thanks, David. I feel much the same way as you, but naturally respect their choices too.
Best wishes, Pete.
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A heavy dose of morphine would have been much kinder…
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They didn’t give her morphine because of her COPD. They said it might make her stop breathing. The irony was lost on them, sadly.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Precisely
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Left a comment on your original post though I couldn’t hit Like
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Thanks very much, Mary.
This was my ‘Thinking Aloud’ post today, but I left the original title.
Best wishes, Pete.
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So sorry to hear about your mum🙏
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Thanks, Richa. Even after 8 years, the memory of that time never goes away.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I can understand it’s must be really hard!
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