Hospice, Lawyers and Cancer Patient's Psychology

Hi, gang,

Last week, as the result of metastatic lung cancer, I was entered into my
HMO's Hospice program. Of course, I had to sign paperwork to do so. I
almost gagged when I read what I was expected to sign. It was like I had
to acknowledge that I was totally without hope (something I will NEVER
acknowledge until my last breath). The whole thing was written as though I
was expected to sign my life away. No, no, no... and a thousand times,
no... I am NOT ready to give up on all hope. Signing up for hospice should
NOT be like going through the gates of Dantes' Inferno ("Abandon home all
ye who enter herein").

In signing that, I went through a psychological shock last Tuesday that I
am still not through dealing with. While all of the words might have been
necessary from the perspective of some legal beagle, it seems that in
addition to lawyers, psychologists expert in the issues of hospice should
help in writing these things. After all, they are not just some
meaningless legal mumbo jumbo, they are very personal things to the life
of the person having to sign them. Surely, some form can be written that
meets the needs of both worlds.

I'll tell you if someone were to write such a form I'd be the first to
sign (and tear up that old form that made me feel like I was signing my
life away).

--
Andy -- The Cheerful Pickle lives

Cheerful Pickle wrote:

> Last week, as the result of metastatic lung cancer, I was entered into my
> HMO's Hospice program. Of course, I had to sign paperwork to do so. I
> almost gagged when I read what I was expected to sign. It was like I had
> to acknowledge that I was totally without hope (something I will NEVER
> acknowledge until my last breath). The whole thing was written as though I
> was expected to sign my life away. No, no, no... and a thousand times,
> no... I am NOT ready to give up on all hope. Signing up for hospice should
> NOT be like going through the gates of Dantes' Inferno ("Abandon home all
> ye who enter herein").
>
> In signing that, I went through a psychological shock last Tuesday that I
> am still not through dealing with. While all of the words might have been
> necessary from the perspective of some legal beagle, it seems that in
> addition to lawyers, psychologists expert in the issues of hospice should
> help in writing these things. After all, they are not just some
> meaningless legal mumbo jumbo, they are very personal things to the life
> of the person having to sign them. Surely, some form can be written that
> meets the needs of both worlds.
>
> I'll tell you if someone were to write such a form I'd be the first to
> sign (and tear up that old form that made me feel like I was signing my
> life away).
>
> --
> Andy -- The Cheerful Pickle lives

Hi Andy,
My heart goes out to you for having had this difficult task to get through.
I wish you the best for the remaining phase of your life.
May it be filled with happy, fun times and comfort from friends and loved
ones.
Please, please keep in touch and post anytime.
I miss you and worry when we don't hear from you.
J

On Aug 27, 1:19 pm, Cheerful Pickle
<cheerfulpic...@in.the.arms.of.the.Father> wrote:
> Hi, gang,
>
> Last week, as the result of metastatic lung cancer, I was entered into my
> HMO's Hospice program. Of course, I had to sign paperwork to do so. I
> almost gagged when I read what I was expected to sign. It was like I had
> to acknowledge that I was totally without hope (something I will NEVER
> acknowledge until my last breath). The whole thing was written as though I
> was expected to sign my life away. No, no, no... and a thousand times,
> no... I am NOT ready to give up on all hope. Signing up for hospice should
> NOT be like going through the gates of Dantes' Inferno ("Abandon home all
> ye who enter herein").
>
> In signing that, I went through a psychological shock last Tuesday that I
> am still not through dealing with. While all of the words might have been
> necessary from the perspective of some legal beagle, it seems that in
> addition to lawyers, psychologists expert in the issues of hospice should
> help in writing these things. After all, they are not just some
> meaningless legal mumbo jumbo, they are very personal things to the life
> of the person having to sign them. Surely, some form can be written that
> meets the needs of both worlds.
>
> I'll tell you if someone were to write such a form I'd be the first to
> sign (and tear up that old form that made me feel like I was signing my
> life away).
>
> --
> Andy -- The Cheerful Pickle lives

I worked as a hospice nurse, sometimes people never had an explain
what hospice was and the patients would be in total shock when they
read the hospice material. What should have been included that at any
time you can elect not to have hospice services. I

Hospice services makes it easier for patients to get proper
symptomatic treatment without red tape, but if a new therapy is
offered you do have the right to leave hospice. Sorry you had to go
throught this , Alex

Alex <usenetgirl@gmail.com> wrote in
news:1188257299.121288.24480@d55g2000hsg.googlegro ups.com:

> On Aug 27, 1:19 pm, Cheerful Pickle
> <cheerfulpic...@in.the.arms.of.the.Father> wrote:
>> Hi, gang,
>>
>> Last week, as the result of metastatic lung cancer, I was entered
>> into my HMO's Hospice program. Of course, I had to sign paperwork to
>> do so. I almost gagged when I read what I was expected to sign. It
>> was like I had to acknowledge that I was totally without hope
>> (something I will NEVER acknowledge until my last breath). The whole
>> thing was written as though I was expected to sign my life away. No,
>> no, no... and a thousand times, no... I am NOT ready to give up on
>> all hope. Signing up for hospice should NOT be like going through the
>> gates of Dantes' Inferno ("Abandon home all ye who enter herein").
>>
>> In signing that, I went through a psychological shock last Tuesday
>> that I am still not through dealing with. While all of the words
>> might have been necessary from the perspective of some legal beagle,
>> it seems that in addition to lawyers, psychologists expert in the
>> issues of hospice should help in writing these things. After all,
>> they are not just some meaningless legal mumbo jumbo, they are very
>> personal things to the life of the person having to sign them.
>> Surely, some form can be written that meets the needs of both worlds.
>>
>> I'll tell you if someone were to write such a form I'd be the first
>> to sign (and tear up that old form that made me feel like I was
>> signing my life away).
>>
>> --
>> Andy -- The Cheerful Pickle lives
>
> I worked as a hospice nurse, sometimes people never had an explain
> what hospice was and the patients would be in total shock when they
> read the hospice material. What should have been included that at any
> time you can elect not to have hospice services. I
>
> Hospice services makes it easier for patients to get proper
> symptomatic treatment without red tape, but if a new therapy is
> offered you do have the right to leave hospice. Sorry you had to go
> throught this , Alex
>
Yes,
The recessive legal beagle in me stepped forward when my husband, Socks,
signed similar papers. We got clarification on all issues & it would
have been a simple paperwork procedure for him to repeatedly exit &
reenter hospice. And even in hopsice, he could get treated for non-
cancer problems should they occur - like a car wreck or other injury -
for example. Where we live, injuries from car accidents are covered
under medical, not auto insurance, so I wanted to be sure.

Check, Andy, but I feel sure you didn't sign your life away without
recourse. And I hope you have many more cheerful days ahead. Socks
surely did. Hospice is all about facilitating your wishes. We got
special travel cannisters of compressed oxygen & they would have even
delivered it to hotels along the way. Dream big & live large!

Fig

On Mon, 27 Aug 2007 10:19:42 -0700, Cheerful Pickle
<cheerfulpickle@in.the.arms.of.the.Father> wrote:

>Hi, gang,
>
>Last week, as the result of metastatic lung cancer, I was entered into my
>HMO's Hospice program. Of course, I had to sign paperwork to do so. I

(Snip)

>In signing that, I went through a psychological shock last Tuesday that I
>am still not through dealing with. While all of the words might have been
>necessary from the perspective of some legal beagle, it seems that in
>addition to lawyers, psychologists expert in the issues of hospice should
>help in writing these things. After all, they are not just some
>meaningless legal mumbo jumbo, they are very personal things to the life
>of the person having to sign them. Surely, some form can be written that
>meets the needs of both worlds.

Hi Andy,

I usually just lurk here, my father had cancer he passed away last
year on November 23, and I have cancer still. What I did for my father
so he didn't have to read the paperwork was I signed all the forms for
him. He did not want to be told that he was dying, which I could
understand, and in this way he didn't have to have the emotional
burden of seeing the paperwork that comes along with Hospice.

I wish you all the luck in the world, and hospice doesn't mean you
have to give up, at least to me it doesn't :-)