My father just turned 90, my mother will turn 90 next year, and I’m in pretty good shape, so in all likelihood I’m gonna be around for awhile.
I used to worry about strokes and heart attacks, since that’s how three of my grandparents died. Since my parents have gotten to their current ages without any of that, I’m less worried about those things. Now it’s more whether I’m vulnerable to Parkinson’s, which has gradually reduced my father’s ability to function to the point where he has to be lifted from his bed to his wheelchair, and whatever form of dementia has afflicted my mother.
My dad has PD; he’s been told he will die with PD, but not from it.
But I think that may be a technicality. PD isn’t generally fatal by itself, but since your muscle control and balance suffer, you’re more likely to experience a fall that may kill you. There’s also a greater tendency for PD sufferers to slurp their food, and they also tend to have swallowing difficulties - both of which can lead to aspiration of food into the lungs, which can result in pneumonia, which in turn can be fatal.
I’m pretty sure, if I parse that right, it sums up exactly how I feel. If, by chance, I’m parsing it incorrectly then I vehemently disagree and strenuously object.
Car crash
Cancer
Other health issue I’m not aware of but is silently lurking in my body ready to kill me at any moment
Homicide
Being trapped somewhere and not being able to get help and subsequently starving to death
I’ve had two engine failures in airplanes and one emergency off field landing, several non-emergency off-field landings. They really aren’t as inherently hazardous as most people seem to think.
I do, however, fear that, despite taking precautions to the point of being labeled paranoid, I will one day have a fatal reaction to something I eat. Have had two near misses on that one, would prefer to live to very ripe old age without another.
Ouch. Yeah, that’s on my list too, although I’m not too awfully worried. I’ve got the temptation mostly under control.
Being a Californian, I have some fear of the next BIG earthquake.
(At least with heart disease and strokes, I can exercise and eat well. With suicide, I can see a counselor and explore medication. But what the frack can one do to reduce the chances of an earthquake?)
I’m 71. Probably have more to worry about than most posters. Fortunately have long lived genes in both family sides. Should make it to 90 or so. If cancer doesn’t show up, I should make it.
I think you forgot Hansen’s Disease, cat scratch fever (da-na-na-na!), and hantavirus.
Some new ICD-10 codes have given me new things to worry about.
[ul]
[li]Injury by duck; [/li][li]Sucked into jet engine, subsequent encounter; [/li][li]Burn due to water-skis on fire;[/li][li]Asphyxiation due to being trapped in a (discarded) refrigerator, assault[/li][li]Toxic effect of contact with other jellyfish, assault[/li][/ul]
I assume it’ll eventually be the cancer coming back, but I don’t fear that, per se. The only thing I fear, other than parenting a teenaged daughter, is Alzheimer’s.
I can’t say that fear or worry factor into the equation. When it is my time I will go peacefully or kicking, screaming, biting and eye-gouging, whatever is appropriate to the circumstances.
Currently my highest risk activity is motorcycling, therefore the most likely.
Then any other vehicular misadventure, heart attack, and stroke.
And depending on which hobby I’m engaged in, electrocution can be on the wheel of misfortune as well.
I was talking to a woman whose hand was heavily wrapped in a thick bandage. I assumed laceration or burn. Nope, it was a power washer injury. Ouch. Not a way to go that I’d choose.
I’m not afraid of dying because I don’t plan on doing it at all. It’s a mug’s game, dying, and you lot only do it because you’ve been told to and it’s fashionable. Sheeple.