BoomerD
No Lifer
- Feb 26, 2006
- 64,039
- 12,367
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Thanks everyone for your replies. My dad suffered from a stroke on Tuesday that incapacitated most of his brain. His kidneys and heart are now failing him too. He is currently unconscious, in a deep coma. The prognosis is very bad. His chances of recovery are very slim.
I just had lunch with him on monday, and he seemed just fine. The more I think about it, the more I believe he knew something was going to happen. With our recent talks, he finally made peace with me and my mother. On monday, he insisted at the very last moment that I have lunch with him, as if he knew it would be our last time together. For months, he kept telling me he might die any day now, but I kept blowing him off because I didn't want to talk about it. But he always insisted he didn't want to be kept alive by machines either as a vegetable or suffering. He wanted to go painlessly with dignity. The least I can do now is to honor his wish.
I really don't know what to feel right now. I am somehow happy because we made amends and he knows he is leaving us peacefully, with good memories. But at the same time, I am angry that he has to go so early and young, and I am also filled with regrets that I was on bad terms with him over the past few years and that I didn't spend more time with him.
Thanks for listening folks.
That's a pretty unpleasant situation. Did your dad have a medical directive that says he doesn't want to be kept plugged into the machines?
Every state is different about this, but without a written directive, it can be nearly impossible to pull the plug if he goes brain dead...but the body lingers.
