2 yrs good health left + 1 yr severe pain. How would it change you?

Open mind

First off, I'm fine so don't go getting all worked up on my account.

We've all heard the "6 months to live question" before. I'm just stretching it out a bit longer to 2 years.

1. If you knew that you only had 2 more years of relatively good health, what would you do differently?

2. At the end of 2 yrs, your last year of life will be excruciatingly painful and virtually unproductive. Would you seek out some form of suicide or would you grind it out to the bitter end? Either way.........why?

FWIW, I recently watched a fairly inspiring video and it got me thinking along these lines.

Open Mind

Open mind

Holy Serendipity Batman!

I just saw, and posted to, free2bme's, thread on "One last wish".

I swear I'm not a copy-catter.

Can't prove that, but just sayin'.

OM

WTWizard

I think I would want to look beyond allopathic medicine to actually find the underlying cause of the problem. Then I would want to get it fixed, so that the prediction would become a bust.

changeling

If there was no hope and no way to avoid the excrutiating pain, and if my loved ones would have to spend that year caring for me and being tortured as well, I would end it.

I would leave a lovely letter telling everyone how much they were loved and how grateful I was was to have them in my life. I would tell them that I had no regrets and that I was not depressed. Then I'd take my pain meds all at once with a bottle of expensive wine, lay down in my bed, and die with a smile on my face.

changeling

jaguarbass

When I escaped the tower back in 81 and I was rebuilding my engine with self help books, I came across the advice often to live each day as it was your last. As the days go on and on that advice becomes routine. Being 55 with my present circumstances I would have 2 options with your scenario. One to keep working so I would have health insurance and income for my final year of existence. The second would be to stop working now and live on rice and beans and the little I have till the end comes. During this time record music and draw and paint and leave behind some art, some piece of me. During the final year of pain, I think I would off myself but timing is of the essence. My father died of prostrate cancer 5 years ago. He had it for 5 years before it killed him. One day he went to the doctor and found out his kidneys were full of cancer and shutting down. He crawled into bed to die. He was dead within 2 weeks. Within the first week he was delusional and asking for his gun, My mother and brother wouldnt give it to him, and he probably couldnt have worked it. His final week was pain and morphine over and over and slippping in and out of conciousness and pain. During the end he would say he was on fire. I thought he was slipping into hell. Maybe he was. If he remembers this experience in his next life, I think he will off himself before he climbs into bed before the final 2 weeks. If there is any bright side, not hardly, it would be that he only had at most 2 weeks of intense suffering during which time the cancer emaciated his body and shrunk him from 200 lbs to about 100lsb. He didnt loose 100lbs his last 2 weeks that was during the 5 year battle with cancer. But the last 2 weeks with his kidneys shutting down and not drinking water, he turned into a prune and I would guess lost 25 lbs. I think during his final 2 weeks his dead beloved family members came and visited him. At least thats what he would tell us in his moments of conciousness. For people that think that way they were preparing to take him to cross over to the other side. Maybe I wouldnt off myself. I cant say until I'm there and as I say timing is everything. If you have any kind of religious leaning suicide is taboo. My father had 2 weeks of hell 2 months before he died he was flying his airplane and riding his motorcycle.

wings

I too try to live each day with the understanding that I honestly don't know how many I might have ahead of me. However, to know for sure, I would pick up the pace a bit and TRY harder to enjoy each day. For me that would be my family, and friends (I hope to make some before I die). To enjoy every sunset and moonrise, the stars, the clouds, flowers...etc. I would journal more, and try to create special journals for my kids and grandkids. I would hopefully laugh easier (without the weight of the future it should be easier). I would like to learn to be more grateful for what I have.

I would love to take a road trip with my youngest daughter. Somewhere in the midwest I have never been. See the ocean again. Play the piano more (I'm terrible, but I love it). Take more time to relax in my appreciation of music and art....you know, let it sink in. Go camping and fishing as much as possible. If I was given $6000 to do what I want with I would probably go to Europe (don't know where, but planning the trip would be most of the fun). I would cook good food and have lots of sit down meals with family and friends with the wine bottle on the table. I would love to rent a house on the beach of the Sea of Cortez for a month and invite all my kids and grandkids (6 kids, 3 kid in laws, 7 grandkids) big house. We would drink lots of beer and shop for food at the local markets, shrimp and fresh fish every day. Build sand monsters with the kids. The above mentioned would take all my money, so I would depend on my x to take care of my grandkids for me. Glad he can be good for something.

I would continue in my quest to watch every R rated movie that came out during the time I was trapped in the borg. That would be 92 thru 06.

I would also like to go to an apostofest...maybe Dallas.

I would only out myself at the very end and probably seek professional help for it. After jaguarbass's post about his father, I know this to be true. However, I wouldn't want to count on the pills and a bottle on wine. My son tried that and all he did was almost kill himself. Big difference.

Thanks OM for helping me start the day with this perspective.

Vivamus

I would enjoy my time left. I would do some more voluntair work. Give away my trinkets to friends, arrange my funeral and at the beginning of the excruciating pain : commit suicide.

I would not grind it to the bitter end, why should I?

serendipity

"Holy Serendipity Batman! " Now don't you go using my name in vain. ;-)

sass_my_frass

I'd tell my family they have one month to contact me and after that change my phone number and email so that I don't spend my remaining time wondering if they will. I'd cull the stuff I have around me, max the credit card travelling the world with the hubby (my super will cover that when I'm gone!). When the pain starts, I'd organise my own death. Life in agonising pain wouldn't be life for me, and I wouldn't want my hubby to watch it.

Open mind

WTWizard:

I would want to get it fixed, so that the prediction would become a bust.

Sounds like you're a "grind it out" kinda person. Just guessing.

changeling:

lay down in my bed, and die with a smile on my face.

I like your approach. It's supposedly immoral and evil, but I just don't see that. Why should a human be submitted to inevitable, excruciating, no-way-out pain?

jaguarbass:

Thanks for sharing that touching story.

wings:

If you ever start that 2 year itinerary can I stow away?

Sounds great. I especially got a chuckle out of this:

I would continue in my quest to watch every R rated movie that came out during the time I was trapped in the borg. That would be 92 thru 06.

Vivamus:

Concise. Logical. Ethical. Merciful.

Thanks.

serendipity:

Now don't you go using my name in vain.

My humble apologies to the goddess.

sass:

max the credit card travelling the world with the hubby

I like it.

Technically immoral, IMO, but I still like it.

OM

2 yrs good health left + 1 yr severe pain. How would it change you?

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