after watching documentary last night on BBC1-Between Life and Death i may have changed my personal views on wether id want to withdraw my care if i was paralized or in vegatative state 3 cases all very similar with relatives discussing loved ones previous decisions on if they had mentioned their wishes.Im mainly focusing on the motorcylce rider in this instance.His family were adiment he wouldnt of wante dto live in totally paralized state due to him saying so after friend had been in similiar situation and they were asking his care be withdrawn.As it happened he had eye movement function so after serious of 6 months of asking him questions to test his comprehension thye discovered he wanted to continue living even in his physical state which was paralized from neck down,been fed through tubes with only eye movement,yet his family had been positive he would choose to die.So begs the question what would you actually do if it were you?Know its bit of morbid subject but i felt compelled to put up thread.                                                                                                                                                                             

If, after a period of time, it became clear that the situation was never going to improve, I'd withdraw care.   It's no life for anyone, the victim or the carers.                                                                                                                                                                             

i know several families who have pulled the plug.. but on the other hand, i know a guy who is wheelchair bound, was in a coma but his parents insisted he would come round, he did and has a quality of life, he's a very happy guy.    Also another guy who got mowed down by a drunk driver, he was in a coma for months, i used to visit and just sit there talking to him holding his hand.. he has fully recovered after years of therapies etc.   Me ~ id rather die than have no use or feeling of/in my body!!! i get frustrated enough living in the one ive got, and thats fully functional lol.  But doctors are human and make mistakes, and the medical diagnosis statistics are not actually that accurate if you look into it.. how can your family make a choice based on that data.. i wouldnt like to do it.                                                                                                                                                                                     

i used to work for a company who converted bungalows for disabled people always from rta's because it was insurance companies paying. its amazing the way they adjust but there are lots of problems obviously. if your brain is functioning u are able to make that decision if there is sufficient quality of life or not where if your brain is damaged you cant realy make it. if i was severaly brain damaged i would want to die if it was severe body trauma i would be able to make my own mind up so id give it a go

well said dunas!!   its down to the individual persons choices/abilities anyway..                                                                                                                                                                                 

It's unbelievable that even when the rest of the body is kerput, when the signals can no longer reach it that it can still be. That the brain and the mind, the person can still be in there trapped. What can possibly be more terrifying, to not be able to move to communicate.  To be lost in your own mind, just your thoughts for company. Gawd turn me off                                                                                                                                                                             

*flicks dogs off button*                                                                                                                                                                                  

Interesting prog' and very for-me.
Had a m/c racing accident just down the way from where that guy was sitting.
Ended up in a coma, learnt how to talk again, originally paralysed on the right.
Never got suicidal, but when I was on the rehab' ward, there were a couple of days when I really didn't to live like that and if it hadn't been for the, albeit v-e-r-y slow improvements,  "pulling the plug" would have been the better option.

In a lot of cases it's not so much the medics make a mistake, with some injuries they just don't know what the outcome will-be.
Just calculated guesses based on previous experience really.

Anyway, got me licences back last year after 5 years, not tried the bike yet.But haven't given up yet!                                                                                                                                                                             

wow letthegoodtimesrol.... your a legend   i agree with the medics comment... i think we expect way too much from them.. and they do their best!   ps. dont give up                                                                                                                                                                              

Personally, I wouldn't want to live if I was unable to look after myself or was brain damaged.  I never understood why people want to hang on to a life when there's no hope, it just prolongs the pain of seeing someone you love in a bad way

Awww cheers Geordie', truth of the matter is I got lucky, quite a few on rehab', I imagine, will never get out of a chair again.

Know what you're saying Brig' and I bet most of us say that but it was only the belief that "normal" life would return, no matter how long, that gave me a purpose.
Even the guy that could only communicate with eye movement PROBABLY thinks that. He knows he's "improving" but it was 2 months before the doc' was sure there was enough understanding to ask the continue treatment question.
I was having to use a notebook for about 2 years because I simply couldn't remember.
Things that were only in my mind were real to-me.

Guess what I'm saying is, there's no concept of time or reality and you hold on-to hope.

A lot end up on ADs and IMO PART of the reason is a lack of hope.
None of us really know how we'd feel unless we're in that situation.  

Very true, my opinion now could change completely if i was put in that situation, but I'm very independent and hate relying on someone else for anything.  I don't want to be a burden on anyone personally.  

I have great admiration for you though, it must have been extremely tough to go through this and not knowing how you'd recover eventually.  

                                                                                                                                                                             

Nothing in life is black and white, and you must also remember that medicine is an art not a science.

i have had to make the decision to 'pull the plug' as you say and its probably the toughest one i will ever make. when you love someone, you want whats best, but believe me if you think taking your dog/cat/pet down to the vets to be put down is tough, you aint done nothing yet.

because we are human and have emotions, you really do want just another day with that person, trust me, its horrible.

this has brought tears to my eyes.

I'll bet DD!
Never had to-do it but from a personal point of view I hope I'd be able to "detach" from my own feelings and try to think what they MIGHT want.
Obviously that COULD-BE wrong, but at the very least we do what we think is right.

thing is when it came down to it and YOU had to make the decision could you say yes turn me off? as its two different questions 1. if it happened to you would you lkie to be turned off? 2.been asked at the time ur lying there do you want to die?  i always thought id want to be turned off but now im thinking if i was asked at the point of trauma do i want to die?i may say no i want to live no matter what its definately food for thought modern medecine is wonderfull but it prolongs life sometimes when maybe it shouldnt but good on u letthegoodtimesroll for ur tremendous recovery guess we dont really know which way we would go until it actually came down to it                                                                                                                                                                             

Very true Miss, prolonging life for the sake of it is pointless, although guessing what the person really wants is impossible, especially if drugged or unconscious                                                                                                                                                                             

It has been interesting reading every1's replies and I greatly admire letthegudtimesroll for what you have achieved and dumfriesdik as well. Having had a motoorbike accident myself 4 weeks ago and other than me leg being badly broken, and aches in me neck,I know I have come out of my accident very lightly. I will always have problems with my leg but I am here to tell the tale. Im aware that the outcome could of been so so so much different and I'm so glad my kids never had to make the desision of pull the plug or save me. If my brain had been mushed up in the accident and I didnt have a clue what day of the week it was or who my family were I wouldnt want my family to have the burden of looking after me. If paralized and able to make my own desisions.......I just dont know what I would do unless I was in that position, I dont know that any1 could unless they were in put in that position. A big thankyou goes to my gardian angel who has looked after me well in the last couple of years                                                                                                                                                                             

Easy answer to the question is you will never know what you would do until you are put in that situation.. and i hope none of you ever are.                                                                                                                                                                              

If I were in that condition I'd want to end it there, think it would be selfish of me put all those family through 5, 10, 20 years of having to feed, wash and change me clean up after me, No thanks                                                                                                                                                                             

I have a living will, and "DO NOT RESUCITATE" on my UTag. (might be spelled properly)

Basically, if I lose independence, turn me off please.