hospice?

[Guest guest]

I am sorry , but satisfaction leads to complacency and

hospice care will continue to languish in the moribund state of a shared

fantasy among staff, patients, families, and donors that this is God's work

that you are doing when the reality is quite different. These patients are

there because the medical staff ordered them terminal.

My best guess is that at the time the medical staff first " realizes "

that the patient is terminal they could not be more wrong. It is only

conventional indoctrination and rutted experience that dictates this

self-fulfilling prophesy. The vast majority of " terminal " patients do not

need to concern themselves about " quality of life " issues or of " meeting

their maker. " No, they have bigger problems. It means that, assuming they

still would prefer to walk away from this disease, they must now deal with

a medical staff that will refuse to do the routine blood monitoring of

blood counts and blood chemistry to know how they are faring with their

choices of alternative treatments. They must deal with the fact that

insurance companies often don't want to pay for TPN or if they do then they

pick solutions that are loaded with cancer-feeding glucose. If the patient

wants hyperthermia there is no way that this can be accommodated in a

facility where treatment is frowned upon. If a patient needs a simple

antibiotic to keep the show on the road until a real therapy can kick in,

it is like pulling teeth to get the staff to agree. If a surgical wound

dehisces then the patient must sign out of hospice to go to the ER and then

reapply with the insurers to get back in.

There are scores of little ways that lack of genuine care is provided

for the patient, and if one is not in the business you would never

know. You would think that these are all angels of mercy hovering about

when they are really harpies of death. All psychological support for

fighting the good fight is undermined by the priests with their oils and

dirges, and well-meaning idiots whispering about going into the light.

No, in my kind of hospice the nurses would be saying, " You've gotta

stick around to watch your kids graduate (or whatever), " " We need your vote

or Nader might win. " And, most importantly, " Don't you want to dance on

your doctors' graves?! " My wards won't be looking for any cursed light,

they'll be looking at " Duck Soup " or " Life of . "

Furthermore, the patients would not be doped on narcotics. With an

aggressive alternative therapy the pain usually resides in a few days. If

not there are many other solutions that don't turn the patients into

mugwumps. They can use DLPA or high dose menadione. 75% of the time it

works as well as morphine and it is safe. In my kind of hospice the

patient will be up and playing dominos within the week. They will hoard

cans of Ensure to deck any conventional medical staff they see.

Several months back we had a woman who was driven down to San Diego

from Central California. She had stage four melanoma and multiple organ

failure. I told her physician up north not to send her as I didn't think

that she could survive the nine-hour drive. He demanded that we take

her. I met her on a Sunday night at my office. She was so sick that it

took five minutes to get her from the car into a wheel chair. All she

could do was hang over the side and mumble nonsense. She was pallid and

extremely thin with massive lumps everywhere.

I made arrangements for her to start her infusions in Mexico the next

Morning. By Tuesday she rallied enough that she was made it known how

displeased she was that there were no rails in the bathroom for the

handicapped. Within a week she walked unassisted into my office to report

enthusiastically on her progress.

She had a massive lump on her back that ultrasound showed to be a

cyst. This needed to be treated surgically and she had insurance up north

that would cover it. We told her to go home, deal with it, and

return. She went home where surgical help was denied as she had stage 4

melanoma and their attitude was, " What was the use? " When a patient fights

back the system can become very entrenched. She died before she could get

the procedure done. I'm sure she had a lot of compassionate nurses

hovering around praying for her soul and telling her that Jesus was coming

to get her.

Last year California HMOs made $3,000,000,000 in profits for their

stockholders and astronomical Christmas bonuses for their directors and

doctors. I am sure that these doctors and businessmen consider this the

most satisfying work they have ever done.

If anyone on this list wants to brainstorm on ways to put together a

hospice that will quietly do anything and everything necessary to save a

life that had been ordered terminated, then feel free to contact me.

, I know you are a good person and you mean well. I will

pay for your deprogramming.

At 08:52 AM 07/24/04, you wrote:

>Greetings!

>

>I've been a Hospice RN for ten years. I find it the most satisfying

>nursing that I have ever done. I haven't followed the discussion so far

>about Hospice. I gather that some are not in favor of it and some

>are. My experience is that some doctors are shy of Hospice because they

>feel that it will automatically take any hope away from their patient. NOT

>TRUE. What Hospice does is to offer hope, not for a cure, but rather for a

>high quality end of life. I tell my patients the TRUTH, regardless what

>the question. I tell them that these are tough answers, but that they

>deserve the truth and nothing less.

>

>When I was diagnosed w cancer that had already metastasized from lung to

>brain, I was also told I had a very short time to live. My first thought

>was that I could be my own Hospice nurse!!! Because I know about pain

>management, I know how to take mine for effective pain control. My primary

>physician is both my friend and my co-worker. He trusts me.

>

>

>I live in a very small community where everyone knows everyone else. And I

>know how to navigate the system here. I am blessed to live where I do

>because of that.

>

>Different Hospices have different approaches to patient care, but the basic

>philosophy is the same.

>

>If anyone has specific questions, please ask and I'll try to answer them.

>

>Blessings,

>

>

>

>May my Healing journey benefit ALL beings!

>

>Blessed Be the Peacemakers!

>

>May Blesswings of Peace n Love surround you!

>

>May your Mind be filled with Wisdom.

>May your Eyes be filled with Beauty.

>May your Soul be filled with Peace.

>May your Heart be filled with Love.

>May we ALL live in a State of Grace.

>Peace Be With You Always.

> ~~ Moon

>

>

[Guest guest]

That was interesting to read Ann. I was thinking there might come a time

soon, when I would need them to come in.So now i know that about the

pills. I guess they have to watch that stuff, just in case. That was an

interesting post. cindy

[Guest guest]

That was interesting to read Ann. I was thinking there might come a time

soon, when I would need them to come in.So now i know that about the

pills. I guess they have to watch that stuff, just in case. That was an

interesting post. cindy