Dear Dr. Gott: I Am Deeply Concerned About My 85-Year-Old Mother.... [Derived Headline]

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DEAR DR. GOTT: I am deeply concerned about my 85-year-old mother. She was in very good health until four years ago when, in quick succession, she had to have a heart stent and later developed colon cancer. She has become adverse to eating since the chemotherapy for the cancer. She also will not consume water or most any other liquid in any amount to maintain her fluid levels. Her thinking is becoming erratic. She is on a cholesterol drug and vitamins, and as far as I know, that is all.

DEAR READER: Your elderly mother has had serious health problems to deal with, including the predictable consequences of chemotherapy. I cannot speculate whether her behavior and erratic thinking are her way of welcoming a dignified and painless death or whether she requires aggressive management -- such as intravenous fluid replacement, a feeding tube and so forth.

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Dear Dr. Gott: I Am Deeply Concerned About My 85-Year-Old Mother.... [Derived Headline]

This might be a good time for the family members to sit down with your mother's primary care physician to develop an...

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