Advanced directive (something to remember for your hospital bag!)

Re: Advanced directive (something to remember for your hospital bag!)

• dvmmomma member

  July 2014

  Why would we need this for L&D? Sorry if that's a very naive question. We haven't created ours yet because she's not here yet and we're not even certain of her name. 

  

  Report0 Reply
• Loading the player...
• pmpkn219 member

  July 2014

  A living will is not the will that leaves your house and dogs and bank accounts to somebody. It's basically what you want done/not done in case you are unable to make decisions of your own accord, or unable to communicate them.
  
  Horrible scenario: you lose a ton of blood, go into heart failure and end up in a coma. What do your want your care team to know so you don't end up like that woman in FL where the husband and her parents are at odds over her wishes
  
  my hospital prereg papers have an option to attach your Advance directive, and a reminder to bring it with you if you choose not to include it with your form

  
  
  

  Report2 Reply
• torooji member

  July 2014

  Good reminder! Our lawyer recommended keeping a copy of mine in my hospital bag after we had it written but I completely forgot. He also recommended keeping a copy in the car in case I ended up at the hospital without my bag for some reason...  I guess it saves a little time if I can give it to them when I get admitted rather than later.

  
  

  Honestly though, I'm not too worried.  If anything happened to me I know that my parents would let my husband make final decisions...  and that he would respect their wishes when making those decisions.  If something happened to him, on the other hand, it would be a totally different story.  His wishes differ from his mom's preferences and she'd fight me, so it was really important that he grant me medical power of attorney.

  

  Report0 Reply
• yrnamehere member

  July 2014

  Start here: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/advancedirectives.html

  Report0 Reply
• herecomesthesun member

  July 2014

  This wasn't part of your hospital's registration?  It definitely was at mine.

  Report0 Reply
• torooji member

  July 2014 edited July 2014

  theteno said:

  i don't even know where to start with this as to what  my wishes would be. what kind of wishes?

  It's a really simple document.  You can probably find a template online, fill it out and get it notarized.

  
  

  Mine lists primary and secondary health care agents to make any health care decisions on my behalf if I can't, what I want done if I'm in a terminal state and what I want done to my body when I do die.

  
  

  My husband's has an additional document at the end, in his own words, just outlining some of his wishes in greater detail.

  
  

  I think it can be as straight forward or as complicated as you want it to be.

  

  Report0 Reply