Wow, how very awful. My thoughts are with you. Do you mind me asking a question? Since he's talking, did he say that he wanted to be taken off the ventilator, too? I can't imagine the strength of character someone would have to have to make that decision for themselves.
-d On 1/3/06, Chesty Puller <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Yes, PLEASE stop smoking, for yourself, your wife, and the rest of your > family. > > My father-in-law was diagnosed with lung cancer in just this past October. > They immediately put him on radiation and chemotherapy. > > In November, the doctor gave him a at most one year to live, if everything > went WELL. I was told that 70% of lung cancer patients die within one > year. > > On Christmas day, he was feeling particularly awful, so we loaded him up > and > took him to the hospital. > > They operated on him to remove fluid from the lungs. However, after the > surgury, they were not able to get the infected lung to reinflate. They > had > him on a ventilator to keep him alive. Three times they tried to remove > it, > only to have to put it right back in. > > The rest of his body, while not great, is still kicking with no real > problems. He's conscious, he can communicate, he's thinking fine. His > lungs are dead. He was caught in between life and death - he's alive only > because the ventilator was keeping him alive, and that's no life. > > On New Year's Eve, my mother-in-law made the decision to remove him from > the > ventilator. We were all there - his wife (53 years old), his daughter (my > wife, 25 years old), his son (20 years old), myself, his sister, and her > husband. We stood around him after they removed the ventilator and cried > as > his body gasped for air that his lungs could not provide. Somehow, he's > managed to stay alive, and is even speaking a little. The doctors are > surprised, we were all surprised, but the fact remains that his body is > still broken with at most one lung at partial capacity. > > It's like watching a media stream where the incoming content is set at an > extremely high bit rate and you're on dial-up. Only this is going to kill > him. > > I do not know how long he will remain alive. > > I implore you, and anybody else who smokes, and cares about the family > around him, to stop smoking. Quit cold turkey. Don't do it. Get the > patch. > Chew gum. Have your jaw wired shut. Just stop smoking. > > It is going to kill you before you want to die. It is not a death like > you > see in the movies - where someone gracefully passes away. It's ugly, and > your family will be left far sadder than you'd ever expect. > > - Matt > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Paul Ihrig" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "CF-Community" <[email protected]> > Sent: Tuesday, January 03, 2006 6:07 PM > Subject: Re: New Years Resolutions > > > > get my pant waist to a solid 38 - or dream 36. > > weight under 200 > > > > quit smoking > > > > stop drinking beer on school nights. > > > > o and have a baby.... > > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:190520 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
