Freedom Friday : Freedom to Choose the Right to Live or Die

As a patient advocate, patients have the choice to refuse or receive treatment, so long as they have the capacity to decide for themselves, even to the detriment of their well-being. All facts need to be presented as well as possible of complications that may arise in undergoing or refusing treatment. Always, they have a choice. A signed "not for resuscitation" form can be revoked anytime, if a patient wishes to or his/her next of kin who is legally bind by law, with a prior agreement by the patient. Same with patients who have no wish to be resuscitated from the moment they got admitted.

With my mom so unwell a couple of months ago, never did i anticipate to be making the decision for her. Years prior to her mini-stroke, she wanted all possible resuscitation if that will be the only way for her to live. Her wish also was to die at home, surrounded by family.

With her severe pneumonia after her stroke, after her second admission to the intensive care unit (ITU), a decision was needed if we let her in and out of ITU or have a surgical opening in her neck for tracheostomy in managing her secretions. The latter was immediately ruled out by my family as this might also warrant prolonged and worst, a permanent stay in the hospital. Everyone, most of all my mom, wouldn't want that. We also would not have the means to sustain it.

In the end, I signed the form to not resuscitate nor intubate her when the need arises as we'd rather we take her home and be managed palliatively. She later got better to warrant discharge, but looked so alarmed when she was made aware of the plan. My mom can't speak nor move but her face told me she so want to live. Revoking her "not for intubation" order when she became unwell again, she went back to ITU twice again before she got discharged. She was in the hospital for more than a month.

The view from her room on the day of her discharge.

Would my mom wanted tracheostomy? The plan was to take her back to the hospital for the procedure after 2 weeks if she became unmanageable at home. She've been home for more than 6 weeks.

The questions are, would she still want to be resuscitated next time it is needed? How much quality of life is she having with her being dependent with everything in her daily needs? What are her wishes now compared to before? Does she have the choice to keep on living the way she is? For now, we are managing well with God's grace.

She smiles each time we brought her 1-yr old great grandson and she kisses him whenever he gets close, also she gets a 100 kisses from me everyday. In one or two occasions that she have touched my face, my hair, what does she want to tell me? Does she want to go now or stay with us for a while?

Freedom Friday initiative

To be honest, i sometimes dread what topic @eaglespirit dishes out each friday. It may sound easy to most, but i've got no clue on what to write come friday lols...my content might not even be aligned with the topic but i have learnt to take it easy and write when there's something to write about. When none comes to mind, i just leave it. No pressure right?😋😋😚