As always, I'm anxious about my mentally ill 50 yo son who has been cutting dialysis treatments in half (from 4 hrs. to 2 hrs.)for 4-5 mos. He is slowly declining in appetite and physical energy. I don't want him to endure a slow death, but I can't talk to him about it. He doesn't understand what he is doing to himself. I would be ok with him just stopping dialysis, but again, I can't suggest this.
If anyone has read the book Being Mortal, you realize that its just pointless to maintain an existence that's never going to get any better.
I never know when I'm going to find him dead of a heart attack or stroke. It's extremely painful to have this uncertainty. The social worker I spoke to said it could be weeks, months, or a year before he has to be hospitalized or passes away.