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My mother is still alive. When she dies, I want her autopsied. To confirm the Alzheimer's diagnosis among other reasons. I contacted the medical examiner in my county and was told they don't do autopsies on request. Either the person has to die at home, or for a mysterious reason, or via foul play. If the person is at a nursing home, which my mother is, the nursing home would have to facilitate the request. Without going into all the details, my mom's nursing home will not cooperate, so I can't count on them at all. The person who answered the phone said she "thinks" I could get a "private pathologist" but of course doesn't know anyone and has no idea how to get that ball rolling.


I live in NY, in Nassau County. Any information will be appreciated. Thank you.

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An autopsy was performed on my husband, as part of his participation in a research program. We did not consider it too evasive. His body went from the autopsy site to the crematorium.

We are each entitled to our beliefs about the body after life leaves it. I would hope to see the different beliefs respected on this site.

Please don't tell others not to be invasive or to complicate matters if their (our) beliefs don't correspond to yours.

BTW, I did not receive the autopsy results for several months, but the procedure itself was completed promptly and there was no delay in arranging and holding the memorial service.
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Rainmom, your are certainly among the posters I always take seriously and whose opinions I respect.

Now that we've gotten the mutual admiration declarations out of the way, I want to explain my reactions in this thread.

My husband's body was autopsied. Every organ was taken out and weighed. The top of his cranium was sawed off and his brain was examined closely. Slices of brain tissue were captured and preserved and remain in a brain tissue bank in Florida, where they are still available for examination as research into dementia continues.

No one tried to talk us out of this decision. No one has criticized me for allowing this invasive activity to be performed on my beloved husband's empty vessel (at least not to my face).

It apparently was OK for us to do this because it was for a noble cause -- a cause the person reacting believes in.

I strongly do not believe that Christine73 has to tell us her reason and justify her decision in order to ask for simple factual information -- how to carry out her decision.

If you believe that an autopsy is "invasive" but embalming is not, you are entitled to that belief. Absolutely. And you are eligible to express that belief. But expecting others to share that belief or other beliefs seems to me out-of-bounds on a public support forum such as this one.

Rainmom, you can't imagine having this done to a loved one. I could and I did. The "Euw, that's gross" kind of reaction is insulting, though I know it is not intended to be.

Christine, I hope you find the information you need, and I hope the cost is commensurate to the benefit to you.
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My experience with this was a patient's family asked for this to be arranged. I called the local medical examiner and he directed me to call the Medical Examiner at the nearest large city. When I spoke with her she agreed to do it the following day and to prepare the family that the cost would be $2000 as long as the body was delivered to the mortuary. Transportation was done by the Funeral Home chosen by the family for final arrangements. Not really a problem just one I had never encountered before.
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Christine - best of luck to you. I sincerely hope it works out for you as you wish. I also want to very sincerely apologize if I made you feel judged. That honestly wasn't my intention - I guess I had hoped to suggest that there might be a simplier route to find what you are looking for. Whatever is in store for us after we pass is an ever changing mystery to me - but whatever it is, I've always been sure - a matter of believing with no evidence why - but I'm sure we won't be needing our earthly body. Never feel judged for doing what you believe to be just and right.
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I did some research on the Internet... any next of kin, relative, executor of the estate can request an autopsy, it has to be in writing. Average cost for a basic autopsy is $2,500. A complete autopsy with neuropathology costs an average $4500.00 and the final results would take 60-90 days.

Some relatives request an autopsy to find out about a inherited diseases, also if one thinks there has been malpractice or medical neglect.

This can vary from State to State.
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This is off-topic. Since the OP's question has been answered by several posters, I hope she has what she needs and this diversion is not disruptive.

I think my reaction is to the stigma attached to autopsies. There are some very good reasons for exploring the body after life has left it. It does not greatly delay any following procedures. It can happen before a burial or a cremation. It can happen before an elaborate public funeral or a pauper's burial.

If someone asks "how do I arrange a certain kind of burial service," we don't typically think it our duty to inform them of all the "gruesome" procedures involved in preparing a body for burial and all the reasons we couldn't imagine doing that to the body of a loved one. Similarly if someone asks how to arrange cremation we don't typically give a lecture on the "gruesome" process that the body goes through or describe the cremains and tell the poster not to make the disposal of the body "complicated."

We accept that different people have different views about how dead bodies should be treated.

I simply wish that included an acceptance of the sometime-benefit of examining the body medically before whatever will happen to it next.
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Hi everyone, original poster here. I want to thank you all for responding to my question. Usually, when I ask a question here, I get very few, if any, responses, so I'm grateful that this question has gotten so many replies.

Jeannegibbs--you're my woman. Thank you for coming to my defense. Although this may not have been the intention, I felt very judged by some of the responses, as if I were asking permission to do something "bad" or "socially unacceptable." I chose not to disclose my reasons and open myself up for an examination/evaluation/ridicule of them.

I plan to look into "private" autopsies through both a hospital and an Alzheimer's research organization and I'll be glad to share with this group how it turns out for me.

Thanks for caring.
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I looked into this for my cousin. I'm still debating on what to do.

I contacted a program that used to be active that accepted cases for autopsy of patients who have dementia. They conducted these autopsies for research on the condition and those with suspected Alzheimers. It was located at a major medical center. The body is returned intact after the procedure. When I contacted them, I found out that they no longer are accepting these cases. They referred me to another group, but I can't recall their name.

I might contact a major medical center in your area and see if they have a program like that. Also, you might call your state's Medical Examiner Office to get info on a private autopsy, which does cost money. I think you are advised to set it up in advance with the place who is doing it, the facility where the patient resides and the transportation provider.
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No problem not wanting to share your reasons. Since I can't imagine reasons beyond looking for foul play or genetic markers, I'm basing this suggestion on my limited imagination - have you talked with a doctor, genetic counsler, forensic expert etc. to see if there may be less evasive ways of getting the information you seek?
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BTW - from Websters Dictionary on line: "invasive
: tending to spread
medical : involving entry into the body by cutting or by inserting an instrument". That's all I meant when I used the word - even in my mid-spelled version. No judgement- just personal opinion.
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