I'll try, Timothy. But this as with many other decisions is based on personal preference, based on personal experience. Several years ago I was away from home when my husband had his heart attack; his visiting brother was with him. I arrived home to find Emergency responders loading him into the ambulance. I rode to the hospital up front. The driver asked me if he/I had a DNR (at the time I never heard of it -- thought DNR meant Dept. of Natural Resources and was baffled) but I was only able to reply, no. They had restarted his heart 3 times before I got there. He had several medical conditions at the time, but with a strong constitution was able to "live" for 3 days - at least his body did. Long story short -- I do not want my family to go through that again. I think I'm old enough - creeping up on 71 - to hang it up if I want to. Something's going to get me, and darned if I wouldn't prefer a heart attack over some lingering something or other. I know, easy to say; but there you are. I'm sure not arguing with your reasoning and am happy for your good outcome....but to each his own.
I understand your reasoning on the issue, tinlizzie, but in terms of my own life, I have a completely different way of looking at the situation.
I've had 8 times in my life where medical intervention caused me to remain alive. Each time, if I had a DNR, that would have been the end of my life. Since the first one, I have loved, been loved, traveled, seen wondrous things, met fascinating people, done incredibily interesting things, experienced joy, and invented a few things. None of which would have happened if the Docs had backed away from me the first time I was at a turn of Life/Death.
Not to mention that I was 7 years old the first time and would have had a very short life.
No DNR for me. They can jump start me as many times as they wish. If I turn into a carrot, I won't know it anyway. The others in my family will have to deal with Mr. Carrot by ignoring me and letting the machines run if that's what some Doc thinks is best. If I'm truly a carrot, I won't care anyway. If, on day 136, I suddenly come out of it like I did a coma when I was in my 20's, then perhaps I'll have another decade or two or three to enjoy life again.
I've spoken to my family and after watching my life thus far, they understand my reasoning and also understand that if I do happen to become a piece of cabbage, they have my permission to just stay home and enjoy their lives, instead of coming to look at cabbage-man lay there.
Heck, I might be having a great time in a fantastic dream. Who can say?
Lets you and I agree to disagree on this and just enjoy our lives for now. How's that sound to you?
I figure there must be something I'm supposed to accomplish that hasn't been done yet. I keep bouncing back, regardless of the circumstances of my body.
Perhaps, at 71, (12 years from now), I'll think differently, but I doubt it.
Good luck to you. I hope you make it as a happy person and experience wonderful things until you're 120 or more.