If you had a family member who was braindead, would you pull the plug?

funny you should ask.........I just made a joke about this yesterday.

In 2006, my brother had a massive heart attack and was dead for 19 minutes. New York state law, requires that they TRY for 20 minutes to get a pulse, at which point, only THEN can they officially pronounce him dead. (Silly law, as the brain is pretty well FRIED after 6 or 7 minutes....but because of RARE cases, where EXTRAORDINARY circumstances have seen miracles occur even after ten minutes......the boundary is pushed to 20 )

In any case........they got a pulse after 19 and a half minutes.

Imagine.

He was a total vegatable........unable to breathe without machines. and so clearly gone.......and in rough shape BEFORE the heart attack....so really, what were we saving here?

The debate of course, was whether to PULL the plug or not, after they went to all that trouble to save him-

then, a weird thing happened....he opened his eyes........he LOOKED like he was awake........he LOOKED like he could hear and understand..........but that's just what you read into it.

But the fact was......his eyes were open......and that makes it a whole lot harder to pull the plug.

But his brain was clearly gone......or so we thought.......

one night.........don't ask how.....he managed to rip out all his tubes.

the nurses, stupidly fought to reconnect everything.......as is their duty........and they kept him alive for another 35 days more or less.

strapped to the bed......but still unable to breathe without the machines.

Needless to say, he couldn't speak......couldn't move his arms to write.....even unstrapped.........but SOMEHOW, managed to roll his weight or force some jerky movement that ripped those tubes out.

Knowing him as we did......we knew he would not want this.

But......there was just enough LIFE there, to really ponder the wisdom of pulling the plug, if by some miracle...........he COULD recover from this. ....even if he wanted to.

The matter was settled for us 35 days later when his heart gave out, all on it's own.......removing the "decision" from the equation.

The question was..........IFFFFFFF we pulled the plug.......which of us would do it?

My father begged off.....it was his son...........my sister wanted no part of it, and wouldn't be able to live with the guilt.....and my other brother, didn't think he could do it.

(and my other sister died of brain tumor, two years prior.....so she was out. .....Mom, way before that. )

so, jokingly...........we drew straws outside the room, one gloomy vigil.....and the "winner" got to pull the plug......in a sick, evil, kind of way. Humor was all we had left.

I won. I was looking foward to it. I never murdered anyone before.

But damn......the damn b*stard up and died on me first.........and robbed me of my chance to take a life.

Had things come to that, though............ Hmmmmmmmmmmm......

I wonder.....................

Well its the doctor who makes the decision to "pull the plug" after discussion with the family and with their consent.

Yes I would, if there was no hope of recovery and they were in a permanent vegetative state. Imagine if it was you and not them? No way would I want to live like that being a burden on the health service and my family.

Yes, I would. Because I know they're not truly there anymore. They're long gone and I would be wasting money keeping the shell that was once them "breathing" and elongating the hurt of already losing them. If there is no or a very slight chance of ever recovering... why put everyone through so much more pain? May they rest in peace.

I honestly don't know; I hope I never have to be in the position to make that decision

I suppose if they were truly braindead then it would be an obvious decision, but I just have awful images of them having consciousness, but being unable to communicate and them desperately thinking "please don't let me die" or something

Brain dead means just that...dead. There is no life left and nobody lives long being brain dead.

Edit: Vegetative state and brain dead are not the same thing. There's more hope for someone in a vegetative state.

My family and I had to go through this painful experience.

My aunt did not make it through childbirth and was alive on life support for 2 days, enough time for the family to come together to praise her for giving life to my cousin and for all of us to wish her nothing but heavenly blessings on her way from this life.

pull the plug or not its not like they are ever the "same" anymore.

they are dead in the sense they never will talk smile or laugh the same again. Your holding onto somthing thats already dead.. maybe not litterally.. but they are.

it would be easier. Release the pain.

Yes, I know they wouldn't want to live like that.

Plus they tell me all the time, if they ever become like a vegetable, pull the plug.

I'd pluck up the courage to say goodbye to them and agreed to have life support switched off...i could never be selfish enough to prolong their life for my own benefit.

There are a few family members who are brain dead, but that's because they're not plugged in, hee hee...