Replies

Given enough drugs, it might not be as bad, but still, it’s not gonna be pleasant for sure, and I’m not sure they give enough drugs to keep a person so drugged out thatmthey don’t realize what is happening.

It should be that a person is “made as comfortable as possible while dying”, and that woild include keeping them hydrated, and as pain free as possible. It seems unconscionable to allow someone to slowly die of thirst or even hunger.

Ever since my friend's saga, I've dug in. What I found was unnerving.

I'm with you - I was ALWAYS told that dehydration is painful, not just because of the lips but a variety of other problems.

What's incredible, is the amount of pro-dehydration "education" out there. Get a lot of this word salad:

When oral intake is poor or not recommended, the use of intravenous fluids may be thought of as a method of preventing dehydration. In a dying individual, intravenous fluids may cause more harm than good. First is the discomfort and potential for infection related to maintaining an access to administer the fluids. The body may be unable to effectively process the fluids, leading to swelling in various areas of the body. Intravenous fluids will increase the amount of secretions an individual has, resulting in coughing spells and/or shortness of breath. Lastly, fluid that goes in will also cause the bladder to fill. Fatigue and physical pain may make toileting difficult, or the individual may be incontinent and experience discomfort with the frequent skin care needed to prevent breakdown. A catheter may take care of the incontinence issue, but is another potential source of infection, in addition to the discomfort experienced with its insertion. When allowed to dry out naturally, normal chemical changes in the body and brain may produce a mild euphoria and improve an individual’s comfort level. This euphoria may allow for lower doses of narcotics or other medications to be used, thus reducing the side effect of increased sedation and allowing for more quality time with loved ones. Does dehydration still sound cruel?

My Mom died a year and a half ago at 98 from colorectal cancer. There was no doubt she would die and for the last month of her life we absolutely could not keep her at home and after 5 days in the hospital she was transferred to a really good critical care facility.

She was there for just over 20 days when she stopped eating and drinking and was mostly unconscious. I was told she was effectively in hospice at that point. I was Insistent that they put an IV in her because I didn’t want her to suffer dehydration like Terri Shiavo. They said OK and when I came to visit the next day her hand was purple where they had tried to get a vein and finally had to go to the other hand. My Mom came around must long enough to soulfully moan my name and I was horrified that I had caused her more pain.

The people at the care facility were really nice and my Mom got excellent care but the Physician Assistant told me they usually don’t put in an IV in hospice especially if you are talking about a person’s last 2-3 days which we were. So they took the IV out and my Mom passed peacefully the next day. I almost had a nervous breakdown from guilt over the whole thing. In retrospect I don’t think the IV was necessary. I was just frantic because I’m a natural born fixer and you can’t fix death.

From the article: "...although the use of sedative drugs for symptom relief may contribute to a reduced level of consciousness and thus a reduced oral intake."

Dying is, yes, at times natural and at times not. In the context of the statistical fact that the last almost three years of Covid and the now-famous Fauci-CDC "hospital protocol" involving sedative drug use alongside dangerous remdesivir and ventilation (which is why the sedatives are used), the mortality rate for Covid -- though low in real terms -- has been four times as high in the US as in the world in general.

Dying is, yes, at times natural and at times not. Especially when government makes the decisions.