The Ultimate Decision

I did it. I told my sister that she was going to have to make a decision between living and dying. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life. She has been living on TPN (IV nutrition) continuously since February. The doctors have told us that we are just prolonging the inevitable.

She has 2 choices. She can stay on the TPN indefinitely and eventually die from a really bad blood infection and live out her days in a nursing home or she can go off the TPN and she will have 4 to 6 weeks to live.

My mom and I went to see her and give her this news. She did not realize that the TPN was the only reason that she was alive. As I was talking to her I could see the tears rolling down her face. At this point mom started talking and I lost it. I couldn’t contain the emotional pain any longer. Once we were all done crying together we talked more about it all. We told her she did not have to decide now. She said she did not want to live in a nursing home. She wants to come off the TPN. We told her she does not have to discontinue it now but she can wait until she is mentally and emotionally ready.

The immediate family is going to be coming to see her on Sunday. They have all been informed of her condition and what her choices are. They don’t know what she has decided and they won’t be informed until she is ready to tell them.

My father called while we were there and really pissed me off. He told her not to let anyone influence her decision. He made it sound like I was going to try to influence her in some way. I called him and told him this when I left. He claims that wasn’t how he meant it but I know better.