Art Buchwald dies on his own terms..............

He refused kidney dialysis at the age of 81. He described the procedure as 3 times a week for 9 hours.

good for you Art! - I would not put up with that kind of torture either.

[VoyT]

I'm sorry to hear of his passing ...

My DM did the same thing at 82 ... when her kidneys began to fail, she was offered dialysis. She asked if she could be considered for a transplant, when told it was doubtful, she said she saw no reason to go through dialysis. (she also had seen what another relative went through). Her doctor told her later that he didn't blame her.
She went quietly about a year later ....

[Khan]

James Michener said 'enough' at the age of 90.

[Caroline]

Excuse my ignorance, but is dialysis that bad? Make you sick like chemo, or what?

[perinova]

is dialysis that bad?.....
3 times a week for 9 hours.

with a needle in your veins...
I guess you can read, write or watch movies?

I just read about Michener..... dialysis kept him alive for 4 years before he pulled the plug.

[Jay_Gatsby]

With today's advances in dialysis, I wouldn't be surprised if an artificial kidney (essentially a micro-dialysis unit) is invented within the next 5-10 years. While the prospect of walking (or rolling around in a wheelchair) with a portable artificial kidney isn't the most appealing, it's certainly better than what Art Buchwald faced. Here are some articles on the subject:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems...9/s1461541.htm
http://www.physorg.com/news6334.html
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medi...p?newsid=30109
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,...ence/humanbody

[audreyh1]

I guess the problem is that you have to go to a clinic for dialysis?

If it were possible to have it done at home, perhaps it would not be as inconvenient.

Audrey

[Nords]

Originally Posted by audreyh1

If it were possible to have it done at home, perhaps it would not be as inconvenient.

One of my shipmate's daughters lost her kidney function at age 14. While she was waiting for a transplant, they used a form of home dialysis where she essentially pumped her torso cavity full of the waste-chelating fluid. I think she changed things over daily or every 48 hours.

You can imagine the sanitation/infection problems they were contending with, to say nothing of her morale. "Sorry, guys, can't make the mall today-- gotta change my dialysis fluid!" No sports, no undue exertion, lots of diet restrictions.

She got a double transplant a year later (local hit & run of a bicyclist a block from the hospital) and she's fine now. I can only imagine her future of medical insurance, employer or otherwise, but I bet with her mature perspective on life that she doesn't care.

Dealing with Tricare & Medicaid-- well, that's a whole 'nother type of organ failure...

[Meadbh]

Dialysis is no picnic. It severely restricts what you can do, and you feel lousy even if everything is going well. There are many complications, including anemia, recurrent infections, and abnormalities of trace elements like aluminium. It's practically impossible to travel. If you miss one dialysis treatment, you run the risk of becoming very ill; if you miss two, you are quite likely to die of hyperkalemia (high potassium levels).

People who get a transplant after being on dialysis generally have a significant improvement in their quality of life, despite having to take immunosuppressant drugs. Someone who was in medical school with me went through med school and residency on dialysis (no mean feat), then got a transplant. The improvement in her energy, morale and appearance was was unbelievable. Unfortunately she later rejected the kidney.

Art Buchwald simply did not want to go that route and made a choice that was right for him.

On a brighter note, I remember very well enjoying his columns in the newspaper as a child in Ireland. His wit translated across cultures. So long Art, we miss you!

[Sheryl]

I always enjoyed his sense of humor.

He kept it until the end - I read that the NYT ran his video obit, which he pre-recorded after knowing he would be passing soon - "Hi I'm Art Buchwald and I just died...."

Gotta love it!

[Khan]

Originally Posted by Sheryl

I always enjoyed his sense of humor.

He kept it until the end - I read that the NYT ran his video obit, which he pre-recorded after knowing he would be passing soon - "Hi I'm Art Buchwald and I just died...."

Gotta love it!

Four short videos:

http://tinyurl.com/yvg5wr

[Buckeye]

I thought the cost of the dialysis was also one of his considerations for choosing not to do it.

[Nords]

Originally Posted by Buckeye

I thought the cost of the dialysis was also one of his considerations for choosing not to do it.

"I'm dead now, but what a bargain!"

[wabmester]

I liked the video, but I thought it should have been made when he was younger.

Was anybody else here inspired to make their own obit video?

Hi, I'm Wab, and I just died!

Maybe I'll ask my executor to send you guys a link when the time is right.

[Meadbh]

Originally Posted by wab

I liked the video, but I thought it should have been made when he was younger.

Was anybody else here inspired to make their own obit video?

Hi, I'm Wab, and I just died!

Maybe I'll ask my executor to send you guys a link when the time is right.

Let's start a new thread about custom funerals and communications from beyond!

[Nords]

Originally Posted by wab

Was anybody else here inspired to make their own obit video?
Maybe I'll ask my executor to send you guys a link when the time is right.

Wab, I thought your tech brethren would have put you onto this already: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9257776/