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Originally posted by robustpuppy
Literally. But you can't euthanize anywhere except in Oregon, I think. And Kevorkian is in prison.
This is actually the difficulty faced by families whose loved ones have filled out advance directives. It's not as if you get to amp up the morphine. Unless the person needs a respirator, you're essentially looking at witholding required meds, hydration, and nutrition, which is a slow process, but ultimately quicker than waiting for all of your organs to fail.
I have been assured that dehydration is not as uncomfortable for the patient as it sounds, especially for patients who are already not alert. Further, if there is a possibiltiy of pain, you can administer pain meds without being inconsistent with the directive.
It makes you hope you're taken out by heart attack, preferably while shark-diving in South Africa or being charged by elephants in India.
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According to personal experience, the majority of the newspaper reports, and Mrs. Wonk, health writer and nurse extraordinaire, they are required to ramp up the morphine when the feeding tube is removed. To take things one step further, as the blood vessels collapse at end-stage, and it is no longer possible to administer morphine through a drip, they administer it through a mister.
