Land of the Living Dead

[Mike Oxlong]

Grandma on Feeding Tube Without Consent Symbolizes Japan

A quarter of a million bedbound elderly people are kept alive in Japan, often for years, by a feeding tube surgically inserted into their stomach. A few months ago, my 96-year-old grandmother became one of them.

Feeding tubes are so common in Japan that my family wasn't initially consulted about the procedure, which is effectively irreversible. When my mother walked into Grandma's room the next morning and saw a tube, she dropped to her knees by the bedside and stayed there for hours, crying.

"I am sorry. I didn't mean to do this to you," my mom repeated over and over.

As medical science becomes more sophisticated, we're finding new ways to prolong life. When my grandma, Hisako Miyake, was born in 1916, life expectancy in Japan was around 43 years; now it is 83, the longest in the world.

When it comes to death, Japan doesn't score so well. In 2010, the Economist Intelligence Unit ranked 40 developed and developing countries on "quality of death," based on criteria such as end-of-life cost and care and, more broadly, how well societies faced issues of death. Japan was 23.

In Japan, there's not much talk about death. Living wills, or even discussions about end-of-life decisions, are rare. Historically, hospitals focused on extending lives of patients with little chance of recovery, said Tetsuo Kashiwagi, president of Japan's Hospice Palliative Care Foundation.

"That's still the mainstream," he said..

[Coligny]

japanese hospitals are quackeries... news at eleven...

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

If I ever become a non-walking zombie like this old woman, turn off the plug, torch me and flush whatever's left down the dunny...

[Coligny]

Nuh huh... Soylent green dude...

You'll be turned into what will be labelled as low grade cat tuna.

[canman]

Sorry for stating the obvious, but this is a total cash grab! What a way to line your pockets by keeping these poor people alive for years, all paid for by the national insurance program! Can the family ask to have the tube removed? Can't the stop the hospital from implanting it? Do Japanese doctors take the Hippocratic Oath when they become doctors? As in do no harm? Just wondering.

[legion]

From a blog by a person with ALS, he uses eye tracking software to operate his computer.

As long as there are no accidents, we can potentially live for 10, 20 years if we get a tracheotomy. However, during which ALS doesn't stop attacking the limited motor neurons we have left. Even if it finishes off everything, including your eyes, and you can't take it anymore, we're not allowed to take the tube off. Euthanasia is not legal in Japan. This is why approx. 70 % of ALS patients choose "death" over a tracheotomy. Reasons vary. Fear of what's ahead, burdening loved ones financially, emotionally, physically, etc. If we were given that option, to take it off, don't you think almost 100% of people would choose to try it out?
if this is true, doesn't this mean the law is killing people?
the daughter who wanted to have more "talks" with dad...
the son who wanted to hold his mom's hand for just a little longer...
forced to choose the impossible... it's murder disguised as laws n regulations...

http://blog.honeyee.com/hfujita/archives/2013/02/06/

[Mike Oxlong]

Sorry for stating the obvious, but this is a total cash grab! What a way to line your pockets by keeping these poor people alive for years, all paid for by the national insurance program! Can the family ask to have the tube removed? Can't the stop the hospital from implanting it? Do Japanese doctors take the Hippocratic Oath when they become doctors? As in do no harm? Just wondering.

Are you kidding?!

In addition to there not being courses to draw from, I learned that the spectrum of terms found in English (profess, professor, profession, professional, professionalism) do not exist in any Asian language. Literal translations of the term “professionalism” are wildly inaccurate. Not only do the equivalent words not exist, neither does the background required to understand the concept. Foundational concepts of medical professionalism in the West such as patient autonomy, justice, and service are understood quite differently in the East, where the more than 2,000-year-old Confucian tradition gives priority to collectivist, authoritarian, and hierarchical cultural standards.

Furthermore, in Japan, as in all of Asia, there has never been a history of taking any medical oath; that is to say, there has never been a statement of ethical beliefs or commitments to “profess” at graduation. At Keio in 2004, only a small percentage of medical students had ever heard of the Hippocratic Oath. And an even smaller percentage could identify content from any medical oath.

http://www.minnesotamedicine.com/PastIs ... t2007.aspx

[Coligny]

Sorry for stating the obvious, but this is a total cash grab! What a way to line your pockets by keeping these poor people alive for years, all paid for by the national insurance program! Can the family ask to have the tube removed? Can't the stop the hospital from implanting it? Do Japanese doctors take the Hippocratic Oath when they become doctors? As in do no harm? Just wondering.

Yup, never heard of that one. and everytimethere is someone in distress around the rule is not on duty now/not paid for this/no time/not my business... Insisted several time to build and keep a medical intervention toolbag in the car, answer have always been, no need, won't use it anyway. Don't know a french doctor, nurse or even secourist who don't have enough on his car to treat injuries up to traffic accident victims. once again, the opposite for vets one of them in Nagoya even having semi medicalized his jeep with aed/oxygen bottles full ressucitation gear and safe camisole for emergency transport.

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

Not only do Japanese physicians not have to take the Hippocratic, it shouldn't be forgotten that these people actively engaged in vivisection during World War II. (And before we smirk with superiority, we shouldn't forget the Merkins let them get away with it scot-free in exchange for giving them what records they had left over after being caught trying to get rid of them all).

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

You'll be turned into what will be labelled as low grade cat tuna.

Cool! Considering how much pussy I've eaten, I think it's only fair to be gobbled down by a cat...

[matsuki]

Not only do Japanese physicians not have to take the Hippocratic, it shouldn't be forgotten that these people actively engaged in vivisection during World War II.

That's the type of shit that came to mind when my lemur was telling me how ,as a child, she remembered often getting pelted by these "little black balls" the boys would flick at her and the other girls. She was later horrified to find out the "little black balls" were actually the decapitated heads of dragonflies...the boys would catch them by their wings and then flick their head off at their victims. Now little kids from any cuntry can be fuct but with the way that many We Japanese view "life" can be pretty disgusting.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Not only do Japanese physicians not have to take the Hippocratic, it shouldn't be forgotten that these people actively engaged in vivisection during World War II.

That's the type of shit that came to mind when my lemur was telling me how ,as a child, she remembered often getting pelted by these "little black balls" the boys would flick at her and the other girls. She was later horrified to find out the "little black balls" were actually the decapitated heads of dragonflies...the boys would catch them by their wings and then flick their head off at their victims. Now little kids from any cuntry can be fuct but with the way that many We Japanese view "life" can be pretty disgusting.

Dude, kids everywhere like to kill bugs. Especially country kids. Nothing unusual.

The murder rate in the US is a much stronger indication of who values life more.

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

Not only do Japanese physicians not have to take the Hippocratic, it shouldn't be forgotten that these people actively engaged in vivisection during World War II.

That's the type of shit that came to mind when my lemur was telling me how ,as a child, she remembered often getting pelted by these "little black balls" the boys would flick at her and the other girls. She was later horrified to find out the "little black balls" were actually the decapitated heads of dragonflies...the boys would catch them by their wings and then flick their head off at their victims. Now little kids from any cuntry can be fuct but with the way that many We Japanese view "life" can be pretty disgusting.

Dude, kids everywhere like to kill bugs. Especially country kids. Nothing unusual.

The murder rate in the US is a much stronger indication of who values life more.

Aren't all the little black balls in the Untied States incarcerated anyway?

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

The murder rate in the US is a much stronger indication of who values life more.

I think an even more indicative figure than the U.S. murder rate is how many people Americans kill.

[Samurai_Jerk]

The murder rate in the US is a much stronger indication of who values life more.

I think an even more indicative figure than the U.S. murder rate is how many people Americans kill.

That doesn't count because you aren't human unless you're American.

[matsuki]

LOL, damn you guys, I'm trying to generalize without generalizing.

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

That doesn't count because you aren't human unless you're American.

[Mike Oxlong]

The murder rate in the US is a much stronger indication of who values life more.

Doesn't the suicide rate here pretty much balance things out?

[Taro Toporific]

The true Living Dead...

News-on-Japan-–-salarymen-slog.jpg

salaryman-sad.jpg

[matsuki]

...and the cure

969544_549404708440569_2143067262_n.jpg

[Samurai_Jerk]

...and the cure

969544_549404708440569_2143067262_n.jpg

McDonald's? Because you can't mean that flat ass.

[Coligny]

Let met halp you:
If the post is from choko -> watch for the poon
If the post is from coligny -> watch for the double cheeseburger with fries

[yanpa]

She's probably just there to collect free condiments anyway.

[Coligny]

She's probably just there to collect free condiments anyway.

Yea, try to ask for free ketchup at JMcDo and tell us how long it take for the cops to arrive...

(and don't mention the mayonnaise if you value your visa...)

[matsuki]

She's probably just there to collect free condiments anyway.

Yea, try to ask for free ketchup at JMcDo and tell us how long it take for the cops to arrive...

(and don't mention the mayonnaise if you value your visa...)

I dunno where it is but I can't tell you how many of my friends families did this in the US. Literally refilling their old ketchup bottle with free ketchup packets. Such classy people

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

She's probably just there to collect free condiments anyway.

Yea, try to ask for free ketchup at JMcDo and tell us how long it take for the cops to arrive...

(and don't mention the mayonnaise if you value your visa...)

I dunno where it is but I can't tell you how many of my friends families did this in the US. Literally refilling their old ketchup bottle with free ketchup packets. Such classy people

Cool!

I'm not sure about Maccas, but usually in Straya if you want tomato sauce (and it's the national condiment for dinky di Strayan tucker), you will invariably be charged for it (20c to 50c for a squirt).

[matsuki]

The smart companies stopped leaving out trays of condiments for dine-in customers and have switched to these:

41ujNDcxFaL._SY300_[1].jpg

...though I'm sure some classless fucks will be delighted they can now refill their empty condiment containers from home in record time.

[Mike Oxlong]

Ah, the feeding tube is part of an international Japan PR strategy...uii aaru namba wan!

[Coligny]

She's probably just there to collect free condiments anyway.

Yea, try to ask for free ketchup at JMcDo and tell us how long it take for the cops to arrive...

(and don't mention the mayonnaise if you value your visa...)

I dunno where it is but I can't tell you how many of my friends families did this in the US. Literally refilling their old ketchup bottle with free ketchup packets. Such classy people

In yurop it's nearly 'all tou can eat' ketchup and mayonnaise buffet at McDo...

In Japan... May god, Allah and that jewish god dood (*) protect you if you dare to ask...

(*) yeah, i know in yurop this sentence would be ground for jailing me for antisemitism and apologism of the nazy holocaust, maybe even negationism.... But the simple fact is... I know allah thanks to tom clancy's buks and team america movie... The other guy name... I dont, not my fault, he should have done more mainstream movies...

[matsuki]

She's probably just there to collect free condiments anyway.

Yea, try to ask for free ketchup at JMcDo and tell us how long it take for the cops to arrive...

(and don't mention the mayonnaise if you value your visa...)

I dunno where it is but I can't tell you how many of my friends families did this in the US. Literally refilling their old ketchup bottle with free ketchup packets. Such classy people

In yurop it's nearly 'all tou can eat' ketchup and mayonnaise buffet at McDo...

In Japan... May god, Allah and that jewish god dood (*) protect you if you dare to ask...

(*) yeah, i know in yurop this sentence would be ground for jailing me for antisemitism and apologism of the nazy holocaust, maybe even negationism.... But the simple fact is... I know allah thanks to tom clancy's buks and team america movie... The other guy name... I dont, not my fault, he should have done more mainstream movies...

Now I say all this while I am totally guilty of stealing the french salad dressing packets at the local Matsuya....good stuff and I didn't start nabbing it until I asked if I could buy it and was turned down