While I'm not necessarily proud of going on the wine tour on my father's last day on this earth, I am not ashamed also.
Would I have been ashamed if in an alternate universe, he had not broken his hip but rather had had a huge myocardial infarction or stroke on that day while I was out wine touring.
As I said, it still bothers me that he died alone but I got to see him the week he died and spent a lot of time with him during his last two years alive. I would rather remember him as he was when he was younger because the last two years weren't really that great for him or for us for that matter.
While anaesthesia doesn't get involved in end of life very often, I did do general practice for 3 years and also anaesthesiologists get to do 6 months of internal medicine so I saw my share of death watches where the entire family assembles around the bed of a dying parent or grandparent in various stages of awareness and pain. Overall, I didn't get the impression that anyone, patient or family got any comfort from the practice.
Would I have been ashamed if in an alternate universe, he had not broken his hip but rather had had a huge myocardial infarction or stroke on that day while I was out wine touring.
As I said, it still bothers me that he died alone but I got to see him the week he died and spent a lot of time with him during his last two years alive. I would rather remember him as he was when he was younger because the last two years weren't really that great for him or for us for that matter.
While anaesthesia doesn't get involved in end of life very often, I did do general practice for 3 years and also anaesthesiologists get to do 6 months of internal medicine so I saw my share of death watches where the entire family assembles around the bed of a dying parent or grandparent in various stages of awareness and pain. Overall, I didn't get the impression that anyone, patient or family got any comfort from the practice.
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