<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/suspicion.gif" alt="" /> The gigantic medical progress of the last decades have brought such puzzles of ethic and moral! Where should we set the limit in our attempts to save lives? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/puppyeyes.gif" alt="" /> This is a so delicate question... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/think.gif" alt="" />
I’ll share a bit of my personnal experience with you, lucky ones. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin1.gif" alt="" />
A few years ago, I had an accident; I came close to death twice that day. The first time I quite got drown. When we’re in the water, the body has a natural reflex to make us hold our breath; but when oxygen is lacking, another reflex fights agaist it to make us breath in, and eventually wins. I had already breath water when somebody succeeded to tafe me off of the water; That has been a fery traumatic experience, physically and mentally.
A few minutes later an ambulance arrived and paramedics srtapped me on a rescue plank (kind of tough stretcher) and took me to the hospital. The water I had breathen still had not gotten out at that time. It happened a few minutes after arriving at the hospital; I began retching but was still strapped on that damned plank and had a cervical collar so I was stuck on my back and couldn’t turn my head to vomit. Curiouslly, there were a lot of people around me, making all kinds of medical acts on and around me, but nobody noticed I was chocking and suffocating to death before I was about losing conciousness. It has been a pretty similar and as much traumatic exerience as the previous one.
I don’t remember much of the hours, days and even weeks later; I was transferd to a hospital in a far city and had several health complications. I only know I was in a very bad shape, and seemed to be having a very bad time.
This experience has thaught me much about pain and about our attitude towards death. As we don’t know what comes after life, we fear death and refuse to look forward to it. It’s something normal and is good to be, as it’s the surviving instinct; and our body is made to fight for life until the end. Don’t fear the pain; know that your body will never let you suffer something you can’t bear. You’ll either fall unconcious or just won’t remember anything. And pain is a good thing, and has its reason to be, because it prevents you from making injuries and thus “damaging yourself” too much. Also, as death is something we can’t avoid, pain can be a way to ease the passing away process.
Before that accident, I would have said the same thing than this woman: don’t keep me alive artificially if something like this happens to me. Now I don’t think so anymore: I would prefer to be kept alive, as long as it doesn’t cause trouble to poeple around me. I don’t want to die brutally or violently, and in panic; my experience has shown me how terrible it can be. I wish to recieve my death as a gift, a liberation, and I wish I can be prepared when I’ll meet it, with acceptation and serenity in mind. It’s something I’wouldn’t have considered before this happened to me. It made me understand that that wish is often greatly motivated by ignorance and by the fear of suffering.
So guys, don’t be too categoric when you talk to people close to you about such decisions. You could pay the price of your life <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> if you discover you were wrong or change your mind...
<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/sleepey.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/sleepey.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/sleepey.gif" alt="" />
*LaFille claps her hands and shout: Ok, friends, I've finished! You can wake up now!* <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />
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