Talk to Your Doctor About Your Bucket List
In his experience as a geriatrics, palliative care doctor, and internist, VJ Periyakoil has recognized that most people have a list of goals, or a bucket list, they wish to accomplish before they pass way. Some patients give these lists considerable thought, while others have a more ambiguous notion of a few things they would like to do at some point in the future. Dr. Periyakoil regularly asks his patients about their bucket lists. In one instance, a patient told Periyakoil that she wanted to skydive on her 80th birthday. While such an adventure was not recommended given her history of diabetes, hypertension, and osteoarthritis, she casually shrugged off the concerns saying, “Don’t worry, Doc. If I die sky diving, I’ll be sure to take my diseases with me. Besides, the instructors are very handsome, so not a bad way to go at all.”
Other cases are not so light-hearted. Periyakoil recalls an instance when a patient wanted to travel to Maui but had been diagnosed with a very nasty form of gallbladder cancer. He had already been scheduled for radiation and chemotherapy treatments. Knowing the likely outcome for this individual, Periyakoil told him the stark truth: “You could go to Maui, while you still can. Start the cancer treatments as soon as you return.” Two weeks later, the patient returned, beaming and with a to-do item crossed off his bucket list. In many cases, physicians prescribe treatments in a vacuum. They may not be aware of their patients desires and will not factor those concerns into a treatment plan. The next time you visit with your primary care provider, let him know of your wishes and ask them what the side effects of their proposed treatment will have on your goals.
See VJ Periyakoil, M.D., Talk to Your Doctor About Your Bucket List, The New York Times, February 8, 2018.
Special thanks to Lewis Saret (Attorney, Washington, D.C.) for bringing this article to my attention.