broken heart attack
do not resuscitate order…if i have one and have a heart attack, the paramedics have to obey it?!?
no insurance…a stroke or heart attack will leave me broke for the rest of my life…a dnr seems the way to go.
The nurse who already posted has the exact right of the situation. A DNR stands for Do Not Resuscitate is NOT valid until the issue is actually about being resuscitated. It does not come into play until the person is in cardiac arrest; in which case resuscitation is not attempted (i.e. CPR, defibrillation, etc.). If you have a pulse, the DNR means nothing.
If you have a stroke, or heart attack, it will most likely NOT cause you to go into cardiac arrest. You always have the right to deny medical treatment, but you need to be aware of two things: 1) If the people treating you suspect you are not capable of making your own decisions (because you’re unconscious or your mental state is altered, for instance) they may treat you anyway and 2) You might be in quite a lot of pain for quite a long time, and still not die from whatever is wrong.
A DNR is a personal choice, but it isn’t going to work the way you seem to think. If I find a person who is not breathing, but has a pulse, then their DNR is worth nothing to me because it only covers cardiac arrest. I still have to provide all the care that I can, and so does every other provider who finds you with a pulse. And keep in mind, in some states, just knowing you have a DNR isn’t enough – the physical papers must be provided before care can be denied. If it isn’t available, then medical personnel still may be obligated to attempt to revive you.
