Why do doctors...

This discussion is dedicated to a very special lady who is a MyLot member and her husband who passed away a few days ago. Why do doctors feel that they have to put people through living he11 with treatments? These are to prolong our lives, supposedly, but they are horribly painful to go through. Chemo, dialysis, and more. I have known many people who have gone through dialysis and the pain is awful. Not to mention the difficulty of getting time on the machine. Of the people that I have known who have gone through the dialysis, 6 out of the 8 quit the dialysis because they just couldn't do it anymore. Of course they passed on, but they did it with dignity and they did it their way. If the people opt out of the treatment from the start they are considered as odd, chicken, selfish, and a long list of adjectives. I call these people very brave and extremely strong. There comes a time when a person has had enough of the pain, fatigue, non answers and the realization comes to them that all that the chemo and dialysis is doing is prolonging the pain, that the end result is going to be the same. The question the person asks them self is if the extra pain and suffering to extend their life is really worth it. Their life may be extended a few weeks, months or maybe a year. But what is the quality of life is going to be like? Are we all brave enough to ask ourselves that same question? As my Mom used to say, "Doctors are only practicing".