What questions should I ask in life-or-death situations involving a loved one’s treatment?
Your mother has a stroke and is rushed to the hospital. You receive a call from the hospital emergency room that your daughter has been critically injured in an accident. Your infant son is born with a life-threatening condition. Your husband suddenly collapses from a heart attack. These are critical health care situations which, unfortunately, thrust us into making decisions for which we are ill-prepared. To complicate matters, medical terms with which we are not familiar, communicated to us by “specialists” who are strangers, suddenly need to be mastered. At a time when we are in shock, worried, frightened, and vulnerable, we are asked to make decisions that may determine whether a loved one will live or die. Ask every single question that comes into your head and record the answer and the name of the person who gave you the answer. If you do not receive a clear answer from one health care professional, ask another one the same question. Persist until you understand exactly what is h
