Hacker News Reader

Comment by dominotw | Hacker News Reader

As someone who was on the other side. I will say that these decisions are made by patients and family on a daily level, one at a time. It is hard to step back and look at a big picture and say ok today is the day when we pull the plug on the treatments.

I do agree that a final 'big picture' decision needs to be made but its hard to get that mental clarity when you are in the eye of the storm.

Also, I've personally decided to go by euthanasia after I lose my independence but I am also not clear at what point I should make that decision. I am worried that I will delay that decision and end up in a situation where I lose my faculties to make that decision.

View on HN

> I am worried that I will delay that decision and end up in a situation where I lose my faculties to make that decision.

I'm concerned about that too. Broadly, the circumstances in which I'd want to get it over with painlessly are circumstances where it's hard to see what I could do about it, like if I'm immobile in a hospital bed. I want a stash of Nembutal in my medicine cabinet, that's the drug recommended by Exit International; but I can't get it. You sometimes see sellers offering it on dark markets at $600 for 10g, but typically they have zero trades and zero reputation.

Go to a big city and get a bindle of heroin. Or fentanyl on the dark markets.

AFAIK, most "opiate deaths" are the result of vomiting while asleep.

You are incorrect. Opiates slow your respiration and you stop breathing. You are probably thinking of alcohol deaths.

No, You're thinking of alcohol deaths. Opiates deaths are caused by opiates slowing your breathing and eventually stopping it.

Well, anecdote: It's usually said that Jimi Hendrix died of a heroin overdose. I believe the truth is that he died from inhaling vomit.

Jimi Hendrix neither had alcohol or heroin when he died.

He aspirated his own vomit and died of asphyxia while intoxicated with barbiturates. Specifically, large doses of the sleeping pill Vesparax.

Opioids kill by slowing breathing, full stop. The medical term is "Opioid-induced Respiratory Depression." Narcan very rapidly reverses this, which is how it saves lives.

“ I am worried that I will delay that decision and end up in a situation where I lose my faculties to make that decision.”

Same. I have cognitive issues from m.s. and intend to move somewhere where my desire is respected. My quality of life already sucks, so I may make the decsision sooner than would normally be expected.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com