[MD] Sickness and Death

[MarshaV]

At 02:38 PM 4/29/2008, you wrote:
>On Tuesday 29 April 2008 MarshaV writes to SA:
>
>Greetings,
>
>Is this to be the next topic?  There is a technique which is to
>practice imagined dying.  Aren't living and dying two sides to the
>same coin? Isn't this a topic that invokes great discomfort and
>fear?  What would be dying?  Intellectual patterns?  Social
>patterns? Biological patterns? Hmm.  Inorganic patterns?
>
>Marsha
>
>At 07:13 PM 4/28/2008, you wrote:
>
> >      When you are strong and healthy,
> >      You never think of sickness coming,
> >      But it descends with sudden force
> >      Like a stroke of lightning.
> >
> >      When involved in worldly things,
> >      You never think of death's approach;
> >      Quick it comes like thunder
> >      Crashing round your head.
> >
> >
> >                     by Milarepa
> >
> >
> >raining again,
> >SA
>
>Hi MarshaV, SA and all,
>
>What would be dying? I have always surmised that the social level is the
>level of proprietary awareness (consciousness).  When Louise lay dying her
>moan as I inserted a pain pill lasted till the very end.  Though she was at
>home she was still hooked up to life-support tubes: nasal-gastro tube,
>oxygen tube, nutrition tube.  As I looked at her, I thought what is she
>fighting for? She swallowed, she removed the oxygen tube, she pulled at the
>nutrition tube. My answer was: with all the paraphernalia connected she
>could not feel empty.  The nasal tube was particularly upsetting because to
>keep a vacuum valve above her head the mechanism provided no Chromed bracket
>so I fashioned one out of a coat hanger.  I received many words of
>displeasure about a coat hanger.  It was not conducive to feeling empty.
>
>After three weeks the feeling of emptiness seemed to me was the most
>important thing to achieve.  I had the hospice nurse remove the nasal-gastro
>tube, remove the oxygen harness from under her nose, remove the feeding
>tube. After that was accomplished, though she was recently medicated, she
>passed within 12 minutes.  Before she was covered I looked at her. There was
>no disapproval on her face at a coat-hanger bracket or anything. Her face
>looked totally calm and at rest.
>
>Joe
>

Hi Joe,

We also had the help of Hospice for the last 5 weeks, but no tubes 
other than morphine.  This happened fast, four & 1/2 months from 
diagnosis to death.  At the end it was just him and I, which was as 
he wished.  There was a sigh.  This last act was not sad, but almost 
joyous.  I stayed and held his hand for 30 minutes before calling 
Hospice.  This was also his wish.  He had been a little afraid of 
crossing alone.  Taking care of this man, this sick and dying man, 
the dying, seemed like something I had been doing since the beginning 
of time.  It was a honor and privilege.

Marsha






Shoot for the moon.  Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars...