My Brother in Law passed away yesterday.

My friend died from that type of cancer and it was tough. So sorry for your loss but glad that he had control of the end.
 
Gumby said:
I'm sorry for your loss. It is good that he was in control at the end.
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+1

So sorry your BIL passed away, ShockWaveRider. At least it was on his own terms. My condolences to you, the rest of his family, and his friends.
 
Very sad, but thank goodness there was some relief available at the end. Gosh!

My condolences.
 
Sorry for your loss, and at the same time, glad he was able to end his suffering with dignity at the time of his choice. Esophageal cancer is one of the worst.
 
SWR, my condolences as well. Thank you for the thoughtful post.

My brother died from pancreatic cancer and the last few days were miserable for him. Seeing that, if it happens to me, I would like the DWD choice available. I hope we get it here in CT.

The $120 bottle of wine sounds like a great idea. I think we will designate something like that for our "gone away" party.
 
I'm really sorry to hear about your loss -- but its great that he had such a full life. In the end, that's all that any of us can hope for.

Also glad that he was able to exert some control over that end. I would like these things to liberalize in the US as well.
 
The MAID laws were passed here in Canada in large part due to the public efforts of a courageous lady dying of Lou Gehrigs disease called Sue Rodriguez. Hers is a name immediately recognizable to many Canadians.

Sue Rodriguez
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sue_Rodriguez

Last year a close friend of my father in laws, a true gentleman I had met a few times, also ended his life. He was suffering from late stage lung cancer. He and his children (my age) were brave people who made a tough choice and I am glad they had the option.

Lastly, if you are interested in such matters, take 5 minutes and read the case of this couple from PEI who very recently choose MAID. It's very nearly a tearjerker and anyone who disagrees with MAID would probably do well to contemplate them and their bravery.

PEI MAID Couple
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-maid-assisted-dying-1.6050270
 
OP--My condolences on the death of your Brother in Law. I am glad he was able to choose his end of life peacefully.
 
you did well. my father almost made it to 80 after a miserable 18 months. he chose voluntary starvation.

its a profoundly miserable death.

my stepmother faces alzheimers, or rather we face it for her, since she cannot hold the thought.

sigh.
 
It will take decades before we learn the full ramifications of assisted suicide.
There are those who see it as simply a way to end needless suffering, and those who see it as a slippery slope that degrades the value of human life. Like many other changes in our society, the long term effects, good or bad, do not become apparent until, uh, the long term.
 
Gearhead Jim said:
It will take decades before we learn the full ramifications of assisted suicide.
There are those who see it as simply a way to end needless suffering, and those who see it as a slippery slope that degrades the value of human life. Like many other changes in our society, the long term effects, good or bad, do not become apparent until, uh, the long term.
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Death with Dignity has been legal in Oregon for decades. Since 1997. What do you forsee as the full ramifications? We don't have death panels here in Oregon...or Soylent Green (;)) In 2019 290 people requested the process. 188 followed through. You don't just drive up to the pharmacy & request your end. The process is thoughtful & provides safeguards. We aren't killing Grandma so the kids can inherit her estate. Fewer people used DwD than firearm deaths (2017) & slightly more than homicides

My wife used it in 2019 & it provided her peace.
 
Gearhead Jim said:
It will take decades before we learn the full ramifications of assisted suicide.
There are those who see it as simply a way to end needless suffering, and those who see it as a slippery slope that degrades the value of human life. Like many other changes in our society, the long term effects, good or bad, do not become apparent until, uh, the long term.
Click to expand...

We already know the effects of not having Death with Dignity.
People suffer pain for years waiting to die, as many by then are unable to jump off a building/bridge or do some other messy "solution".
 
Scrapr said:
Death with Dignity has been legal in Oregon for decades. Since 1997. What do you forsee as the full ramifications? We don't have death panels here in Oregon...or Soylent Green (;)) In 2019 290 people requested the process. 188 followed through. You don't just drive up to the pharmacy & request your end. The process is thoughtful & provides safeguards. We aren't killing Grandma so the kids can inherit her estate. Fewer people used DwD than firearm deaths (2017) & slightly more than homicides

My wife used it in 2019 & it provided her peace.
Click to expand...

Thank you Scrapr for posting about your wife's choice. It's really helpful to get some firsthand experience.
 
My brother died the same way, except that it took 4 years for him to die. He had chemo and radiation, and was pronounced "cured" by the VA hospital. Anyone who reads about this type of cancer knows that chances of being cured are almost non-existent.

It was an awful death for him, and awful to watch for his family.

I wish he had a Death with Dignity option, though I suspect that no one in the family would have thought it was a good idea. I'm glad I live in Oregon where its legal.
 
I used to think that Morphine could handle any painful death issues but obviously that’s not the case. So which pain issues can morphine handle and which can it not?
 
bmcgonig said:
I used to think that Morphine could handle any painful death issues but obviously that’s not the case. So which pain issues can morphine handle and which can it not?
Click to expand...

For my wife tumors were pressing on her windpipe. It was going to be a slow motion choking event. Over the course of 2 weeks she upped the morphine from 1 mg to 3 every couple hours. She was lucid during this. She would probably need double or triple that amount (essentially comatose) to not feel the effects.
 
Scrapr said:
For my wife tumors were pressing on her windpipe. It was going to be a slow motion choking event. Over the course of 2 weeks she upped the morphine from 1 mg to 3 every couple hours. She was lucid during this. She would probably need double or triple that amount (essentially comatose) to not feel the effects.
Click to expand...

Scrapr, if you don't mind, could you tell us about the decision process and emotions you and your wife went through? Was she releived to end the suffering? Sad to go?

I know my brother (pancreatic cancer) felt pretty good right up until the last couple of days. Then he suffered with a lot of pain. Very miserable. During that time his hospice worker was not present - just his girfriend who thought "he will get better".

From a distance it seems like whatever morphine dose he had, it was not enough to eliminate the suffering. It sure would have been nice for him to have the choice to DWD. Not sure if he would have taken it but he was a very pragmatic person so I would not be surprised if he did.

We visited him about 3 days before his final day. We did not know, but the day we were with him was his last good day. He seemed upbeat and feeling better. So glad we could spend that time with him.

I am thinking about what I can do at this end to make DWD possible here in CT. It's a choice my wife and I both want.
 
I am sorry for your loss, SWR. I am also glad he was able to see the end of his life on his own terms.
Likewise to you too, Scrapr.
 
ImThinkin2019 said:
Scrapr, if you don't mind, could you tell us about the decision process and emotions you and your wife went through? Was she releived to end the suffering? Sad to go?

I know my brother (pancreatic cancer) felt pretty good right up until the last couple of days. Then he suffered with a lot of pain. Very miserable. During that time his hospice worker was not present - just his girfriend who thought "he will get better".

From a distance it seems like whatever morphine dose he had, it was not enough to eliminate the suffering. It sure would have been nice for him to have the choice to DWD. Not sure if he would have taken it but he was a very pragmatic person so I would not be surprised if he did.

We visited him about 3 days before his final day. We did not know, but the day we were with him was his last good day. He seemed upbeat and feeling better. So glad we could spend that time with him.

I am thinking about what I can do at this end to make DWD possible here in CT. It's a choice my wife and I both want.
Click to expand...

I'm going to write a long reply and not hijack SWR's thread anymore
 
I'm curious - if you live in a "non"-DWD state (I live in Massachusetts), how difficult is it to go to a DWD state and utilize their law?
 
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