tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-880418218083230158.post2171658078072088580..comments2023-10-28T11:39:49.358+01:00Comments on Two Weeks on a Trolley: When do we stop? Should we stop?The two weeks on a trolley teamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05117875014631764039noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-880418218083230158.post-78644644426299650752009-02-08T15:02:00.000+00:002009-02-08T15:02:00.000+00:00Having no children of my own I cannot really put m...Having no children of my own I cannot really put myself in this mother's shoes, but I would hope that were this my child I would see:<BR/><BR/>a) although his cognitive ability is low, he must surely be in pain<BR/><BR/>b) his chances of leading any sort of pain-free life seem to be minimal<BR/><BR/>c) the resources you mention could be used to treat others who may stand a better chance of making full recoveries<BR/><BR/>If I were the parent I would hope I could find the strength after these repeated circumstances to say "enough is enough"<BR/><BR/>I suppose it's almost like organ donation - if you choose to donate, your actions potentially save / repair lives. If you don't, you can never help (this makes me think I should sign up for one of those cards when I come home in July).<BR/><BR/>At present, and without a "committee" to help decide, I think the decision rightly rests with the mother (so long as she is of sound mind!) though her actual reasons for keeping her son in this seemingly-awful perpetual limbo should be addressed and possibly counselled ....<BR/><BR/>My 2p anyway. Sorry for extreme lateness of posting, I've only just started reading your blog, having seen your comments a bunch of times on Dr Crippen's blog.<BR/><BR/>HHarryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09039651341334249628noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-880418218083230158.post-30207008190257304742008-09-06T14:00:00.000+01:002008-09-06T14:00:00.000+01:00Problem is what constitutes meaningful recovery? I...Problem is what constitutes meaningful recovery? I'm not going to make him into a fully functional little boy again?<BR/>The issue is a simple one in a world with infinite resources. <BR/><BR/>But when resources are scarce, and people are denied treatment on the basis of cost, then this is unfortunately where the waters get muddied.<BR/><BR/>Dr. TAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-880418218083230158.post-71159951533119559732008-09-06T11:35:00.000+01:002008-09-06T11:35:00.000+01:00Ah, ethics. It shouldn't be up to us to make moral...Ah, ethics. <BR/>It shouldn't be up to us to make moral decisions.<BR/>Dylan should have exactly the same right to healthcare as everyone else; however, eventually these decisions have to be taken by medics, objectively. If he has no hope of meaningful recovery, then questions should be asked about the value of continued resus.Alex Stokerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05645998228285420107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-880418218083230158.post-74606747278645101282008-09-04T00:13:00.000+01:002008-09-04T00:13:00.000+01:00I know of a child like that at my hospital.... it'...I know of a child like that at my hospital.... it's a difficult difficult thing and a major topic of conversation everytime they represent. <BR/><BR/>I think in these sort of circumstances where there is no meaningful life (especially if the child has little to no development at all) there should be an ethics committee of sorts that can step in an make recommendations... It would be a difficult thing legally and ethically, but I think the parents are just grieving so much that seeing people doing something for their child makes them believe all will be okay... I'm not sure....<BR/><BR/>Nice to see you back by the way Dr T!Pollyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07979522029667756035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-880418218083230158.post-25822147069341500022008-09-02T23:34:00.000+01:002008-09-02T23:34:00.000+01:00Ouch! Difficult one. There will always be argumen...Ouch! Difficult one. <BR/><BR/>There will always be arguments on both sides but I think that ultimately, the decision will lie with Dylan. His poor little body can't continue on that roller coaster for ever... can it?<BR/><BR/>If it were my child and in those circumstances, I'd like to think that I'd give permission to withdraw treatment but maybe that would all change if/when my protective instinct kicked in? <BR/><BR/>A good thought provoking post.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com