I wouldn’t want to know. I really enjoy my life, and don’t usually have too many bad days. If I knew, I’d probably be stressed and trying to cram too much in, and sad that I forgot stuff by the end.
Hell yes I want to know! What kind of family would keep this secret and let you spend your last two weeks of life at work?
I’ve got 11 days of paid vacation left this year and when that is done I’d call in and ask if I could get my 3 days of bereavement time in advance.
If the answer is no they can just fire my ass.
My relatives and I got told my grandfather was dying before he did. It still upsets me because he was an intelligent and highly capable man who should have been informed first. As it was I put my foot in it and mentioned it to him, not knowing he hadn’t already been told. This was in 2007.
To answer the question, yes, I’d want to know, so I could say my goodbyes.
I might have to think about it when I’m actually facing the fact. What do I do after I make my decision, ask the doc not to tell me?
Does this mean nothing can kill me in the next two weeks? This could be very interesting.
I don’t want to know, I try to live every day like it is my last day and do the best I can and get the most out of life. If a doctor says you’ll have two weeks and it will be 3 or 4 weeks, you are waiting to die. That is not a nice way of spending your last weeks.
If today were my last day to live, I would not have wasted 5 minutes shaving this morning. I hate shaving anyway. I would not have bought green bananas last night. For that matter, I would not have bought six cans of tuna because they were on sale. I also would not be sitting here at work because I’d be outside hiking or playing with my dog or on a road trip to the nearest beach. I also wouldn’t be drinking discount cola-- I’d be drinking something quite different and probably much more expensive.
This. I do a lot of stuff, not because I like to, but because I look at the long term in many cases. If I’m going to die in a couple of weeks, I’m going to quit worrying about my cholesterol. I’ll eat my grilled cheese sandwiches fried in bacon fat every time I get a hankering for them, for instance. Right now, those things are a very rare treat. I’d cancel most of my doctor’s appointments and tests, if I know I’m going to die soon, what’s the POINT? I would not waste my time getting a colonoscopy in that short time. And I will cancel that dentist’s appointment, I don’t NEED to get my teeth cleaned. The only thing I’d do in the way of dental work is have an abcessed tooth yanked, rather than suffer through the pain.
I’m a little confused.
The dying patient wasn’t informed about his own condition? Is that right? That sounds suspect to me, too.
Or, the family of the dying patient was left uninformed, possibly at the patient’s request. Which makes a lot more sense, somehow. And has nothing to do with the doctor’s ethics, as he’s bound to follow his patient’s instructions, I believe.
Would I want to know I was going to die in two weeks? Absolutely, I don’t want to waste, any of that time, with people who annoy me, or going to work.
(I don’t want to hijack this thread but it raises another question for me, so I’ll just start one, with that question!)
Yes, I was shocked and confused myself. According to the family, they knew he was dying, but he did not. As I said before, that would be highly unethical on the doctor’s part.
But if it’s not true, why would the family tell people that they knew and he didn’t? I cannot think of any reason (good or bad) to say that.
So many decisions, so little time… 
I’d definitely want to know. I have a list of my own.
I’ve posted before about a similar situation with my aunt. She had a serious heart attack and wasn’t going to recover. Her last hours were spent with one of my cousins repeatedly lying to her about how she was getting better and would be home soon. She was drifting in and out of consciousness and it is unclear exactly how much she understood.
I can’t speak to the situations where the patient remains perfectly alert and conscious and able to communicate clearly, but there are plenty of times when that’s not the case. The medical staff seems content to leave it up to the family about what to tell the patient during any remaining periods of awareness.
You are not waiting for death – you are racing toward death, and there are a great many things related to whiat could be called “routine maintenance” that could be put aside. Like going to work (unless you love your job and really want to), paying bills, and as other have mentioned, doctor and dentist appointments.
Surely you don’t normally forego routine medical treatments because “today might be my last day”, do you?
Does anybody else know? Because I’m buying more life insurance.
No doubt about it, YES. I would want to make sure my dogs and cats are going to be cared for and I have good-byes to say. I would want to make sure my affairs are in order. I would NOT waste my time going to work.
Oh my, yes, I would want to know. Lynn Bodoni and GOsp31, if you enjoy reading, I’d like to recommend “For All The Rude People,” a short story by Jack Ritchie. Vicarious thrills, but good all the same.
Aside from making the world a nicer place, I would quit worrying about a lot of things. Not sure if the institution holding my IRA money would understand within the two weeks time - but I could make my sister the beneficiary and get a loan in time. 
Agreed.
I wouldn’t want to know. It would be a miserable two weeks. I’d rather just have it hit me out of nowhere.
Yes.
Just spent the weekend at my aunt’s funeral. Not so accurately as “two weeks left”, but she knew she was dying. As it was, she had almost exactly two weeks from the doctors admission that there was nothing more to be done.
Talking with the family, it was a great comfort to them to spend time with her. She said it was like the old days (before she got ill and isolated herself) having so many visitors. This included her children, graddkids, great-grandkids, brothers & sister, cousins, nieces, nephews, once-removeds etc.
For me, I’d need to sort out the kid and make sure she was ok & would be looked after. I’d need to tell my brother a few home truths and get him to look out for (if not look after) the folks & aunts/uncles that have all moved local to me.
I love my job so I’d still go to work, if only to write up the handover procedures for the next admin.
I’d go visit the friends who are too far away to see regularly. Bugger the cost of petrol.
i have no dependents, other than the SuperKitties, and in the event of my sudden death, my sister and the divemaster will divvy them up between them.
ignorance is bliss. i don’t need to know.
I hope divvying them up does not involve any kind of blade.