Make sure you have your wishes documented in a living will. Your spouse or loved ones may be too stressed (and pressured by well-meaning healthcare professionals) to carry out or enforce your wishes should it come to that. My husband fought mightily for 15 years and had undergone numerous treatments and transplants but when it was clearly obvious that his time had come (he had terrible graft vs host disease, could barely walk, no appetite, pain all the time), his doctor was loathe to approve hospice care. It is so hard to be there with your loved one as they die but I will always consider it one of the best gifts I gave him...to hold his hand and comfort him when he was afraid. It was not pretty and it was not quick because he had such a strong will to live (he was only 49 and had an 11 yo son) but his earthly suffering ended when others wanted to perpetuate it because of their own fears of inadeequacy and death and loss.
On Jan 25, 2014 LCInLA wrote:
Make sure you have your wishes documented in a living will. Your spouse or loved ones may be too stressed (and pressured by well-meaning healthcare professionals) to carry out or enforce your wishes should it come to that. My husband fought mightily for 15 years and had undergone numerous treatments and transplants but when it was clearly obvious that his time had come (he had terrible graft vs host disease, could barely walk, no appetite, pain all the time), his doctor was loathe to approve hospice care. It is so hard to be there with your loved one as they die but I will always consider it one of the best gifts I gave him...to hold his hand and comfort him when he was afraid. It was not pretty and it was not quick because he had such a strong will to live (he was only 49 and had an 11 yo son) but his earthly suffering ended when others wanted to perpetuate it because of their own fears of inadeequacy and death and loss.