Medical terms

Imagine being stuck in a body that cannot move, or even manage to form words. People suffering from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease) deal with these debilitating symptoms every day, until they eventually pass away. ALS is a fairly common disease, with more than 12,000 people in the United States experiencing it and 15 people being diagnosed with it every day (“Fact Sheet,” 2014). Researchers are desperately searching for a cure, or even an effective treatment for the…

Physician—assisted suicide is when a physician provides a prescription for a lethal dose of medicine to a terminally ill patient upon their request. (http://depts.washington.edu/bioethx/topics/pad.html). It all started in 1906, when Ohio drafted a euthanasia bill, but failed. Since then Oregon, Vermont, New Mexico, and Washington have made it legal, and set protocol that allows terminally ill patients to choose when they die. Oregon’s law requires the patient to be at least 18 years old, a…

misconceptions believed about young cancer patients, some thinking that they just lie in a hospital beds and get glorified for being sick;however, the patients go through various struggles everyday. Some of these struggles or so called obstacles being medical, physical,…

Artificial nutrition and hydration should not be used for end of life patients because intravenous hydration can have a negative impact on the quality of their life. According to RJ Ackermann, M.D (Medical Doctor), “There is always a risk when someone is fed through a tube. Liquid might enter the lungs. This can cause coughing and pneumonia… They can become plugged up, causing pain, nausea and vomiting” (Artificial Hydration and Nutrition par. 19). This quote shows that it is risky to use a…

Moreover, when a person has a choice in how they will die it diminishes the emotional toll that dying can put on a patient and their family. The very emotional toll that terminal patients go through and the feelings of becoming a burden can be significant. They can have fear of being in acute or chronic pain with their particular disease or worry about becoming baffled and not capable of making their own choices anymore. Terminal patients also are concerned with being reliant on outside care…

assisted-suicides that take place are with patients 65 and older, and 47% of patients have bachelor’s degrees (Oregon Health Authority, 2014). This supports the case that patients in these circumstances are making rational decisions and have truly come to terms with their lives. Patients who are terminally ill should have the option of assisted suicide so that they can die with dignity and remain the person they were in their lives, rather than be an unrecognizable shell of…

For example, some cultures believe in herbal remedies for treatment of illness. Also, some people do not trust modern medicine so they either never seek medical attention or they wait until the last minute to get treatment for their illnesses. If a nurse works with a patient who has different cultural beliefs the nurse needs to ask about them. This is so that the nurse can honor as many of the beliefs as…

Drugs for PAS cost less than the cost of medical care for terminally ill patients and could save them and their family money (NYLN 1). Data that has been collected shows that if 2.7% of patients chose PAS rather than ride the disease to their death, it would save the U.S approximately 627 million…

There have been many developments in cancer over the last few decades, but unfortunately, even the best treatment might not work. Growing up, I experienced many family members battle cancer. Both of my uncles were recently diagnosed, and after countless trips to the hospital, my uncle Jamie passed away. My other uncle, Jimmy, moved in with us shortly after. My family and I continue to take care of him and support him throughout the battle he is rigorously fighting. Jimmy was diagnosed with…

Phoenix is a female baby born on March 18, 2015 and weighed 6 pounds. She was assessed on September 24, 2015 at 10:00 am. She resides in Tallahassee, Florida with her mom, dad, and brother. She was born at 38.4 weeks gestation age. She was diagnosed with mild jaundice at birth. She is now 6 months, 6 days old. She stays at home with her father five days a week. She does not receive weekly therapy. She sees a Physician every two months. She had the 4 months required shots and scheduled to get 6…