S01.E21: This Is Not the End

[LittleIggy]

So why were a Cardio-Thoracic surgeon and a Neurosurgeon involved in the treatment of TB patients? 

I’m surprised Helen’s hot (ex)boyfriend didn’t refer to Max as her “work husband.”

Reynolds, being tied without exceptions to your family every Sunday evening isn’t healthy.

[Dowel Jones]

Well, Max is finally getting dragged down to the real world where us mortals live.

Get ready, Emergency Department.  Now that everyone has a get out of jail free card, expect the wait times in the ED to increase by 500%.

It was interesting that the tv host referred to Sharpe as Dr. Helen, and she corrected him. Were the writers trying to set it up that he was condescending to her?

I guess Ms. Montgomery wants some serious time off, or she wants out of her contract, for them to have her request a permanent leave from the hospital.

I didn't feel sorry for the junkie at all.

[preeya]

6 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

I guess Ms. Montgomery wants some serious time off, or she wants out of her contract, for them to have her request a permanent leave from the hospital.

She had problems with her IRL childbirth, perhaps that's her reasoning for exiting.

As for Max and his condition, this has gone much too far even for an unbelievable TV show that's hanging by a thread.

ETA:  Also, he's on what I assume, is an aggressive regimen of chemo and still has a full head of hair and a facial beard that most men would envy.

Edited May 8, 2019 by preeya

[JenLily]

9 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Reynolds, being tied without exceptions to your family every Sunday evening isn’t healthy.

Totally agree. It's like the Reagans on Blue Bloods. And to expect that same sort of devotion from your partner isn't fair either. So what now, you're not allowed to take any vacations that fall over a Sunday? Can't go see a play? Have dinner with a friend visiting from out of town? Have dinner with your partner's family? No thanks. If my husband tried to force that on me we'd be having a real long discussion on setting proper boundaries.

[LittleIggy]

1 hour ago, JenLily said:

Totally agree. It's like the Reagans on Blue Bloods. And to expect that same sort of devotion from your partner isn't fair either. So what now, you're not allowed to take any vacations that fall over a Sunday? Can't go see a play? Have dinner with a friend visiting from out of town? Have dinner with your partner's family? No thanks. If my husband tried to force that on me we'd be having a real long discussion on setting proper boundaries.

Better not go into labor on a Sunday afternoon. “Hurry up and get that baby out! We gotta be at Mom’s at seven!” 😆 

[doodlebug]

3 hours ago, preeya said:

ETA:  Also, he's on what I assume, is an aggressive regimen of chemo and still has a full head of hair and a facial beard that most men would envy.

He also wanders around that hospital dressed like he's homeless.  Any hospital CEO whose appearance was that consistently unprofessional would be out of a job.  He looks like he hasn't bathed in months.

[DearEvette]

4 hours ago, preeya said:

As for Max and his condition, this has gone much too far even for an unbelievable TV show that's hanging by a thread.

Aww come on.  How can you not be moved by the sight of Max  -- his withered (not really) form and his sunken eyes -- struggling mightily to push that box across an endless lobby!  Ha!  I think I actually burst out with a 'Oh come on!' with that that scene.

Damn, Panthaki just abruptly left Sharpe's office without a word.  It isn't that I exactly blame him since he believes she has feelings for Max.  But she wasn't saying anything unreasonable in that moment.  And she is the acting Medical Director now that Max has seemingly  been sent home so it isn't like she can jet off to Europe and hang for weeks at a time.  It feels like she dodged a bullet there.  He came off looking a bit petulant.

I don't miss Bloom but I have to admit that Janet Montgomery is one beautiful woman.  Pregnancy really looks good on some women and she is one of them.

I do think they went a little overboard with the family thing with Floyd, but darnit, I really like him and Evie together. 

[Ohwell]

I thought Panthaki handled the situation exactly right.  He stood there and patiently listened to Sharpe, (and I do think he actually listened) and let her have her say.  I think he understood that there was nothing for him to say.  If he had argued with her to get her to change her mind, then some people would have been calling him a bully.  I didn't see him as being petulant; I saw him as accepting things as they were.  So he walked away with no fanfare.  The fact that she stood there with her face broke was on her.  

[txhorns79]

On 5/8/2019 at 12:48 PM, doodlebug said:

He also wanders around that hospital dressed like he's homeless.  Any hospital CEO whose appearance was that consistently unprofessional would be out of a job.  He looks like he hasn't bathed in months.

I kept wondering how it was he was even allowed to be at work.  Over the past few weeks, he's behaved, at best, erratically.  He looks terrible, and can barely walk the length of the hospital.  Hell, his ridiculous plan to crowd the ER with dozens of administrators trying to sign people up for the ACA should have been enough for him to be sent home.

And can someone explain to my that why the woman who had accused Iggy of inappropriate behavior with a patient was also on the committee that investigated him? 

And while I thought it was nice they created a space for that large family to hang out while their relatives were in isolation, I don't think it actually solved the issue they claimed to be concerned about.  Presumably, all those people will still have to go home and their lives outside the hospital will make it so they can't just spend months hanging out there. 

Edited May 10, 2019 by txhorns79

[bros402]

So uhhhhh, Max was losing hair last week - and I understand that with chemo, it doesn't all pop out at once, but shouldn't SOME of that nice facial hair be patchy?

I like how he looked like he actually felt like crap at the end of the episode (Because it felt more realistic).
 

On 5/8/2019 at 12:37 AM, LittleIggy said:

So why were a Cardio-Thoracic surgeon and a Neurosurgeon involved in the treatment of TB patients? 

I’m surprised Helen’s hot (ex)boyfriend didn’t refer to Max as her “work husband.”

Reynolds, being tied without exceptions to your family every Sunday evening isn’t healthy.

I dunno about the surgeon, but I think when Kapoor was going to the room, he told the nurse he was looking for a patient experiencing seizures - so he was probably brought in due to that.

Also, worlds quickest TB test! I've had to get a Mantoux test for TB to teach, takes 48 hours to make sure you don't have TB.

Max's plan needs to have a better execution - I mean, if any city could institute universal healthcare, it would be NYC, but it would be a much more involved process than "here is a card, everything medical is free now"

Also, I do not understand Sharpe's decision to just yank Max off of the chemo immediately - she could reduce the dose, see how he does - maybe he just needed the temporary increase in dosage to help kick the cancer's ass a bit - but that isn't really how it works. Chemotherapy is there for a reason - it works, it sucks, but it works. I imagine Max's cancer has quite a few regimens before you get to clinical trials.

Also, why hasn't Max been eating/drinking? He has a PEG tube for a reason

[txhorns79]

3 hours ago, bros402 said:

Also, I do not understand Sharpe's decision to just yank Max off of the chemo immediately - she could reduce the dose, see how he does - maybe he just needed the temporary increase in dosage to help kick the cancer's ass a bit - but that isn't really how it works. Chemotherapy is there for a reason - it works, it sucks, but it works. I imagine Max's cancer has quite a few regimens before you get to clinical trials.

Not to mention, she made this decision without even consulting with Max's actual doctor on the topic. 

[alexvillage]

13 hours ago, Ohwell said:

I thought Panthaki handled the situation exactly right.  He stood there and patiently listened to Sharpe, (and I do think he actually listened) and let her have her say.  I think he understood that there was nothing for him to say.  If he had argued with her to get her to change her mind, then some people would have been calling him a bully.  I didn't see him as being petulant; I saw him as accepting things as they were.  So he walked away with no fanfare.  The fact that she stood there with her face broke was on her.  

I thought the reaction was a little too dramatic. Maybe it was the acting but his storming out was a little too much.

Reynolds needs to be with his family every Sunday, no exceptions, and this has been happening since he finished college. This means that he was an intern and a resident who made his own schedule, wasn't subjected to anyone, didn't have to to rotations int he ER, is a doctor who can never be on call. Nice.

I think it is important for shows that claim diversity to show people of color, specially black man, as family people, to put an end to the trope of only while people being family oriented. But that was the wrong way to write that in. 

I agree with everyone: Max should not be working. Not only he needs to rest, he is a liability to the hospital. The reality of cancer is ugly but if the treatment is working, should the decision of continuing versus not be at least debated and the survival chances considered? 

I thought that when a case of TB is confirmed the CDC needs to be informed. Would the hospital make that kind of arrangement - months of isolation? 

Is it confirmed that the actress who plays Bloom (Janet Montgomery?) is leaving the show? I think Max is bloodied with his wife's blood and that he is going to deliver the baby, with Bloom's help. 

[Johnny Dollar]

I just read that the actress who plays Helen is 40 years old!  Max’s wife looks old enough to be her mother. 

[alexvillage]

57 minutes ago, Johnny Dollar said:

I just read that the actress who plays Helen is 40 years old!  Max’s wife looks old enough to be her mother. 

You made me curious and I went to check the actors.

"Max" is only 34. A baby!

"Iggy" is only 41

"Reynolds" is only 38.

I am so OLD!

[DearEvette]

15 hours ago, Ohwell said:

I thought Panthaki handled the situation exactly right.  He stood there and patiently listened to Sharpe, (and I do think he actually listened) and let her have her say.  I think he understood that there was nothing for him to say.  If he had argued with her to get her to change her mind, then some people would have been calling him a bully.  I didn't see him as being petulant; I saw him as accepting things as they were.  So he walked away with no fanfare.  The fact that she stood there with her face broke was on her.  

I think he did the physical equivalent of a 'hanging up on you' move that someone would do on a phone call without saying goodbye.  Which is rude and dismissive.  At the very least she is supposed to be a woman he cares for.  If he can just turn heel and dismiss her so easily over a change of heart for a decision that wasn't even made in concrete based on a suggestion made on the fly,  then it is a definite red flag.  It is typical gas lighting behavior.

She was making a case for helping a person with their cancer, her renewed love for practicing medicine and not just being a medical talking head on chat shows, and giving back to the person that made her realize that.  In addition she had agreed with Panthaki that his position in their medical debate was the stronger one and that hers was the one that was flawed.  She was making her case on both the medical merits and wanting to be on hand to save the life of a person who was important to her, and by gathering his toys and leaving he made it about his hurt feelings.

[Texasmom1970]

Max really needs to make his situation more realistic. Dude you have Cancer, you are getting chemo and look like hell. Go home. Soon they will have someone pushing him on a gurney hooked up to his chemo trying to work!

[alexvillage]

3 hours ago, DearEvette said:

I think he did the physical equivalent of a 'hanging up on you' move that someone would do on a phone call without saying goodbye.  Which is rude and dismissive.  At the very least she is supposed to be a woman he cares for.  If he can just turn heel and dismiss her so easily over a change of heart for a decision that wasn't even made in concrete based on a suggestion made on the fly,  then it is a definite red flag.  It is typical gas lighting behavior.

👏👏👏

[Ohwell]

3 hours ago, DearEvette said:

I think he did the physical equivalent of a 'hanging up on you' move that someone would do on a phone call without saying goodbye.  Which is rude and dismissive.  At the very least she is supposed to be a woman he cares for.  If he can just turn heel and dismiss her so easily over a change of heart for a decision that wasn't even made in concrete based on a suggestion made on the fly,  then it is a definite red flag.  It is typical gas lighting behavior.

She was making a case for helping a person with their cancer, her renewed love for practicing medicine and not just being a medical talking head on chat shows, and giving back to the person that made her realize that.  In addition she had agreed with Panthaki that his position in their medical debate was the stronger one and that hers was the one that was flawed.  She was making her case on both the medical merits and wanting to be on hand to save the life of a person who was important to her, and by gathering his toys and leaving he made it about his hurt feelings.

Nah.  I think he did the right thing under the circumstances.  And maybe his feelings were hurt.  He has a right to have hurt feelings just like she does.  Nothing wrong with that.  Also, I didn't see any "gaslighting" going on (although some people like to quickly throw that out there every time a man leaves a woman with a broke face but when a woman leaves a man it's "you go girl!").  He just left.  

So, we can just agree to disagree.

[gibasi]

I don't know how and yes the show is still ridiculous but I care about these people! I want Max to be okay.  I want Kapoor to make up with his son. I want Reynolds and Evie to make it as a couple. I am not sure what I want for Helen but I want her to be happy! 

[alexvillage]

45 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

Nah.  I think he did the right thing under the circumstances.  And maybe his feelings were hurt.  He has a right to have hurt feelings just like she does.  Nothing wrong with that.  Also, I didn't see any "gaslighting" going on (although some people like to quickly throw that out there every time a man leaves a woman with a broke face but when a woman leaves a man it's "you go girl!").  He just left.  

So, we can just agree to disagree.

Yes, I disagree 😛

Doing the right thing is not the same as doing it in (this case) an adult way. That was my annoyance with the scene. Either bad directing, or bad acting, or both.

[alexvillage]

The whole thing with Iggy was weird. It went sideways. I guess it is important to ask for consent before hugging, touching, and this is true for everyone, including little children. But of course the writers had to go all sexual, just to turn it into a whole strange thing that does not address the main point: consent.

[bros402]

19 hours ago, alexvillage said:

I thought the reaction was a little too dramatic. Maybe it was the acting but his storming out was a little too much.

Reynolds needs to be with his family every Sunday, no exceptions, and this has been happening since he finished college. This means that he was an intern and a resident who made his own schedule, wasn't subjected to anyone, didn't have to to rotations int he ER, is a doctor who can never be on call. Nice.

I think it is important for shows that claim diversity to show people of color, specially black man, as family people, to put an end to the trope of only while people being family oriented. But that was the wrong way to write that in. 

I agree with everyone: Max should not be working. Not only he needs to rest, he is a liability to the hospital. The reality of cancer is ugly but if the treatment is working, should the decision of continuing versus not be at least debated and the survival chances considered? 

I thought that when a case of TB is confirmed the CDC needs to be informed. Would the hospital make that kind of arrangement - months of isolation? 

Is it confirmed that the actress who plays Bloom (Janet Montgomery?) is leaving the show? I think Max is bloodied with his wife's blood and that he is going to deliver the baby, with Bloom's help. 

Yeah, Max definitely should be taking some time off - if the showrunners wanted him at the hospital, they could've had his oncologist to tell him no galavanting around - stick to paperwork and stay at his desk, then of course Max would've tried to get around it, maybe used a wheelchair to get around easier, but it would've been more realistic than "look at this guy walking around all day, then he pushes around a box with thousands of plastic cards in it that he magically procured tens of thousands of in a day

7 hours ago, alexvillage said:

The whole thing with Iggy was weird. It went sideways. I guess it is important to ask for consent before hugging, touching, and this is true for everyone, including little children. But of course the writers had to go all sexual, just to turn it into a whole strange thing that does not address the main point: consent.

I mean they *have* to ask the kid if Iggy touched him inappropriately

[alexvillage]

3 hours ago, bros402 said:

I mean they *have* to ask the kid if Iggy touched him inappropriately

Yes, they do. The thing is, in the beginning, the social worker immediately went to OMG!this is abuse! Which is something that happens a lot in the U. S. - Americans are a bit uptight about sex, at least the mainstream TV America (I grew up in a very different culture and there are is evidence of increased sexual assault towards children between there and here, just as an information towards my point). 

Anyway, fine, it is a fair concern when you grow up in a country where children kissing each other can become a drama, or adults hugging children tend to be seen as pedophilia, the social worker needed to ask. 

But then they turned the story into Iggy questioning himself about his work and how good a therapist he is. I can go with that to a certain extent but I wish the writers had gone a different way, or at least referencing consent in general terms: do not touch people without asking first. Not because it may seem sexual, but because people need to have the right to bodily autonomy. Even children who are somewhat coerced to hug their parent's friends, or relatives. I know a lot of people who are very clear about not wanting hugs, ever. I am a hugger and had to learn this boundaries, it became something I now ask everyone, every time. And that's not only about hugs, even hand shakes sometimes. If someone avoids that, I don't feel like it is a dismissal. It is a personal boundary. It may seem "extreme" to some, but it is about personal differences for reasons that are not my business to question.

[LexieLily]

It's now getting annoying that Max is going through this double-decker-dosing of chemo, getting weaker to the point that he can't eat, apparently can't swallow or walk down a hallway without stopping for a break or collapsing entirely, not to mention making all these important decisions about stopping or starting chemo and what kind, and his wife is nowhere to be found and not even mentioned or thought about as a consideration. Not that I particularly like Georgia but since the show went to the trouble to give Max a (pregnant wife) they should at least write a few lines for Max that reference her or needing to consult with her before he decides.

I had to shake my head and sigh of the plot-pointed thoughtlessness of Sharpe sending a visibly sick and weak Max home alone in a cab. She couldn't have left work for half an hour to drive him herself and make sure he got home safely or told Bloom to drive him?

[bros402]

3 hours ago, LexieLily said:

It's now getting annoying that Max is going through this double-decker-dosing of chemo, getting weaker to the point that he can't eat, apparently can't swallow or walk down a hallway without stopping for a break or collapsing entirely, not to mention making all these important decisions about stopping or starting chemo and what kind, and his wife is nowhere to be found and not even mentioned or thought about as a consideration. Not that I particularly like Georgia but since the show went to the trouble to give Max a (pregnant wife) they should at least write a few lines for Max that reference her or needing to consult with her before he decides.

I had to shake my head and sigh of the plot-pointed thoughtlessness of Sharpe sending a visibly sick and weak Max home alone in a cab. She couldn't have left work for half an hour to drive him herself and make sure he got home safely or told Bloom to drive him?

tbf it's new york, no way it'd only take 30 minutes unless he lives like a mile from the hospital

but yeah she should've jumped in the cab with him and paid for his cab

[alexvillage]

7 hours ago, LexieLily said:

Not that I particularly like Georgia but since the show went to the trouble to give Max a (pregnant wife) they should at least write a few lines for Max that reference her or needing to consult with her before he decides.

It has to be a ll about Max. But I still stand by my speculation that the blood we see in the final scene is Georgia's blood because something happened and Max is delivering his daughter. So we will see her again, probably a whole episode about her.

[LexieLily]

3 hours ago, alexvillage said:

It has to be a ll about Max. But I still stand by my speculation that the blood we see in the final scene is Georgia's blood because something happened and Max is delivering his daughter. So we will see her again, probably a whole episode about her.

The previews for next week showed Georgia sitting against their bed and her pants stained with blood so I think you are right that it is her blood on Max. Which begs the question why didn't Max call someone. 

[starri]

On 5/8/2019 at 3:49 AM, Dowel Jones said:

Get ready, Emergency Department.  Now that everyone has a get out of jail free card, expect the wait times in the ED to increase by 500%.

Despite what the CEO lady said, I don't believe that it's a closely-held secret that public hospitals treat regardless of ability to pay.  It's also against the law for any emergency room, public, private, for- or non-profit to refuse to treat a patient.  My first month as an intern, I had a homeless patient who would come in about three times a week for a place to sleep and a sandwich.  No one thought his complaint was legitimate, but we're not able to turn him away, anymore than people who come in trying to score opiates.  I eventually told him that I was fine with him sleeping, but if we needed the bed, he'd have to go.

On 5/9/2019 at 7:27 PM, alexvillage said:

The whole thing with Iggy was weird. It went sideways. I guess it is important to ask for consent before hugging, touching, and this is true for everyone, including little children. But of course the writers had to go all sexual, just to turn it into a whole strange thing that does not address the main point: consent.

I honestly don't think the social worker believed Iggy was abusing the boy, per se.  Her bigger complaint was that he was doing really bad job of maintaining professional boundaries, which, frankly, she's not wrong about.

[doodlebug]

7 hours ago, starri said:

Despite what the CEO lady said, I don't believe that it's a closely-held secret that public hospitals treat regardless of ability to pay.  It's also against the law for any emergency room, public, private, for- or non-profit to refuse to treat a patient.  My first month as an intern, I had a homeless patient who would come in about three times a week for a place to sleep and a sandwich.  No one thought his complaint was legitimate, but we're not able to turn him away, anymore than people who come in trying to score opiates.  I eventually told him that I was fine with him sleeping, but if we needed the bed, he'd have to go.

I honestly don't think the social worker believed Iggy was abusing the boy, per se.  Her bigger complaint was that he was doing really bad job of maintaining professional boundaries, which, frankly, she's not wrong about.

This is exactly right.  People use the ER as their family doc for just this reason.  For that matter, they go to the ER with chronic complaints, for prescription refills and the like because they know that they won't have to pay on the spot and probably won't pay at all.

And Max proclaiming that all of these individuals were undoubtedly entitled to care under the Affordable Care Act?  Say what?  Because, of course, everyone who hears about the ACA immediately signs up for it.  Except that they don't, for a very wide variety of reasons, the least of which is lack of knowledge of it.  Amongst other things, the ACA requires most to purchase insurance and pay premiums and there are plenty of people who do not want to buy in the marketplace and sending someone from the business office down to the ER to get them to sign up for it is not going to work.  

This show does such a disservice when they present Max' boneheaded oversimplified 'solutions' as being practical or even viable.

As for the notion that, now that Max is on chemo and radiation that is actually reducing and perhaps curing his cancer but giving him side effects; the answer is to stop all known effective treatment and go with something experimental is clearly also ridiculous  How about someone placing Max on indefinite leave of absence from the job he is doing so poorly anyway and maybe adjusting his treatment schedule like a real doctor would advise?

The preview for next week looks particularly awful to this OB/GYN of 30+ years.  I do want to remind everyone what I predicted weeks ago;

Spoiler

Max is indeed going to have to choose between his wife and his baby despite the fact that virtually no one ever has to do that.  It also appears he decides to deliver her by himself at home.  Probably going to do a cesarean using a paring knife and tie the cord with some dental floss.  I can hardly wait.

[bros402]

6 hours ago, doodlebug said:

As for the notion that, now that Max is on chemo and radiation that is actually reducing and perhaps curing his cancer but giving him side effects; the answer is to stop all known effective treatment and go with something experimental is clearly also ridiculous  How about someone placing Max on indefinite leave of absence from the job he is doing so poorly anyway and maybe adjusting his treatment schedule like a real doctor would advise?

The preview for next week looks particularly awful to this OB/GYN of 30+ years.  I do want to remind everyone what I predicted weeks ago;

  Hide contents

Max is indeed going to have to choose between his wife and his baby despite the fact that virtually no one ever has to do that.  It also appears he decides to deliver her by himself at home.  Probably going to do a cesarean using a paring knife and tie the cord with some dental floss.  I can hardly wait.

Yeah I was super confused at them pretty much saying "You're having side effects from intense chemotherapy and radiation, let's stop them even though they are working! We haven't mentioned that PEG tube you got, or if you are taking any anti-emetics, and you certainly weren't getting any saline in that sequence of cisplatin over and over again!" (He's getting cisplatin, right?)

[doodlebug]

9 hours ago, bros402 said:

Yeah I was super confused at them pretty much saying "You're having side effects from intense chemotherapy and radiation, let's stop them even though they are working! We haven't mentioned that PEG tube you got, or if you are taking any anti-emetics, and you certainly weren't getting any saline in that sequence of cisplatin over and over again!" (He's getting cisplatin, right?)

Yes, it is not at all clear why Max would be experiencing dehydration or even severe nausea and vomiting.  The PEG tube should provide more than enough calories to keep him going and, as noted above, cisplatin is always administered along with a generous amount of IV fluids as it can damage the kidneys if the patient isn't well hydrated.  I know Max is supposedly directing his own care, but no ethical physician would prescribe a drug like cisplatin without taking appropriate precautions to prevent renal complications.  And, Max, who is supposed to be the most incredible physician ever, an expert in all areas of medicine, should know that, too, and should insist on proper hydration.  Hell, I haven't been directly involved in the care of a patient on cisplatin for more than 30 years and I knew that without even looking it up.  I also happen to know that it is such a potent medication that it would only be administered once every few weeks, if that, so I have no explanation as to why Max is getting it everyday apparently nor why he seems to be constantly sick and getting sicker.  Most patients on his regimen have some time between treatments where the side effects are minimal and they are fairly functional.  People can and do work while getting chemo.

[Dowel Jones]

31 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

so I have no explanation as to why Max is getting it everyday apparently nor why he seems to be constantly sick and getting sicker.

Maybe the entire staff is conspiring to kill him, so they can get back to an ordinary life?

[Jillybean]

On 5/8/2019 at 3:49 AM, Dowel Jones said:

It was interesting that the tv host referred to Sharpe as Dr. Helen, and she corrected him. Were the writers trying to set it up that he was condescending to her?

I think she actually went by Dr. Helen in her pre-Max TV career.

[SnarkySheep]

On 5/9/2019 at 2:57 AM, bros402 said:

Max's plan needs to have a better execution - I mean, if any city could institute universal healthcare, it would be NYC, but it would be a much more involved process than "here is a card, everything medical is free now"

Plus, they literally just had a storyline about a homeless guy who kept coming in with all kinds of made-up ailments, simply because he wanted a break from the elements. Did Max not stop to think that with his cards, he's opening the doors to thousands more such people? 

Quote

I agree with everyone: Max should not be working. Not only he needs to rest, he is a liability to the hospital.

I would imagine the board of directors would have put a stop to that. But, mysteriously, the board exists as a means of stopping Max whenever the show wants to create conflict; if it's something they want to run with, then it's like the board doesn't even exist.

Edited May 13, 2019 by SnarkySheep

[bros402]

13 hours ago, doodlebug said:

Yes, it is not at all clear why Max would be experiencing dehydration or even severe nausea and vomiting.  The PEG tube should provide more than enough calories to keep him going and, as noted above, cisplatin is always administered along with a generous amount of IV fluids as it can damage the kidneys if the patient isn't well hydrated.  I know Max is supposedly directing his own care, but no ethical physician would prescribe a drug like cisplatin without taking appropriate precautions to prevent renal complications.  And, Max, who is supposed to be the most incredible physician ever, an expert in all areas of medicine, should know that, too, and should insist on proper hydration.  Hell, I haven't been directly involved in the care of a patient on cisplatin for more than 30 years and I knew that without even looking it up.  I also happen to know that it is such a potent medication that it would only be administered once every few weeks, if that, so I have no explanation as to why Max is getting it everyday apparently nor why he seems to be constantly sick and getting sicker.  Most patients on his regimen have some time between treatments where the side effects are minimal and they are fairly functional.  People can and do work while getting chemo.

I'm surprised Max wasn't experiencing tinnitus - I believe that is one of the more common side effects of cisplatin. 

According to google, this dosing method is a thing - three high doses of cisplatin a week, but it should only be done in clinical trials - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28533474

[doodlebug]

23 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

Maybe the entire staff is conspiring to kill him, so they can get back to an ordinary life?

If he was my boss, I'd be tempted.

[doodlebug]

9 hours ago, bros402 said:

I'm surprised Max wasn't experiencing tinnitus - I believe that is one of the more common side effects of cisplatin. 

According to google, this dosing method is a thing - three high doses of cisplatin a week, but it should only be done in clinical trials - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28533474

And didn't we already hear that Max wasn't doing the clinical trial?  Isn't that why he went to the guy that is now Helen's sorta boyfriend and didn't he ultimately realize that, with a very curable tumor in a young guy with a baby on the way that it was better to go with the tried and true?  FTR, people do not enter clinical trials because they don't like the side effects of the standard medications.  They enter clinical trials because the standard treatment has failed and there are no other proven therapies that are known to help.

[bros402]

13 hours ago, doodlebug said:

And didn't we already hear that Max wasn't doing the clinical trial?  Isn't that why he went to the guy that is now Helen's sorta boyfriend and didn't he ultimately realize that, with a very curable tumor in a young guy with a baby on the way that it was better to go with the tried and true?  FTR, people do not enter clinical trials because they don't like the side effects of the standard medications.  They enter clinical trials because the standard treatment has failed and there are no other proven therapies that are known to help.

Yup, we heard Max wasn't doing the trial that Sharpe's boyfriend is running - I believe it was an immunotherapy trial.

Yeah, people don't enter trials unless they have to. With my cancer, however, it isn't always necessarily that someone enters one of the two clinical trials for it because standard treatment has failed - it depends on the severity of the case, and the particulars of the case (However, people usually try at least one of the three known drugs for it before going into a trial). However, my cancer is a very rare one, not a relatively common one.

[Biggie B]

I finally got around to watching this episode as well as the finale. When Helen told her beau that she couldn't go to Belgium with him, in part because she couldn't advocate for typical treatment that was basically killing Max, I thought the boyfriend smiled slightly, as if to be thinking, "Ah - so perhaps you'd be open to trying my methods!" I thought Helen was going to ask him to collaborate with her to come up with a new treatment for Max. So I was slightly surprised and disappointed when he turned and walked out without a word. I guess it was too good to be true - I liked them as a couple, and they are both very pretty. I can't help but wonder if Helen will end up pregnant as the result of the little tryst the two of them had after appearing on TV. 

[Sandman]

On ‎5‎/‎12‎/‎2019 at 12:36 PM, starri said:

Despite what the CEO lady said, I don't believe that it's a closely-held secret that public hospitals treat regardless of ability to pay. 

Well, the CEO Dragon Lady is also a straw man. ("Straw person"?) In order for Max to be seen as the saint the writers want him to be (instead of, say, an immature, self-centred git) she has not only to be monstrously inhumane (witness "I'll bury you before the cancer does"? I mean, come on! No one in recorded history has ever said this) but a scorching, relentless idiot into the bargain. Mind you, we have socialized (or partially socialized, I guess) medicine in my country, so I don't really get all the squawking about "This is a public hospital!" "But we can't have socialized medicine because, freedom! [or … something?]" on this show, anyway. 

I don't think Dr. Mohimbo Cancer Genius is gaslighting Helen -- but it does seem passive-aggressive just to walk out without a word after "This is about Max." There has to be a middle ground between the silent treatment and bullying. Not every argument is, or devolves into, berating someone else.

Basically, everyone on this show needs to grow up and use their words.

Also, I laughed evilly (thus: "Ahahaha-ha!") when the show had Max schlepping out of the hospital with his Ginormous Literal Box of Issues.

Edited August 2, 2019 by Sandman

[Coffeefrog19]

On 5/9/2019 at 12:46 PM, Ohwell said:

Nah.  I think he did the right thing under the circumstances.  And maybe his feelings were hurt.  He has a right to have hurt feelings just like she does.  Nothing wrong with that.  Also, I didn't see any "gaslighting" going on (although some people like to quickly throw that out there every time a man leaves a woman with a broke face but when a woman leaves a man it's "you go girl!").  He just left.  

So, we can just agree to disagree.

Spot on!