If we have terrible suffering, should we exit life or stay alive to the last breath?

I am like Mitch, I want to stay here as long as I can. Besides, my orthodox religion doesn't allow us to end our lives, and I don't intend to, no matter the pain. God put me here for a reason, and I'm not going to take His decision into my hands. I know we have free will, but I trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Mitch's mind-over-body thinking is refreshing and I like the idea of playing games to alleviate pain, although I don't know how successful it would be for very intense pain.

My father had tremendous pain in his last few months with prostate cancer that had spread to his spine, and he was on painkillers to the very end. I pray no one ever experiences that! But he never decided to end it. Hospice took care of that.

One final thought, as long as I breathe, and medicine and technology is available to help me live a few days, months, or years longer, I will opt for that. Once I give out my last breath, there's no returning, and I've forfeited my chance to life or to better health, or to be with my family, even if it might be painful. These are my thoughts, and I respect your thoughts also. Have a wonderful day! :)
 

C50 said:
I actually have a fear of a traumatic health event sending me to the hospital and then straight to a nursing home, at that point my freedom of choice is gone. I have told both my kids if that ever happens sign me out for a picnic and take me to a national forest and let me wander away.
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I have actually told my daughter the same thing, tho we have more rational plans in place.

Hell, we live so rural, i could 'wander way' easily from home, but if i had my senses too much still i'd feel guilty about squandering peoples' time searching for me.
 
Tom 86 said:
While in the hospital I was watching one of their health channels. I saw a young woman that never gave up hope that her husband would recover. He was on a breathing machine for 5 years. They kept after her to unplug the unit.

Finally, 5 years later he woke up & said to her "I love you" He is recovering & learning how to walk again.

God had a plan for him.
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So the cost to keep her husband on life support for 5 years & her suffering all that time was a plan devised by God?

Would that be one of those mysterious ways?
 

If I was going to do a “do it yourself” job on myself I have thought of doing it in spectacular fashion like a high speed crash on a motorcycle. May as well have that be one last thrill.
 
Mitch86 said:
I believe now that no matter how much pain and suffering one has, he should stay alive to the last breath. Life exists only once and, when we die, we totally cease to exist. Thus, we should tolerate unlimited pain and suffering with full knowledge that there are times in everyone's life where we actually enjoy our life no matter how we suffered for most days. Even if we are in a coma, we can still enjoy our thoughts.

Finally, pain is really a matter of the mind's perception. If I have terrible pain, I play Civilization VI on my PC and get totally absorbed and all the pain goes away.

Distraction is the best cure for pain and it cannot kill you.
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I do agree, we should hang tough and hang through until the end.
 
OneEyedDiva said:
Muslims believe suicide is a big sin. I feel so bad for those who have great pain and suffering. In the wake of a society where physician assisted suicide (considered different from euthanasia) is legal in 10 U.S. states and elsewhere I still have to agree with you Mitch. BTW Mitch...I keep you in prayer...that your chronic pain will be eased.
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I hold to this opinion as well. And all the world's major religions oppose suicide.
 
My uncle took his life in 1987. It was a horror show...for everyone. A COMPLETE HORROR SHOW. Talk to some survivors of suicide. You do not want to do that to your surviving family and friends.

I understand the pain. I was a violent crime victim. In 1983 and 1984 I was profoundly suicidal. I saw no hope. ZERO. Somehow, I survived. I am glad I did.
 
JonSR77 said:
One thing I would say...no matter what, don't make a decision while in pain, physically or emotionally. At least wait until you are calmer and more stable and able to reflect deeply.
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Problem is...some people and I assume it would be the people who are thinking about assisted suicide are in constant pain unless they are morphined up. My youngest grandson was diagnosed with figromyalgia about a year and a half ago. He was in such pain all over his body for months that he missed school. He had to be hospitalized a couple of times and all kinds of tests were run. That's an ailment that sometimes is helped by pain management...sometimes not. My grandson has learned to live with it and is trying to do his best to help his own condition. My DIL suffered from it too and now my middle grandson has been diagnosed. Then of course there are the cancer patients who are wracked with pain.
 
OneEyedDiva said:
Problem is...some people and I assume it would be the people who are thinking about assisted suicide are in constant pain unless they are morphined up. My youngest grandson was diagnosed with figromyalgia about a year and a half ago. He was in such pain all over his body for months that he missed school. He had to be hospitalized a couple of times and all kinds of tests were run. That's an ailment that sometimes is helped by pain management...sometimes not. My grandson has learned to live with it and is trying to do his best to help his own condition. My DIL suffered from it too and now my middle grandson has been diagnosed. Then of course there are the cancer patients who are wracked with pain.
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I live in very very severe chronic pain. I still do not believe in suicide. It is hard to comment further, because I really don't want to offend those who are not religious.

So, for the religious...

The standard teaching in all the world's major religions is that suicide is an extreme sin, an extreme defiance of God. And rather than suicide releasing someone from pain, they enter a state in the afterlife where the pain levels are beyond description.

I have a specific reference for this, from the teachings of three different saints. And from other sources as well.


If you are not religious, please do not be offended by my comments.
 
JonSR77 said:
My uncle took his life in 1987. It was a horror show...for everyone. A COMPLETE HORROR SHOW. Talk to some survivors of suicide. You do not want to do that to your surviving family and friends.

I understand the pain. I was a violent crime victim. In 1983 and 1984 I was profoundly suicidal. I saw no hope. ZERO. Somehow, I survived. I am glad I did.
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We did a welfare check one time for a elderly man who lived alone and found his lifeless body and a gun. Not a good sight to see and glad the family weren't there to see it.
 
RFW said:
We did a welfare check one time for a elderly man who lived alone and found his lifeless body and a gun. Not a good sight to see and glad the family weren't there to see it.
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very sorry that you had that experience. Must have been horrible. I assume those scenes are not like in the movies. Far, far, far worse.

I met some firemen who worked at 9/11 Ground Zero. What they told me was worse than any horror movie ever made.
 
JonSR77 said:
I live in very very severe chronic pain. I still do not believe in suicide. It is hard to comment further, because I really don't want to offend those who are not religious.

So, for the religious...

The standard teaching in all the world's major religions is that suicide is an extreme sin, an extreme defiance of God. And rather than suicide releasing someone from pain, they enter a state in the afterlife where the pain levels are beyond description.

I have a specific reference for this, from the teachings of three different saints. And from other sources as well.


If you are not religious, please do not be offended by my comments.
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I don't disagree with you..just pointing out that for some it would be hard to find a time to make a decision when they are not in pain. I'm sorry that you are in constant pain. It is obvious you are religious, so I feel safe in saying I will pray for you. I mentioned my grandsons. I don't think the youngest one ever considered suicide, in fact the medical staff at the hospital remarked on how surprised they were by his positive attitude in pushing through the pain. The middle one made a half a*s attempt a few years ago but that was due to his depression (hadn't had the fibromyalgia symptoms yet). He has studied Christianity, Islam and Judaism...ultimately accepted Islam and has been in a much better state of mind since.
 
Chet said:
If I was going to do a “do it yourself” job on myself I have thought of doing it in spectacular fashion like a high speed crash on a motorcycle. May as well have that be one last thrill.
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That could be extremely painful, and you might wind up in a vegetative state, hanging on only through the use of machines pumping your heart for you and your brain slowly atrophies until all you can do is lie in bed watching reality TV shows. That would be horrible.
 
Mitch86 said:
It should be noted that every state in the USA allows any individual to create a Living Will and Advanced Directive whereby one can refuse all medication including nutrition and hydration. Of course, relatives could block that but one must discuss it all with relatives and get their consent before it becomes necessary. An attorney is required to draw up those documents and requirements may differ in each state. It takes just two weeks to die using that legal method.

For me I will try and hold out even in a coma. By the way, my severe pain in legs and feet was caused by arthritis of the spine combined with one doctor inflicting pain on my feet since he was going through a bitter divorce and the second doctor hitting my feet with his fists since I had squealed to the police and the Dept. of Public Health.

By the way, no penalties were imposed on the doctors since in my State of CT, it is policy never to prosecute doctors as long as their maimings and murders are confined to a hospital or their office.

However, I look back to Christ, the MAN, who took more pain than anyone on His Cross and never complained but accepted his fate. I frequently go back to this Serenity prayer: "God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference."

Finally, posting here also alleviates my pain.
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WWWWHHHHHAAaaattt???????!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Just something to lighten the subject...

A few years ago when I was quite a bit younger, friends and I would get into discussions about how we would die if given a 'terminal' notice.
My story was that I would buy a large bottle of vodka , drive my car down to the lake, sit in for a while listening to my fav classical music meantime getting drunker by the minute with the straight vodka, then take what was left and just walk into the lake and let it take me wherever.
We all agreed that was a good way to go and had a good laugh too.

Well about 5 years ago, early morning news on TV was that the body of an elderly unidentified lady had washed up on to the beach. I lived across from that particular area and saw the fire engines etc., along the beachfront. I didn't think much about it til my phone started ringing. It rang about fifteen times that morning......you can guess why...:LOL:

Yes friends thought I had 'been and gone and done it'. Hahaha..never told that story again.

I have provided my daughter with living will and all the necessary boxes are ticked for a neat wrap up when the time comes.
No hanging around waiting...well, maybe a few shots o vodka would helpLaugh good.gif
 
Very subjective topic, I think it’s up to the person. I do think it would be nice to have the option to leave, but to some life is so dear they simply can’t, and for others there religious implications.
 
I believe that God does not want us to suffer terrible, unbearable pain.
Personally, although I totally disapprove of suicide for a healthy person. one must think of what severe depression does to some people.

However, euthanasia is a different thing. Extreme pain, your suffering and the suffering of your family, watching you slowly die. I know, this is not what I want for my family to witness, if I am ever in that situation. So regardless of religion, I already know what I would do.

I must say I respect anyone's belief or decisions made. That is their choice.
 
Many devout Muslims believe that Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders represent a soft form of euthanasia which is strictly forbidden in Islam. Muslims cannot kill, or be complicit in the killing of another, except in the interests of justice.

However, the Islamic Code of Medical Ethics states "it is futile to diligently keep the patient in a vegetative state by heroic means... It is the process of life that the doctor aims to maintain and not the process of dying". This means doctors can stop trying to prolong life in cases where there is no hope of a cure.

According to the Islamic Medical Association of America (IMANA) "When death becomes inevitable, as determined by physicians taking care of terminally ill patients, the patient should be allowed to die without unnecessary procedures."

IMANA say that turning off life support for patients deemed to be in a persistent vegetative state is permissible. This is because they consider all mechanical life support procedures as temporary measures.

While turning off a life-support is allowed, hastening death with the use of certain pain-killing drugs is not allowed as this would equate to euthanasia.

My PS:

I have highlighted a sentence in the 1st paragraph, because I ask when is it just to kill? Is it when someone does not carry out the king’s law as in Saudi Arabia? This hypocritical attitude makes me mad!
 
It's rude to leave a mess for someone else to clean up. The problem lies in that those who are suicidal have often reached a point, that they are so immersed in their own misery, the outside world doesn't really exist for them. Mike

Quote: We did a welfare check one time for a elderly man who lived alone and found his lifeless body and a gun. Not a good sight to see and glad the family weren't there to see it.
 
When healthy my father made it clear that he believed in euthanasia, commenting that we do it for animals but not people. In the end stages of Parkinson’s disease, my father during a lucid moment begged my sister to bring him poison. Of course, she could not do that. As he deteriorated further and lost the ability to communicate and then swallow, the family was faced with the decision of whether to install a feeding tube, which would have been against his wishes. Fortunately we didn’t have to make that decision as in his weakened state he died within days of refusing to attempt food ingestion on his own. I believe that he found an option, and took back control of his life in this final decision…
 
Geezer Garage said:
It's rude to leave a mess for someone else to clean up. The problem lies in that those who are suicidal have often reached a point, that they are so immersed in their own misery, the outside world doesn't really exist for them. Mike

Quote: We did a welfare check one time for a elderly man who lived alone and found his lifeless body and a gun. Not a good sight to see and glad the family weren't there to see it.
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Yes. Someone tells me he wants to just walk into traffic, I say you're just gonna end up taking somebody else with him. How would your family feel? You jump off a bridge and drown, sooner or later, somebody is going to find your bloated body. Won't be an open casket for you.
 
win231 said:
Everyone who hasn't been there finds it easy to say, "I would never end my life or want to end my life."
The reason they can say that is because they haven't been there; they only think they've been there. They can only go by the worst pain & the longest duration of pain they've suffered so far.
The word "Severe" covers a wide range of severity. And everyone has different pain tolerance levels.
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I tend to agree, but the same goes for the people ( like me) who say when the time comes sign me up for assisted suicide, or give me a gun and I'll kill myself. You may think that way now, but you won't really know till the time comes.
 

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