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Living
Wills: One Patient's Experience
by Sherry Okonski - Contributor
In the fall of 1996, I went to West Penn Hospital for what I thought
were some simple tests. I couldn't catch my breath when I walked
across the room. After a heart cath, a lung cath, and a lot of other
tests I was told I had Pulmonary Hypertension from blood clots in
my lungs. I went home and prepared to go to San Diego for the only
operation that could save my life.
However before that occurred, I was life-flighted back to Pittsburgh
when I almost bled to death. After an emergency hysterectomy I spent
thirty-eight days in the hospital. It was during that time that
I started thinking about how I wanted my health care to go if I
survived and was able to have the PTE (Pulmonary Thromboendarectomy).
If you feel strongly like I do about having a say in your health
care right to the very end, you need to take the time to execute
a Living Will and a medical power of attorney.
A Living Will, or advanced directive, is the way to see that your
wishes are carried out in the event you are faced with a major disability
or chronic illness. Why leave those emotionally laden decisions
to your family? If you are in the same situation that I was, not
knowing what your future holds, you need to take charge now before
you become incapacitated. None of us can anticipate every situation
that might arise. A Living Will communicates to your family, your
primary care physician, and any medical specialist what your wishes
are.
Most states differ in their regulations, so you need to find the
regulations for your particular state. To have an effective Living
Will you must do some serious thinking. If you feel strongly about
what you would want done under certain medical circumstances you
need to spell them out. What life sustaining measures such as mechanical
respiration and artificial feeding do you want? It is best to discuss
these options with your health care professional. Once you have
made those decisions you need to put those wishes in writing. These
documents need to be witnessed. Keep them in a secure place. Then
give copies to everyone involved in your health care: your physician,
your designated agent, and trusted family member. Have the documents
added to your medical records. If you travel to a medical center
in another state like I do, you should consider completing the document
required for that state.
The second step in this process is declaring a medical power of
attorney. The focus of a medical of power of attorney is to identify
who will make the decision about care if you become unable to express
your wishes. Take your time. Consider who you might choose as your
agent. I chose a family member, but not everyone is able to handle
these situations. When you make that choice you need to be sure
they understand what you want to happen in the event you cannot
make those wishes known. This person is taking the responsibilities
of seeing that your Living Will is carried out. Refer to your own
state's rules for forms, signatures and witnesses.
Make of your choices well documented and revise them annually because
medical care is forever changing. Review them with you health care
providers and your proxy. If you have taken an active hand in your
health care, this is the way you can be sure that all you decisions
are carried out.
The Internet has a wealth of information to aid in making these
decisions. One of the best ones I found was
Advance directives -- Making your wishes known at Mayo Clinic
Health Oasis. Using your search engines and typing in "Living Will"
or "Advance Directives", you will get some places to go for state
specific information.
No one likes to think about the dying, but it is a fact of life.
Having what I call "having all you ducks in order" makes for a little
peace of mind, not only for you but those you leave behind.
November 20, 1999
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