Doing Everything

On Being a Patient15 May 1998Doing EverythingDavid S. Pisetsky, MD, PhDDavid S. Pisetsky, MD, PhDDurham Veterans Affairs Medical Center; Durham, NC 27707Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-128-10-199805150-00013 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail I never knew what death was like until I watched my father die. He had Lou Gehrig's disease. I learned about the meanness of this condition only as I saw what it did to him. Until he developed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at 84 years of age, my father worked full time as a physician and was a robust man with a large belly and an exuberant smile. After he got sick, he became immobile, despondent, and dependent on others. He had difficulty swallowing and, terrified of choking, restricted his diet to soft foods. He lost 100 pounds.Toward the end ... Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: David S. Pisetsky, MD, PhDAffiliations: Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center; Durham, NC 27707Corresponding Author: David S. Pisetsky, MD, PhD, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Box 151G, Room E-1008, 508 Fulton Street, Durham, NC 27705. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoDoing Everything Nancy S. Knudsen Doing Everything David S. Pisetsky Metrics Cited byDiscussing Treatment Preferences With Patients Who Want “Everything”Timothy E. Quill, MD, Robert Arnold, MD, and Anthony L. Back, MDDeath, Dying, and Last WishesEthical Dilemmas in PediatricsThe Experience of Life-Threatening Illness: Patients' and Their Loved Ones' PerspectivesDoing EverythingNancy S. Knudsen, MD 15 May 1998Volume 128, Issue 10Page: 869-870KeywordsAmyotrophic lateral sclerosisBreathingEmotionsFoodHeartShockShouldersSwallowingTendonsThorax ePublished: 15 August 2000 Issue Published: 15 May 1998 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 1998 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...