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Mary's Reviews > Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End
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by
As a baby boomer, I have long avoided the contemplation of my own mortality thinking that I will be hale, hearty and with all facilities intact into some misty future that is always decades away. However, joints are creaking, words are eluding me, and friends are suffering health crises. The signs are there - I am indeed getting older and the finish line is not as misty and distant as it once was.
My husband was reading Being Mortal and quoted me passages from time to time; I was intrigued and picked it up. This book is such a gift - it has given me guideposts into that unknown territory in a gentle and very personal way and I consider this a MUST READ.
Dr. Gawande speaks frankly about the tendency of modern medicine to overtreat terminally ill patients which often results in prolonged suffering. He also examines the emphasis on safety (both families and in institutions) that often ends up depriving the elderly of all autonomy and a meaningful life in their last months or years. Fortunately, he informs us of new models of care for the elderly as well as guidance and questions to ask ourselves as we plan for future care.
While I am healthy and independent now, this book has given me a frame of reference to think about my older self and what I want my life to look like in my final days. I am both grateful and reassured.
If you are interested, check out some of the reviews attached to Lilo’s reference list below:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My husband was reading Being Mortal and quoted me passages from time to time; I was intrigued and picked it up. This book is such a gift - it has given me guideposts into that unknown territory in a gentle and very personal way and I consider this a MUST READ.
Dr. Gawande speaks frankly about the tendency of modern medicine to overtreat terminally ill patients which often results in prolonged suffering. He also examines the emphasis on safety (both families and in institutions) that often ends up depriving the elderly of all autonomy and a meaningful life in their last months or years. Fortunately, he informs us of new models of care for the elderly as well as guidance and questions to ask ourselves as we plan for future care.
While I am healthy and independent now, this book has given me a frame of reference to think about my older self and what I want my life to look like in my final days. I am both grateful and reassured.
If you are interested, check out some of the reviews attached to Lilo’s reference list below:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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December 29, 2019
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December 29, 2019
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Lilo: I am so very sorry to hear about your recent spinal problem. Thoughts and prayers, my dear, are coming your way.
Mary wrote: "Lilo: I am so very sorry to hear about your recent spinal problem. Thoughts and prayers, my dear, are coming your way."Thank you so much, Mary! I surely appreciate your thoughts and prayers.
Oh no! Can you go somewhere like the Mayo Clinic? Whatever you do, don’t give up hope, okay??
Furrawn wrote: "Oh no! Can you go somewhere like the Mayo Clinic? Whatever you do, don’t give up hope, okay??"If I absolutely have to, I can. Yet I am not even sure whether I am a good candidate for surgery. I don't quite trust the surgeon at the hospital I had been taken to. I never even got to see him. He just communicated with the ER doctor there by phone.
The results of most spine surgeries are not so very good.
Our vet is our best friend. Last May, he had successful spine surgery (for a different problem than mine) in Orlando, Florida, after having done lots of research to find the best surgeon for his problem. He'll help me find the best surgeon for my problem.
Presently, I am doing fairly well with steroid pills (left over from a dog we had to have euthanized last November). The pain is tolerable, but I don't get too much sleep. What's troubling me most, these days, is that I might fall, as I am not stable on my feet. And it doesn't make too much difference whether or not I use my walker, as walkers can easily tip over or get caught at some obstacle.
No, I won't give up. I promise. As nasty and disabling as this problem is, it's, so far, not the worst that can happen to a person. I just hope that none of these horrific pain attacks will come back.
I’m so relieved about your vet friend... especially since he had a successful spinal surgery himself! Whatever you do, Lilo, trust your instincts. If you don’t feel quite right about a doctor, find a different doctor. Yes, falling would be bad especially if you fractured something. Steroids could be causing some of your sleeplessness. I know that when I’ve had to take them (for asthma) that I couldn’t sleep much.
Furrawn wrote: "I’m so relieved about your vet friend... especially since he had a successful spinal surgery himself! Whatever you do, Lilo, trust your instincts. If you don’t feel quite right about a doctor, find..."I didn't know that steroids cause sleeplessness. (I had thought it was the pain, as even tolerable pain can keep you from sleeping.) Well, one always learns something new.
I am glad you encourage me to trust my instincts. I think this is very good advice.
I will add it to the list of recommended reviews of this book on my own review.
I turned 80 last month. And on December 18, out of the blue, I suffered an ordeal with my back (which has been given me trouble ever since I had had a car accident at age 22). On a pain scale of 0-10, the pain was an 11. (12 would have been my heart stopping of pain.) After being examined at the local ER, I was taken 185 miles to a better-equipped hospital by ambulance, for emergency surgery. Yet I was dismissed the following day, as they couldn't do the surgery because of a bleeding problem. (I had taken aspirin and smeared aspercreme.) Was told to come back after the holidays, once the aspirin would be out of my body. Have since been a, more or less, nursing case, getting by with steroids and acetaminophen (which our vet and friend told me yesterday don't go so well together), and I have some opiate pills, for in case I suffered another horrific pain attack. And now I wonder whether it makes even sense to have this surgery. My whole spine is a mess. Maybe they should just keep my head and transplant me a whole new body. On second thoughts, after looking into the mirror, maybe they should even give me a new head. :-)
Luckily, I have a loving (77-year old) husband, who takes care of me. But the future isn't so very bright.