“Doc, do everything!”

That sure seems like a clear request. “Do everything” means do everything, right?

Well… maybe not!

Believe it or not, there are multiple ways to interpret “everything.” Here are just a few:

1. You truly want your doctor to keep you alive as long as possible, no matter the condition you are in and no matter the chances for recovery

2. You want your doctor to do everything medically reasonable to extend your life, but not to the point that you’d spend the rest of your life on life support

3. You want your doctor to do everything to maintain your current quality of life but not prolong your life when that isn’t possible anymore

There’s not a “wrong” choice here, but hopefully you see that you do need to be explicit what “everything” means to you.

Follow that up with asking your doctor if your definition of “everything” feels reasonable from their medical point of view. And if you can share your hopes and expectations for treatment, they’ll be able to (hopefully) give you an even more useful answer.

Hope this helps your next conversation!