Re: Re: No Meds Psychology

[Guest guest]

I want to share a very pertinent tale regarding the no meds topic. My DH has an old friend who is male and crippled with severe RA. He has deeply rooted psychological problems and lives in a world outside of reality. Some people just cannot deal with the reality of their illness and live in a state of denial. This man is in essence a hermit because he hasnt seen a doctor or taken medication for his RA. If you agree to see a proffessional then you open yourself up to the reality of your disease. This man is now in the hospital because he is also a diabetic but was in such denial about it, that today they removed his left leg at the knee because gangrene set in. He may very well lose both feet. He will now receive crisis "at risk" intervention. The reality is, you can take a horse to water but you cant make him drink. No matter what your age, having a chronic ailment of any kind forces you to make a decision. Quality or Quantity. Do I extend the quality of my life by taking medication or agree to live a shorter amount of time without it. I have counseled elder family members in the past with regard to this. You want "quality" for the person you love. You do not want them in pain or immobile. To see them suffer, means you suffer. So in essence you are asking a loved one to see that their denial or refusal of medication affects not just them but the entire family. This is not just their disease, or their pain or their suffering, but yours. If they hurt, you hurt. Ask them to merely consider how much it hurts YOU to see THEM in pain. Who will carry around this senior when they can no longer walk?? To be bedridden or wheelchair bound by choice??? Are they willing to give up every last ounce of independence, and lay down their "dignity and self esteem" to this disease. I have never known an elder to forego independence or respect and give up. In fact I have seen them fight to the very last to keep it. If you explain this to them in a way they can understand, they may just help themselves. I hope this helps in some way, Yours, Deborah