IS IT SUICIDE TO STOP OR REFUSE DIALYSIS TREATMENT?

Someone recently posed this question, "Is is suicide to stop dialysis?" and most people I saw that responded did not end up answering the question. As a matter of fact, at last check, only one person had directly answered.

It is a difficult question to read, even for me; I do not know this person, and I have been in his/her shoes, nearly refusing it myself. I cannot imagine being the family member who has not been in our shoes having this discussion with a loved one.

The end-of-life decision is one many people must face, at one time or another, not transplant patients alone. Some people attempt to make future decisions, such as DNRs, or Do Not Resuscitates, in the event that a medical team would deem it necessary otherwise. It's opting out of treatment. Just like choosing not to dialyze, or have a transplant, or have chemotherapy treatments, is opting out.

It is our right to choose. Our right to choose to cease suffering. When the treatments has ceased to work for us. When the treatment becomes more unbearable than letting go of life. I appreciate our right to choose this path. Just like I appreciated Dr. Kevorkian helping people that wanted to move on out of this life, to move on. (I only heard tidbits about him, and this is what I understand - I don't mean to start controversy!)

I heard about a man who lost both of his legs and one of his arms due to his long duration of dialysis treatments while awaiting a kidney transplant. He finally decided to discontinue diaylsis, knowing full well the outcome. It had become unbearable, despite having his grown son and grandchild to live for. He was only 40 when he passed away.

Next time you hear someone posing this question (that is in the U.S.).... if it comes down to a time that s/he makes a decision not to have treatment... the silver lining, or tension reliever, for this person or the family is that, apparently, Medicare covers home care for this. I, for one, am very much relieved. Finances are just one thing my husband has to handle completely because it is just one more stressful thing on my plate that causes me to have a meltdown.

I just hope that it helps someone out there, should it come down to this.

http://kidneyfoundation.wordpress.com/2013/06/03/are-there-home-care-or-palliative-care-options-for-someone-with-esrd-who-wont-consent-to-dialysis/

Congressman Marino re fight with kidney cancer, future of xplt

Congressman Tom Marino (PA-10) talks about his fight with kidney cancer and his hopes for the future of transplantation in America.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/CQjpqjZAIhI?hd=1&autoplay=1

If the link above does not take you directly to the video, please click here to visit the website and view the video.

ORGANS ON THE BLACK MARKET

Organs on the black market, or selling and buying organs - is illegal. It's a topic we hear about but don't want to talk about. Surely it doesn't happen here. Not in our country. At least not to or by people that we know, or know of... It's mostly the unknowns that participate in this kind of thing, like when people talk about the Mafia, it's almost... fiction, if you can wrap yourself up in a nice little pollyanna-ish bubble.

The sad truth is, because there are not enough organs available compared to the number of people in need of them, people right here in our own back yards are becoming desperate. Yes, desperate enough to go into the black market in search of a potentially life-saving organ.

CTV has the story.

1 in 9 Americans are living with kidney disease and most don't know it. NKF