Live or die naturally

[Suz]

No knife. Just bring on the pain meds and keep em' coming!

And give me enough time to plan my 'final party'.

 

[BS Gal]

Oh, I agree with you there. I'm not talking about that kind of pain or ailment. I've had 3 surgeries for lower back, so I know all about the chronic pain. I'm referring to the kind of pain or sickness that makes it impossible to have any kind of life, relegated to a bed or wheelchair, dependent on others just to stay alive, no hope for relief. To me, that's not living. I simply wouldn't be a burden to my family.

I totally agree with you there.

 

[virgovictoria]

For whatever reason you are living in constant nagging pain that will never go away, most likely will only get worse as time goes on. Add to that a slight disability that keeps you from doing many of the things that others do for enjoyment.
To sum it up, you are essentially going through the motions but in the end nothing will change or get better.

now you find out that you have yet another issue that has surfaced, and either Surgery and/or lifetime medications will be needed or you can pretty much forget making it another year.

what do you do.

It would seriously have to depend on what the surfacing issue is before I would be able to make a decision.

 

[Ol-man]

I think the determining factor is the prognosis after the surgery, if you are young enough to resume your normal routine/activities even in a reduced fashion I could probably deal with that, but to be Chemoed and cut on just to ""sse what happens" and potentially be worse off than if you just let nature take it's course I would say give me a good presciption pain killer with one of the real long names and a dose that gives me a perpetual grin and as they say in the county, I be aww-ite!

 

[ImnoMensa]

I have lived a while and seen the decisins made by others. Some chose to go naturally instead of having themselvs made even sicker by chemo and radiation when their case was helpless. Some have chosen the radiation and chemo route and been burned to a crisp by radiation or sickened by the chemo just to add a few months to their already miseable lives.

I have spoken to people who had chemo and swore thay would never endure it again. I have spoken to people who have had it twice.

Its a choice we cannot make until our own time comes.
I want to know the odds.
Will surgery or medication cure me or just prolong the misery?

If there is a chance for a cure I want it.

If it prolongs the misery, what will it cost my family, monetarily and emotionally?
I dont want the savings and the home I worked for all my life passed over to Doctors and Hospitals and Nursing homes ,the government will already steal enough of what is left, I want my family to get what little benefit they can from what I leave.

I have always said that when i get to the point that I cant wipe my own azz , I am ready to die. I will not deliberately be a burden to anyone, if at all possible to avoid.

 

[RadioPatrol]

For whatever reason you are living in constant nagging pain that will never go away, most likely will only get worse as time goes on. Add to that a slight disability that keeps you from doing many of the things that others do for enjoyment.
To sum it up, you are essentially going through the motions but in the end nothing will change or get better.

now you find out that you have yet another issue that has surfaced, and either Surgery and/or lifetime medications will be needed or you can pretty much forget making it another year.

what do you do.

Sounds Like My Psoriatic Arthritis crippling joint pain, Percocets or Vicodin would not touch some days ...... now Prednisone and Humira ...........

 

[RadioPatrol]

I'll fight for every last breath doing anything possible to live as long as I can. I've got small kids and want to see my grandchildren some day. Dying young is not an option. I already live in constant pain from 3 herniated discs, some days it's hard not to be depressed when it's really acting up. Chronic pain is hard to live with, it takes a good amount of optimism and work to fight off depression. I'm not very religious, I wish I was though. The fear of nothing after death, of just winking out like a candle will keep me fighting for life no matter what.

 

[hvp05]

Ya' never know what cure is just around the corner.

Valid point... but they don't usually just happen. Many years of research and small steps go into uncovering a final cure. So I would say do some research into the specific condition, consult as many field leaders as possible, and make a reasoned choice; if they believe they are actually close, go for it, if not, then fighting will be a more difficult choice.

I agree - as most seem to - that I would not want to be living if there was little or no quality left, nor would I want to be a burden.

 

[oldman]

For whatever reason you are living in constant nagging pain that will never go away, most likely will only get worse as time goes on. Add to that a slight disability that keeps you from doing many of the things that others do for enjoyment. To sum it up, you are essentially going through the motions but in the end nothing will change or get better. now you find out that you have yet another issue that has surfaced, and either Surgery and/or lifetime medications will be needed or you can pretty much forget making it another year. what do you do.

That is one really tough question to answer. All I can respond to is that less than 4 years ago I let my body fall apart. I was in pain, I never knew when I would just fall down for no reason, I was no longer in control of my body. Only reason I went to the hospital was friends made/took me. I really didn't care if I was helped or if I died, I just let the doctors do as they saw fit. None ever said I was on the edge of not living at any time but in hindsight I wasn't far from it. They kept me for 3 weeks and then I had to rely on my brother for another 4 months before I knew I could make it by myself again. I have some lasting effects now but can and do function normally. If I had been told I would never have gotten any better I "think" I would have just left myself in the doctors hands. I also think that if your mind is sound the will to live is very strong.

 

[HouseCat]

depends on circumstances. Personally, I don't want to burden my husband or others, so I'd just elect for meds and thats it. Wouldn't want to leave them with bills.