Xiaojiu asks everyone a question: When your life is about to come to an end, will you choose to continue treatment (with no hope in sight), or will you choose to "commit suicide"?
The protagonist Xiaojiu is going to tell you today is an 85-year-old man who is also a terminal cancer patient with colon cancer and systemic metastasis: During the three years since he suffered from cancer, he had a total of 2 surgeries and 31 chemotherapy sessions. times .
Even if he insisted on treatment, the "death penalty" finally fell on his head: 80% of the liver had been invaded by tumors. Because lungs have hydrops, almost all the organs in the body are soaked in water, which is very painful.
Finally one night, the old man swallowed sleeping pills and planned to end his life...
1. The first item in the suicide note: "Don't save me"
1. "Why is there no euthanasia in China?"
Jia Ming's (pseudonym) father He is a terminal cancer patient with colon cancer and systemic metastasis. In the three years after his diagnosis, he underwent 2 surgeries and 31 chemotherapy treatments. In the end, he was unable to control his condition and could only "wait to die."
Jia Ming said that 80% of his father’s liver has been invaded by tumors and he is in pain every day.
One morning, my father swallowed the medicine and lay quietly on the bed with a suicide note on his chest. He decided to end his life. After the relatives found out, they quickly dialed Jia Ming's phone number.
Jia Ming knew that her father had long thought of committing suicide. A few months ago, he had revealed his funeral arrangements intentionally or unintentionally, and also said that he had several ways to die comfortably .
Jia Ming did not take it seriously, and asked his father jokingly: "What are the ways?" Unexpectedly, his father said it was indeed true.
to save or not to save? Jia Ming hesitated. Her father once asked her: "Why is there no euthanasia in China?" When he couldn't bear it anymore, her father even thought about going to Switzerland euthanasia , but her mother disagreed and ultimately chose palliative care .
2, "Don't rescue me, don't go into the intensive care unit "
Jia Ming said that in the past three years, although his father suffered extraordinary torture, he has been actively receiving treatment and has never flinched. However, after woke up this time, he began not to eat or drink, making a silent protest .
In the suicide note, he clearly wrote: Don't save yourself, don't go to the intensive care unit, how much is the remaining deposit, what is the account password...
He even left a stack of invoices that can be reimbursed for the second time. , hoping to alleviate some financial losses for the family.
Jia Ming regretted it when she thought about her father's physical examination every year, but never had a colonoscopy. Even if it is only done once, it is possible to detect intestinal cancer early. It will not be in the late stage and there will be no chance at all.
2. Palliative care: Let patients live with more dignity
Everyone is destined to die. People who die without illness or pain are the most enviable. At least they are peaceful and happy before death. However, there are always people in this world who cannot escape the tragic fate of being tortured by cancer .
When we are at the end of the road and there is no cure, can we only endure the pain and die regretfully? In fact, palliative care can, to a certain extent, provide the dying person with necessary comfort.
Palliative care refers to the active care of patients who suffer significant health-related suffering due to serious diseases, especially those near the end of life. The main purpose of is to improve the quality of life of patients and their families.
However, according to WHO statistics, currently only 14% of patients worldwide have received palliative medical services , and they are mostly concentrated in economically developed areas.
As for why most patients do not receive palliative care services, there are many reasons, such as: lack of support or implementation of relevant policies, and the core concept of palliative care is not widely recognized, accepted and understood.
Fortunately, the emergence of hospice care also plays an important role in improving the quality of patients' lives.
Unlike traditional medical care, the core of palliative care is not to treat diseases and prolong life, but to reduce pain and discomfort, to improve the quality of life and life satisfaction of patients and their families.
3. Cancer prevention starts early, don’t ignore cancer screening
In the above case incident, Jia Ming mentioned that his father had annual physical examinations, but ignored colonoscopy , which ultimately led to the late stage of bowel cancer when it was discovered.
In fact, cancer screening plays a very important role in detecting cancer as early as possible. So how to do cancer screening? The 2022 edition of "Recommendations for Screening and Prevention of Common Malignant Tumors for Residents" gives you the answer.
. Intestinal cancer
For people over 45 years old, regardless of gender, they should have a fecal occult blood test (FOBT) once a year and a colonoscopy every 10 years..
For the elderly, that is, those aged 76-85, if they are healthy and have a life expectancy of more than 10 years, they should continue to undergo bowel cancer screening. For people over 85 years old, due to their advanced age, bowel cancer screening is not recommended to avoid other risks.
, lung cancer
People at high risk of lung cancer should regularly undergo low-dose spiral CT screening. If abnormalities in suspected lesions are found, they should go to a specialized hospital for further examination. If pulmonary nodules are found after screening, a chest CT scan or enhanced re-examination will be performed based on the different characteristics of the nodules and .
. Liver cancer
Men over 35 years old and women over 45 years old are high-risk groups for liver cancer and should undergo regular liver cancer screening. It is recommended to do serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and liver B-ultrasound examination every six months.
Aged over 40 years old, experiencing stomach discomfort symptoms such as bloating, abdominal pain, heartburn, acid reflux, and having a family history of cancer or suffering from chronic gastritis, gastric polyps, chronic gastric ulcer People with stomach problems should undergo regular gastroscopy under the guidance of a professional doctor.
Everyone’s life has an end. When fighting cancer and finally facing reality, do you choose not to give up and insist on treatment until the last moment, or do you choose to let go and leave quietly?
Perhaps everyone has his or her own choice, but in order not to make such a difficult choice, we must realize the importance of preventing cancer. Whether it is developing a good lifestyle or regular physical examinations, it is important to stay away from cancer. Great way to fight cancer!
References
[1] "[Nuan Yi·1949-2019] More than 10,000 photos taken of 406 patients and their families are the most authentic human world". Healthy China. 2019 -09-29
[2] "When life comes to an end, apart from treatment, what else can doctors do for patients? | China Pain Relief Week". Healthy China. 2021-10-14
[3] "Cancer screening is divided by age! The key points of screening for different age groups are clearly listed! 》. Health Times . 2022-06-08
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