It's been my first full night here in Cebu, and already it's
intriguing reevaluating my culture through a set of older eyes.
I'm staying in Cebu City with my Grandpa and Grandma for a
few days before heading down south to Dalaguete. About a year ago grandma
suffered a stroke leaving her in a persistent vegetative state. My mom had me bring a new
feeding tube, an oximeter, and a couple of chucks. Grandma's receiving
twenty-four hour home care, which is nice, but situations like this always make
me think about the difference between extending life and extending the quality
of life. It's a controversial topic, no doubt, but it's the first time I've
physically sat across the room from a family member with a feeding tube while
thinking about it. It's easy to form opinions and judgments when any situation
is far removed. Ask any American how to solve the problems in the Middle East,
and they'll give you a number of opinions. Ask those same Americans how many of
them have lived in the Middle East, or traveled to the Middle East and more
than likely they won't have done either. The same logic is applicable to
medicine.
Earlier, my Grandpa said to me, “Look at your Grandma, she's awake. Her eyes are as big as the moon.” Compared to my Grandpa, do I really know what she would want? Would any doctor?
In the States, at work, I noticed the growing rift between
that idea: What the doctor wants and what the patient wants. It seems the older
tradition states the patient must listen to the doctor. Now, there is a paradigm
shift the other way – the doctor must pay more attention to what the patient
wants. It's definitely an important issue I consider when thinking about my future career as a PA.
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