Living will is a legal document wherein you are giving instructions about medical procedures and treatments you want to receive should you get involved in a life threatening situation. In general, the document could be taken as your wish or request to medical practitioners and healthcare providers in case you get into a condition when you would not be able to speak for yourself or decide whether you like a certain medical procedure to be performed to you.
Of course, as you write your living will, you could not in any way point out and identify what specific medical situations you might get into. You could be involved in a fatal accident or be subject to a homicide attempt. An underlying medical condition might arise or you might suffer from a contagious disease that would leave you incapable or medically unconscious. In any way, you should take a look at specific medical treatments and procedures. It would help if you would discuss with your medical doctor all possible issues and angles regarding your living will.
Here are specific medical procedures or treatments that you could include in your living will. You may wish to specifically receive or not receive these processes. Of course, there are many factors that could cloud your judgment today like the pain involved and the possibility of success. In any way, many people also consider the possible hefty medical costs. Some do not want to undergo specific medical procedures because they do not want their families to incur expensive bills or they do not want their assets to thin out.
Mechanical ventilation. If you find it hardest to breathe, there may be a need to undergo a mechanical ventilation or use a breathing machine. The equipment would breathe for you so your life could be prolonged and you could be assisted until you fully recover. Many people do not like the ideas especially because in many cases, people who are forced to breathe through such machines usually do not survive, but only prolong life for some days, weeks, or months. The procedure could be very costly, needless to say.
Resuscitation. This is the process wherein the heart is restarted in case it has stopped pumping up and beating. This is usually administered to people who undergo cardiac death. When writing your living will, determine first the need and the duration for any resuscitation through a cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR procedure. There could also be a need for an electric device that would deliver electrical shock to help stimulate heart and make it beat again.
Dialysis. Many people do not like the idea of having to undergo dialysis. This is because once it has started, the person would need to regularly undergo it for life. This procedure is removing wastes from your blood. It is a substitute to the overall function and usefulness of the kidney.
Hydration and nutritional assistance. This basically supplies the human body with necessary fluids and nutrients in an intravenous mode through a tube that would be connected to stomach. The living will could or could not include this procedure, depending on the persons preferences and decision, based on duration and costs.
