Morbid question.

angi1015

If you were diagnosed with a termal disease and only had a certain amount of time to live, would you want to know how long you had?

 

allobosc

I don't know. I just watched "the last holiday" today (queen latifah, kinda dumb) but she was given 3 wks to live mistakenly, and then takes a European trip first class.

I think it would depend how mobile and how much energy I had.  If it was something that would just take me all of a sudden, I'd want to know, but if I was sick already and weak, probably not.

My coworker (my age, w/little 2 yr old girl) has leukemia and just this week the doctors told him there are no more treatments available.  I don't know if they gave him a time table, but he is very weak and in a lot of pain right now.  In his case, I don't think it matters if it is weeks or months. 

angi1015

I'm torn. Part of me wouldnt want to know.Then the other part of me, the planner, would want to know.

I told B today that if I was given a timeframe, the first thing I would do is go to Hawiaii.

allobosc

That is what I mean by if had the energy and capability to still do things, I'd be checking things off my bucket list left and right.

Sunidaze

I really don't think I'd want to know the 'time frame' of when I'm supposed to die.  When a doctor gives a 'death sentence' they're giving their best guess.  People will then look at is in a variety of ways:  "well, I don't have long to go, may as well give up now" or "I'm going to do everything I can to prove those doctors wrong" or "with what little time I have left, I'm going to enjoy it as much as possible" and then there's the people that will continue on as they had been prior to their sentence.  Which type of person do you believe your grandmother to be?

angi1015

BrandySun:

I really don't think I'd want to know the 'time frame' of when I'm supposed to die.  When a doctor gives a 'death sentence' they're giving their best guess.  People will then look at is in a variety of ways:  "well, I don't have long to go, may as well give up now" or "I'm going to do everything I can to prove those doctors wrong" or "with what little time I have left, I'm going to enjoy it as much as possible" and then there's the people that will continue on as they had been prior to their sentence.  Which type of person do you believe your grandmother to be?

Unfortunatley, she is immobile. So it's not like she can get out and do anything. I hate to think of her thinking to herself she is just lying in bed waiting to die.

Ron*N*Kel

I have thought about this a lot. When Connie died I thought about a lot of morbid stuff. ( She was so young when she found out she had cancer and they told her she had less then a year.  So yes, I would want to know. I want to be prepared, say my good byes, get everything in order etc. At the end she couldn't eat and was in so much pain. I would want to be prepared for what is to come.

Merin

Yes, I think I would want to know.  I know it would be terribly nerve-wracking either way, but I'd probably be too anxious to enjoy anything at all if I had no clue how long I had.