Life or Death Decision: A Doctor's Struggle with the Entire Family
Abstract：In December 2021, while working in the hospital department, I received a call from my mother. My 83-year-old grandmother had fallen in the vegetable garden and could not move her right lower limb. The local hospital initially diagnosed her with a fracture of the greater trochanter of the femur and recommended inserting two long nails into the right thigh. I immediately rushed into the duty room and broke down in tears. I deeply understood how severe this hip fracture would be for her health condition. The internal fixation surgery went smoothly, and my grandmother was also very confident. Under the guidance of the doctors, she began rehabilitation training, and the whole family was filled with joy at her recovery. However, the pathological report after the surgery revealed that my grandmother had tuberculosis of the femur, and this fracture was likely caused by a tuberculous lesion. After some time of anti-tuberculosis treatment, I considered that such an elderly person would not be able to tolerate the side effects of the anti-tuberculosis drugs. I decided to stop the medication on my own, hoping she could spend her remaining days peacefully. However, this decision later led to unforeseen suffering.
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Publication Date：2025-06-20
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：2( 59-60 )