Meg was told her brain tumour was inoperable. Nonsense, said her mother, I won't let my daughter die

Daily Mail ^ | 14th July 2009 | Tessa Cunningham

[george76]

'At 19, Meg was told her brain tumour was inoperable. Nonsense, said her mother, I won't let my daughter die.'

Full title that would not fit

[massgopguy]

That’s why Obama wants to take those decisions out of the hands of family.

[kenth]

But he admitted that Meg stood a far better chance in the U.S. as the equipment was so superior.

How could that be, when everyone knows government health care is far superior to the private sector?

[Leg Olam]

‘too risky’?

Leave it alone and she would surely die. Operate and hopfully live. I konw phyicians take an oath to ‘do no harm’ but doing nothing seems to run counter to that.

[traumer]

[massgopguy]

Fee for Service is also illegal in ObamaCare. Ironically, Meg would have to be in the country Illegally to get this treatment.

[MarkeyD]

But he admitted that Meg stood a far better chance in the U.S. as the equipment was so superior.

Won't be true in a few years.

[Gay State Conservative]

And if HusseinCare is ever enacted the only people on earth who will ever have access to such care are the rich,powerful and famous...meaning members of Congress and the TOTUS,Soros and friends and Babs Streisand and friends.The rest of us...when *we* have a seizure...can wait until hell freezes over for the helicopter to take us to Massachusetts General Hospital (or some other large,famous hospital) because it won't arrive.What *we'll* get is a pogo stick ride to some dirty,two-bit place where we'll have to wait 6 months to even talk to a nurse.

[MozarkDawg]

I just want to let my fellow FReepers know this situation is not relegated to those countries with socialized medicine, it is in fact going on here in America. I have been dealing with a problem for more than twenty-three years, numerous brain and spinal cord surgeries required, I have had this same conversation, more than once -- the only difference is that I did not/do not suffer from malignant tumor in an inoperable part of my brain; I was only 22 when first diagnosed with trouble.

[Tired of Taxes]

I konw phyicians take an oath to ‘do no harm’ but doing nothing seems to run counter to that.

Indeed. Doctors here in the U.S. also will "do nothing" for patients deemed too risky or too far along. (Our family can give testimony to that.) Still, our healthcare system is the finest in the world, though there's room for improvement. It could be improved with less gov't intervention, instead of more.

[LucyJo]

Now, that’s scary.

[George from New England]

America has been the last hope for some critical patients in our world. Obama wants to end it and pull down the entire world until other countries supersede the US, BIGTIME.

[Foolsgold]

In all of his hidden school records, did oboomarang get an M.D.?

[bolobaby]

Health care in the United States is expensive? What is the price tag on getting to live? At least the option is available here.

[TangoLimaSierra]

But before making a final decision, Meg was referred for a second opinion to London's National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery - one of Britain's leading centres.

Where she died waiting for an appointment.

[r9etb]

I know phyicians take an oath to ‘do no harm’ but doing nothing seems to run counter to that.

"Doing nothing" when doing something will almost certainly cause harm is almost always the right call to make. The girl's first surgeon took stock of the tumor and his own capabilities, and acknowledged his own shortcomings. He made the right call.

Doing nothing when something can be done with a good chance of success ... that's probably the wrong thing to do.

The girl's mother looked for somebody capable of "doing something," and also made the right call, as did the doctor who eventually successfully operated.

But of course, "doing something" when you can is not always straightforward, either. For example, should cost impose a limit on what can be done? If this surgery cost £50 million instead of £50,000 ... would it still be the right thing?

And then if you get to the point of having to decide whether a certain result is "successful" or even worth it ... that's the ugly gray area.

[rawhide]

Time-bomb: Meg, pictured here with her then-boyfriend Josh, became increasingly forgetful and exhausted, and began to smell burning for no reason.

Second chance: Meg and Josh on their wedding day.

God bless them both!

[definitelynotaliberal]

The difference, however, is that no dr. schedules your MRI apt. a month after you see him. The article says clearly that she had to wait MONTHS to get the results of the MRI that was scheduled a MONTH after she saw the dr..

[rawhide]

A mother's love saves ger life:

Desperation: When her daughter Meg Jones was diagnosed with cancer, Helen Bulbeck scoured the internet for a surgeon willing to perform the risky surgery.

[sometime lurker]

Leave it alone and she would surely die. Operate and hopfully live. I know phyicians take an oath to ‘do no harm’ but doing nothing seems to run counter to that.

It's not as simple as that, especially when it comes to brain tumors near certain areas in the brain. It's always a risk/benefit balance - would you rather have the chance of living a few years with most of your faculties until close to the end, or have surgery now and risk severe brain damage and stroke? Especially if it's uncertain that the surgery would be curative?

The newer equipment and the advent of doctors specializing in neuro-oncology have improved the odds tremendously. Sadly, there are still times when the risk/benefit ratio runs against surgery.