Re: OT bad week for us

August 31, 2008

I was going to adopt another orange tom after my baby died from a rescue

center but when they fixed him he died in surgery. They are so friendly. I

got two kittens instead and neither of them wants to settle down and be my

lap cat. I am sorry about your Sophie!

R

--------------------------------------------------

From: " Dorothy " <dorv@...>

Sent: Sunday, August 31, 2008 11:57 AM

< >

Subject: RE: [ ] Re: OT bad week for us

Cats will let you know..I lost my Sophie when she was 17.

She was truly a " perfect " cat for 17 years. At the end when she became

sick, she stopped eating. She became so weak & I had an IV at home and

would insert the needle into the back of her neck and let the IV drip for 5

minutes just to get her some hydration. At the vet's office, they tried

force feeding her and the vet told me that even in her weakened state, she

was " defiant " and clamped her mouth closed and pulled back. He said, she's

trying to tell us something. It was then that I had to let her go.

August 31, 2008

I see it in the elderly a lot....they stop eating and drinking. It is time

for them to pass. Families have a real hard time with that phase though we

assure them it is normal and they are not hungry or they would eat.

I am a real proponent of choices when facing death. I personally would not

want respirators and feeding tubes. Nor CPR if I was terminal. Maybe at

this time but not even sure now.

I can understand the unruly two year old kittens lol. Both of mine are like

that. They just will not settle down and be good! Maybe one day.

R

--------------------------------------------------

From: " CLORA " <clora4jesus@...>

Sent: Sunday, August 31, 2008 12:24 PM

< >

Subject: [ ] Re: OT bad week for us

Dorothy and group;

I believe when someone gets so old they quit eating, its their body

shutting down, Time to go to heaven. I don't believe we should put

our elderly to sleep. But i do believe in the living will, as not to

keep our bodies alive. I use to hate the living will. Now that I am

aging I have a change of mind haaaaaaa. No funny but funny.

August 31, 2008

I am so sorry you lost your cat. That is so kind to adopt a cat or

dog. I have more than my share of pets lol. All my pets are rescue

pets.

gentle hugs

Clora

August 31, 2008

and group;

are you a nurse? Do you work with the elderly? My kitten will

settle down I guess in a few months. I hope so anyway. I have worked

with many elderly that passed. THey just shut down. It was really hard

to see them go. I have fond memories of them.

gentle hugs

Clora

August 31, 2008

:

As am I. I am also a proponent of assisted suicide. I don't think it's our

right to tell someone that they *have* to continue suffering because *we say

so*. But that's all I'll say on this subject. I hope I haven't upset anyone.

--

Dodge

Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic

with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and wrong, because sometime

in your life you will have been all of these.

Read my blog at:

http://jumpthis.wordpress.com

---- R <AR@...> wrote:

=============

I see it in the elderly a lot....they stop eating and drinking. It is time

for them to pass. Families have a real hard time with that phase though we

assure them it is normal and they are not hungry or they would eat.

I am a real proponent of choices when facing death. I personally would not

want respirators and feeding tubes. Nor CPR if I was terminal. Maybe at

this time but not even sure now.

August 31, 2008

Dodge and group;

I am not offended. But it's against my religion for anyone to commit

sucide for any reason. I believe we shouldnt keep someone on tubes and

extreme means to live if they choose not too. I do believe its against

the law to assist suicide. That reminds me of Korvikeon. I want to

laugh but I might get in trouble with GIna.

gentle hugs

Clora

September 1, 2008

Dodge,

I have to agree with you 100%. No your post did not offend me in the least.

The interesting part is that doctors have been performing " assisted

suicide " from the beginning of medical practice that we know.

Helping the terminally ill and suffering ease the pain to the end. Now its

some sort of big deal....in the news.

My grandmother was terminally ill with cancer. Her doc said increase the

morphine until she was comfortable. And we all know the outcome of high doses

of morphine. But it was better that withholding the morphine and watching

her suffer.

Toni

_Re: OT bad week for us _

( /message/118286;_ylc=X3oDMTJydGszbm5qBF\

9TAzk3MzU5NzE1BGdycElkAzEwMTQ3OARncnBzcE

lkAzE3MDUwNjE0OTgEbXNnSWQDMTE4Mjg2BHNlYwNkbXNnBHNsawN2bXNnBHN0aW1lAzEyMjAyNjY4

NTk-)

Posted by: " Dodge " _medicdodge@... _

(mailto:medicdodge@...?Subject=

Re:%20OT%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20bad%20week%20for%20us)

_medic_dodge _ (medic_dodge)

Sun Aug 31, 2008 8:18 pm (PDT)

:

As am I. I am also a proponent of assisted suicide. I don't think it's our

right to tell someone that they *have* to continue suffering because *we say

so*. But that's all I'll say on this subject. I hope I haven't upset anyone.

--

Dodge

Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged,

sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and wrong, because

sometime

in your life you will have been all of these.

Read my blog at:

_http://jumpthis.http://jumhtt_ (http://jumpthis.wordpress.com/)

**************It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel

deal here.

(http://information.travel.aol.com/deals?ncid=aoltrv00050000000047)

September 1, 2008

Thanks, .

Kittens typically don't want to be lap cats!! That happens when they get

older...then they'll be fighting each other for your lap!

Lately, my Pearl had been moving closer to me at night. I adopted her

9/14/04 and she worked her way right into my heart, but she is not a lap

cat. They said she was around 3 or so at that time...she had been rescued

from a town shelter before she was going to be euthanized. So she's about 7

now and I notice she's getting closer and closer.

She used to wake me in the morning so I would get up and feed her. This

morning, I awoke and it was 8:45 (REALLY late for me!) and she was curled up

right in the crook of my outstretched arm. I just laid there a while and

petted her and she was content just to be with me in bed a little longer. I

expect that pretty soon, she'll be looking for a lap to curl up in too :-)

Dorothy

P.S. I recommend an older cat for anyone with RA who would love a pet, but

think they can't handle it. Older cats are calmer than kittens - who can

jump straight in the air like they have springs on their cute little paws!

Cats don't have to be walked. There's very minimal training - show them a

litter pan and your training is usually done. The upkeep is feeding them

and making sure they have clean, fresh water and keeping their litter fresh.

The new scoopable litters have even made that easier these days. Regular

vet visits are recommended and there are any number of low cost options

available all over the country. I guarantee that the care you give them

will be returned to you hundreds of times over >^..^<

_____

From: [mailto: ] On

Behalf Of R

Sent: Sunday, August 31, 2008 10:53 PM

Subject: Re: [ ] Re: OT bad week for us

I was going to adopt another orange tom after my baby died from a rescue

center but when they fixed him he died in surgery. They are so friendly. I

got two kittens instead and neither of them wants to settle down and be my

lap cat. I am sorry about your Sophie!

R

September 1, 2008

All three of my now Angel Cats lived long, happy lives. I really do

miss having them around me. Each one did have a distinct personality,

also.

>

> It was her time. She lived a very happy, long life and I treasured

her and

> the gifts she gave to me.

>

>>

>

September 1, 2008

Toni and group;

I am against assisted suicide. But in the case of your grandmother.

I think the morphin is more humaine than letting her suffer. So I

just have a limitied opinion on this subject. Twenty years ago I

would have been appaled at that. But since I have suffered from RA,

I am changing my views to an extent

gentle hugs

Clora

> Dodge,

> I have to agree with you 100%. No your post did not offend me in

the least.

> The interesting part is that doctors have been

performing " assisted

> suicide " from the beginning of medical practice that we know.

>

> Helping the terminally ill and suffering ease the pain to the

end. Now its

> some sort of big deal....in the news.

>

> My grandmother was terminally ill with cancer. Her doc said

increase the

> morphine until she was comfortable. And we all know the outcome

of high doses

> of morphine. But it was better that withholding the morphine and

watching

> her suffer.

>

> Toni

September 1, 2008

I can understand your thoughts on assisted suicide and agree with you

to a point. I think every situation is different and no one should be

able to tell some one they need to continue to suffer, because they

don't want to let go of someone they love.

I have a story of the day I gave up and would have declined " heroic

measures " had I been given the choice, in June of 2002. I had been

teaching in Kenya and took a trip to the refugee camps in Northern

Uganda and Southern Sudan. While there I contracted Falciparum

Malaria. I traveled to my sister's in the UAE, not knowing until I'd

been at her house for three days that I was sick. It came on suddenly

and strongly. I was sick for about 4 days at her house before we

realized it was something worse than a stomach bug. I went to a

private clinic called Al Noor, were I was diagnosed with malaria. I

was treated there for 10 days until my lungs started to fill with

fluid. I was transfered to a public hospital called Al Jazera, were I

stayed for 3 days. I was slowly suffocating and it hurt more than

anything I've ever felt. I gave up. When they chose to intubate me

the anesthesiologist put a mask over my mouth and nose and told me to

breath deeply. I couldn't but I closed my eyes and told God I was

tired of fighting and I was ready to go. When I woke up 11 days later

I had a tube down my throat, a feeding tube through my nose and a

central line in my jugular. I was in a private locals only hospital

called Sheik Kaleffa Hospital, that my sister had gotten me into. I

saw my Mom, my twin brother and my sister. My Mom had gotten there

the first night I was on the ventilated and my twin brother had been

there since I first went to Al Noor Clinic. I was taken off the

machines and slowly recovered. I still get lung infections easily and

my lungs are badly scarred. I have a heart murmur from my heart

swelling and damaging one of the valves. I gave up and told God I was

tired and was letting go, but the machines kept me alive until I was

strong enough to do it on my own. I know the situation is different

and I was only 22. I wasn't given a choice of letting go or holding

on. I think at the time I would have declined the vent and let go. It

hurt so much and afterwards the recovery was incredibly difficult.

I know this was a long, somewhat rambling story but I wanted to share

my experience.

>

> =============

> I see it in the elderly a lot....they stop eating and drinking. It

is time

> for them to pass. Families have a real hard time with that phase

though we

> assure them it is normal and they are not hungry or they would eat.

>

> I am a real proponent of choices when facing death. I personally

would not

> want respirators and feeding tubes. Nor CPR if I was terminal.

Maybe at

> this time but not even sure now.

>

September 1, 2008

Joanna:

I'm glad you did share your experience, and I'm glad you are still here!

I'll tell you a little about me because I believe you're new and therefore don't

know.

Three years ago, I was fighting a wildfire. I had been a paramedic, a

firefighter and a national park ranger ever since high school and life was good.

I was put on a crew with an inexperienced crew chief and he did not communicate

to us clearly. We did not know where our safety zones were and were caught in

an entrapment. I'll skip over the rest of the story, as I don't want to air it

on a public list, however I will tell anyone via private email, but I will say

this. I came out of the deal with 4th and 5th degree burns over 85% of my body.

I had burns so bad my bones and organs were burned. I had contractures, where

the muscles, tendons and ligaments are burned so badly they are shortened.

They said I'd never talk again and I did. They said I'd never walk again and I

do. They said I'd never be a medic again, or a firefighter, or a park ranger...

And I am...

At one point, I told my doctor I wanted to die. I told him to put some Benadryl

in with my Morphine and let me go. He said, " Ok, are you sure? " I told him I

was. He came in with a needle, stuck it in my IV and I went to sleep, for what

I thought would be the last time. I woke up eleven days later with him standing

over me... he said, " So, Dodge, do you want to live today? " I called him a

real bad word and then said, " I'll think about it. "

I thought about it... Long and hard... They'd give me pain pills and every day

I'd count those pills and figure how many it would take to end it all. I got

tired... Tired of being called a " freak show " tired of living in pain... Tired

of not being able to do the things I love.

And then one day I said, the hell with it. I'm gonna be a medic, I'm gonna

fight fires and you're not keeping me out of my national parks -- the places I

love...

And I do and I am. Some call me a freak show. Some call me a monster because

of how I look, but...you know what? That's ok.

Ok, I've rambled on waaay more than I intended. I'm sorry all.

--

Dodge

Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic

with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and wrong, because sometime

in your life you will have been all of these.

Read my blog at:

http://jumpthis.wordpress.com

---- Joanna <jmh0280@...> wrote: