End-of-life issues touch a nerve

Dear Dr. Gott: Your response to the letter written by the nun was insensitive, disrespectful and foolish.

Your little “disclaimer” (“Clearly, I won’t engage in any behavior that could be misinterpreted or considered criminal, but I am certainly…”) is quite telling.

I am sure you will have no problem pushing the envelope as a real trouper in the culture of death. Perhaps a better name for you is “Kervorkian Light.” You are more dangerous in effect, for you fly under the radar.

Your respect for immorality may be applauded by your fellow merchants in the culture of death, but I am not fooled. I feel sorry for your elderly patients.

Dear Reader: We all are going to die eventually. For many of us, it’s the getting there that’s tough, especially if our situations are complicated by chronic pain, dementia, cancer and other serious ailments.

My respect is not for “immorality” but for patients and caregivers who are committed to quality-of-life issues.

Do I consider euthanasia to be an appropriate practice for the terminally ill? Of course not.

But I am against the mindless policy of many healthy adults whose sole goal is to prevent death at any cost – actually, at very high cost in dollars and cents.

Letting a loved one die without disrespect, discomfort and hopeless medical intervention is humane and appropriate.

You and I disagree. Please don’t feel sorry for my elderly patients. I am committed to their well-being and happiness – and I always attempt to follow their wishes about end-of-life issues.

When your time comes, I hope that you will have a sensitive, caring and realistic physician. Name-calling is probably a trait that you will give up, because you will be dealing with more important issues in much the same way I and my terminal patients do day after day, week after week.

Dear Dr. Gott: When it comes time to buy over-the-counter cold/flu medicine, my wife and I frequently have conflicts.

She has to have the advertised name brand item (NyQuil as an example). I read the contents of NyQuil and WalQuil and discovered each are the same except for the price.

I have asked two pharmacy employees in two different stores the million-dollar question: “Is there any real difference between the generic and name brand?” They respond emphatically, “No.”

My wife and I read your column regularly, and she touts your advice when she agrees with you. Thanks.

Dear Reader: Although generic equivalents are advertised to be equal in effectiveness to brand-name drugs, this claim may be not be accurate consistently. I have patients who claim that generics are often less effective.

According to government agencies whose job it is to monitor this very issue, generics are equal in potency. I choose to keep an open mind on a case-by-case basis.

If the generic works for you, continue to use it and save money. If not, use the name brands.

Check with your pharmacist about this issue.