How We Die: Choice and Chance (washingtonpost.com)

How We Die: Choice and Chance (washingtonpost.com): "Along with all of its unexpected political implications, the Schiavo case has had the effect of exposing the enormous gap between what Americans imagine death should be like and what death actually is like for most people in the 21st century."

The above column reminds me of what I learned in my History of Death and Dying class at KSU. Americans don't see or talk about death today like they did in 1900. Perhaps this is why we fear death more. Add to this the medical advancements that can prolong the process of dying, the lawyers with their DNRs, living wills, and power of attorneys, and the new and arguably less influential role of the physician in the information age, and you have what amounts to an incredibly difficult dilemma. End of life issues are not easy. I just hope the political, social, and legal outcomes of the Schiavo case help us as a society to better deal with death/end-of-life issues because we certainly don't do a great job now. My fear is that the religious right's efforts could move us backward instead of forward.

Horse and Chicken Joke

On the farm lived a chicken and a horse, both of whom loved to play together. One day the two were playing, when the horse fell into a bog and began to sink. Scared for his life, the horse whinnied for the chicken to go get the farmer for help!

Off the chicken ran, back to the farm. Arriving at the farm, he searched and searched for the farmer, but to no avail, for he had gone to town with the only tractor. Running around, the chicken spied the farmer's new Harley. Finding the keys in the ignition, the chicken sped off with a length of rope hoping he still had time to save his friend's life.

Back at the bog, the horse was surprised, but happy, to see the chicken arrive on the shiny Harley, and he managed to get a hold of the loop of rope the chicken tossed to him. After tying the other end to the rear of the farmer's bike, the chicken then drove slowly forward and, with the aid of the powerful bike, rescued the horse!

Happy and proud, the chicken rode the Harley back to the farmhouse, and the farmer was none the wiser when he returned. The friendship between the two animals was cemented: Best Buddies, Best Pals.

A few weeks later, the chicken fell into a mud pit, and soon, he too, began to sink and cried out to the horse to save his life! The horse thought a moment, walked over, and straddled the large puddle. Looking underneath, he told the chicken to grab his hangy-down thing and he would then lift him out of the pit. The chicken got a good grip, and the horse pulled him up and out, saving his life.

The moral of the story is?
"When You're Hung Like A Horse, You Don't Need A Harley To Pick Up Chicks!"

Pharmacists' Rights?

Pharmacists' Rights at Front Of New Debate (washingtonpost.com): "Some pharmacists across the country are refusing to fill prescriptions for birth control and morning-after pills, saying that dispensing the medications violates their personal moral or religious beliefs. "

I think Pharmacists should have the right to refuse to fill a script they don't believe in, just as you cannot force a OB/GYN to do abortions. However, they do NOT have the right to prevent the patient from filling the script elsewhere.

A fundamental American principle is that one should have his or her freedoms or rights so long as they don't infringe on the rights of others. The pharmacist can have his or her beliefs, but should not force them on others.

What do you think?

Feeding tubes

To my family and friends,

FOR THE RECORD:

If 1-I am unable to communicate, drink, eat, or go to the restroom without a tube in the corresponding orifice,
AND 2- I show no signs of improvement in the ability to do the above,

THEN
Please consider my state of being as "dead" despite any other definition of life. Please also do not take any measures to prolong my "life" in such a situation as I would not consider it to be of quality.

Simple enough, right? Well, I guess not according to our congress and President. Regardless of where you stand on the political issue of right to life/right to die, I hope the Schiavo case will get people talking to their families and loved ones about what they would want at the end of life.

You don't need a living will or DNR or power of attorney, although I'm not saying those things are bad. You don't need to be a medical expert and list off all possible scenarios and interventions. Such a list can in fact create problems if an intervention might be needed only temporarily in an emergency.

In my opinion, the most useful conversation everyone should have should be to answer the following: What is quality of life for YOU, and what daily activities or functions are so important that not being able to do them would make you feel functionally dead?

Whether your definition is on one extreme: "If I am no longer able to run a marathon or jump out of a plane, then let me die" or the other: "Any measure of life in me should be considered evidence that I want to keep fighting - do all you can to keep me here" does not matter so much, although I think most people are somewhere in the middle.

What DOES matter is that those who love you (who will be making decisions about your healthcare if you are not able) know what your views are.

Personally, I feel that I could still be "alive" as long as I am interacting with the world. Maybe that means only being able to watch television, listen to music, and say hello to loved ones by waving at them and smiling, provided there isn't plastic attached to either end of my GI or GU tracts.

Spring!

Spring has sprung, my favorite time of year! It's beautiful in New Orleans. It's hard to believe I came one year ago to look at apartments. It's flown by, but I guess lots has happened.

I've neglected my blog lately since I have been busy with exams and experiments. This week is Spring Break, and I am flying to Kansas City this afternoon! I'm excited to see my family and friends.

Research Days

Here I am presenting my poster at Tulane's Research Days. It is titled, "Life or Death: Factors influencing the balance between survival and apoptosis in human aortic smooth muscle cells."

The poster part of the day lasted three hours, and then I gave a ten inute powerpoint presentation. It was fun to present some of my research, but I'm glad it's over. Now I can get back to new experiments instead of talking about old ones.

Meditation

Inspired by David's spiritual adventure in India (and the possibility of a free lunch), I attended a lunch workshop this week on using meditation to reduce stress. It was taught by a Buddhist monk, and it was really quite good. First he talked about the need for meditation, how stress and anger build up, and how we need to find a healthy way to release them. Then we did a mini meditation for beginners. After closing our eyes and completely relaxing, we were told to focus on the sensation of our breath at the tips of the nostrils as we inhaled and exhaled. As we finished our meditation, we were encouraged to maintain our new sense of calm throughout the day. He then finished the meeting with a teaching on compassion. I left feeling very peaceful and relaxed. Now if only I could maintain that feeling during rush hour traffic...I'll work on it.

David

David sent another update from India. Read it here!