# You Have a Incurable, Progressive, Terminal Disease. It Hurts. What If.... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 9, 2013, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-incurable-progressive-terminal-disease-it-hurts-what-if/655199 "2013-04-09T02:35:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-incurable-progressive-terminal-disease-it-hurts-what-if/655199/21 "2013-04-09T06:02:41Z")
I’d wait until I’m unable to _meaningfully_ interact with people. ---
**Author:** ![Ms.Pumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@Ms.Pumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms.Pumpkin)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-incurable-progressive-terminal-disease-it-hurts-what-if/655199/22 "2013-04-09T06:10:47Z")
> [@48Willys](#): > > Another issue for me personally is organ and tissue donation. If they are going to be unusable, that is different from being able to help someone else out. There are a lot of things to consider here. I guess that I can only say, it depends. Huh. I never thought to wonder this before, but would organs taken from a living donor have any benefit over those harvested from the recently deceased(well, _I_ don’t know- maybe fresher= better)? If they are, then my choice is for them to anesthetize me and start removing organs. Two birds, one stone. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-incurable-progressive-terminal-disease-it-hurts-what-if/655199/23 "2013-04-09T06:56:53Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I wait until the winter, if I can, and lie down in a T-shirt and shorts in a snowbank one night, having left a note as to where to find me the next morning. I’ve read that freezing to death is one of the least unpleasant ways to go. yah, no. Helium would be a much nicer way out. You would breath normally and then black out never to return. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-incurable-progressive-terminal-disease-it-hurts-what-if/655199/24 "2013-04-09T06:57:39Z")
> [@Ms.Pumpkin](#): > > Huh. I never thought to wonder this before, but would organs taken from a living donor have any benefit over those harvested from the recently deceased… Some from the web, IIRC: China no longer immediately executes the condemned. They now keep them around long enough for a drug to take effect. The drug renders certain organs easier to transplant. No idea of what the drug is or how long it takes to be effective. That kidney the docs will want to stick in me will probably have a “Made in China” sticker on it. Yes, China sells the organs from the prisoners they execute. May or may not be better than the old style: The PLA is both military and police. The “Bailiff” is an army officer. Upon pronouncement of sentence, the criminal is taken outside, forced into a kneeling position, and the officer puts a bullet through the back of his/her head. A bill for the bullet is sent to next-of-kin. Labor is free. Don’t know how that worked in large cities - was there an enclosed area, or were they shooting on the sidewalk? ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-incurable-progressive-terminal-disease-it-hurts-what-if/655199/25 "2013-04-09T07:09:32Z")
I might very well off myself, but I wouldn’t do it with a gun. I’ve read too many stories of people doing it wrong and only succeeding in blowing their face off, but not actually dying. OD on benzos, or sit in the closed garage with the car engine running would be more my speed. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-incurable-progressive-terminal-disease-it-hurts-what-if/655199/26 "2013-04-09T07:50:44Z")
Guns: you need to hit either the frontal lobe (temple) or, better, the medulla - at the base of the brain, sometimes called the stem. It is what controls the autonomic nervous center - pulse, breathing, etc. Putting the muzzle in your mouth is an easy aiming aid. As in “swallow a muzzle”. Some people get confused and try to use a longarm - use a pistol or rig the rifle/shotgun so it is held in place and activated with a string. Then put the muzzle in your mouth. ---
**Author:** ![diggerwam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/919ad9/32.png) [@diggerwam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggerwam)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-incurable-progressive-terminal-disease-it-hurts-what-if/655199/27 "2013-04-09T10:35:27Z")
Yes, if my wife has predeceased me. As long as she goes first, that is my plan. I’d rather not use a gun, I’d rather it be less messy and less traumatic to the people who find me. I would much rather it be doctor assisted, but unlike the OP, I don’t think that will be available any time soon. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-incurable-progressive-terminal-disease-it-hurts-what-if/655199/28 "2013-04-09T10:50:38Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > If there’s hope, I’ll pursue it. If there’s not hope, then I’ll let the doctors use me as a testbed. If they have any prospects for experimental treatments for my condition, sign me up. The worst that can happen is they’ll learn something about what not to do. If they don’t, heck, I’m sure there’s something else productive they can study in me (if nothing else, thoroughly document what happens in my condition, to maybe help come up with something for the next guy with it). I agree with this, to a degree. I’m all about helping to advance medicine if I can. But if I’ve deteriorated to a point where I can no longer enjoy the presence of my loved ones, and all I know is pain, I’d want out of the experiments and studies, via a quiet medicated death. As others have said, though, I hope that when doctor-assisted suicide is made legal everywhere, there are measures in place to help depressed folks like myself to avoid making a stupid decision. My husband and I have discussed advance directives, but we haven’t put anything down on paper yet. We really need to get to that. ---
**Author:** ![JLRogers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce73a5/32.png) [@JLRogers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JLRogers)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-incurable-progressive-terminal-disease-it-hurts-what-if/655199/29 "2013-04-09T11:19:46Z")
Only a total jerk kills themselves with a firearm. It’s messy and prone to failure. Loved ones don’t need to see brains sprayed all over the wall and blood soaked into the carpet no matter how supportive they might be of suicide. Of course given the “me first” reputation of the generation in question it might be in character. Not sure why “boomers” are so central to your post by the way. That situation could hit anyone. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-incurable-progressive-terminal-disease-it-hurts-what-if/655199/30 "2013-04-09T11:23:53Z")
If I’m just losing my abilities, I may be fine with putting on a stoic face for a while. But if I’m losing my abilities and I’m dealing with severe, chronic pain? Where do I sign up for the suicide machine? ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-incurable-progressive-terminal-disease-it-hurts-what-if/655199/31 "2013-04-09T11:48:19Z")
My MIL has dementia, accompanied by COPD which limits her mobility. More than once I’ve told my kids that I never want to get like her. Tho she is able to function in some areas, she is increasingly a burden on a number of people - including her children. It is difficult to comment upon another person’s quality of life, but I have trouble seeing what she is enjoying. I’ve told my kids that I never want to be a burden upon them, and that if I’m getting to a point where grandma is, I want them to remind me of what I said and help me take myself out. And if I get to a point where I’m unable to take action myself, I’ve asked them to put a pillow over my face. (To which my ever helpful engineer son observed, “Actually, too much air gets through most pillows to render them ineffective in suffocation…” Nice to know he has thought about it! :p) I’m not all that worried about pain. My big deal is that I do not want to be a burden upon others. I always figured pills and booze accompanied by a plastic bag was the accepeted method. Might be a good reason to break my sobriety! Treat myself to a nice bottle of gin… ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-incurable-progressive-terminal-disease-it-hurts-what-if/655199/32 "2013-04-09T11:57:38Z")
Knowing how much suicide has hurt my family I couldn’t take my own life. I would, however, check into a hospice and tell them to make me as comfortable as possible. ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-incurable-progressive-terminal-disease-it-hurts-what-if/655199/33 "2013-04-09T12:52:01Z")
You mean something like Major Depressive Disorder? To no ones surprise, HELL YES! No gun, fumble fingers here would likely shot half the building before I got myself. I have a plan that I think will minimize the effects of my death. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-incurable-progressive-terminal-disease-it-hurts-what-if/655199/34 "2013-04-09T13:50:47Z")
I would like to think that I would off myself. I see no point in spending money that could go to my wife and children trying to postpone the inevitable. If I am going to die, let’s do it quick and cheap - God will understand. Write a nice, clear, unambiguous suicide note, and make sure all my affairs are in order. A light meal to keep my stomach settled, then a big whack of pills and as much of a bottle of bourbon as I can get down before I pass out. Then the plastic bag over my head when I start to get dizzy. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-incurable-progressive-terminal-disease-it-hurts-what-if/655199/35 "2013-04-09T14:16:37Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Did you see that recent thread about FDR and polio? Did you do the suggested google image search for iron lung? First image it shows is an iron lung ward with row upon row of people in iron lungs (I counted about 30 in the picture). \*\* Those people spent 20, 30, 40, or even 50 or more years flat on their backs inside iron lungs. > \*\* Actually, most people spent a week or two in the iron lungs, until they’d recovered enough to breathe on their own. Just a handful of people didn’t recover that much. As for me, I do not plan to go gentle into that good night. StG ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-incurable-progressive-terminal-disease-it-hurts-what-if/655199/36 "2013-04-09T20:41:07Z")
I’m not surprised that we have this much agreement. One more tip: “ld 50” is the (medical) dosage which indicates the dose at which lethal is 50/50. Unfortunately, it is rarely available for humans, and extrapolating from mice or rats is rarely reliable. As in Google, what is the ld 50 triazolam? For the “they will drag me kicking and screaming” crowd - congratulations, and best of luck. So, now - would those who know politics kindly start the legislative process? We really don’t need any more Terry Sciavo debacles. FL and AZ scare me. I’m in CA - if I can’t manage it myself, I’ll drive a bit - yes, the “can drive at will” is one of those trip wires for me. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-incurable-progressive-terminal-disease-it-hurts-what-if/655199/37 "2013-04-09T20:55:24Z")
> [@JLRogers](#): > > Only a total jerk kills themselves with a firearm. It’s messy and prone to failure. Loved ones don’t need to see brains sprayed all over the wall and blood soaked into the carpet no matter how supportive they might be of suicide. Of course given the “me first” reputation of the generation in question it might be in character. > > Not sure why “boomers” are so central to your post by the way. That situation could hit anyone. Actually, you ingrates should be thanking us for fighting the battles so you won’t have to. Just don’t screw up Roe v Wade - your daughters and granddaughters shouldn’t need to go trough that hell we went through. And boomers are central to this issue because when 70 million people hit the end of life issues within 15 years of each other, there is going to be an impact. Including right-to-die. Anyone can get in the “I want out NOW” group accidentally; boomers are being pushed there. And, I take it you haven’t given the issue much thought - you’re under 40, right? ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-incurable-progressive-terminal-disease-it-hurts-what-if/655199/38 "2013-04-09T21:52:08Z")
To whoever suggested, above, the idea of over-dosing on benzos: _Don’t_ count in it! Benzodiazepines are notoriously safe drugs – in the sense that it’s terribly difficult to OD on them. (Benzos + alcohol may be a different story, but I still wouldn’t consider the combo to be at all a reliable way to off oneself.) Benzos have become known as being very unsafe, from the addiction standpoint: They are very addictive, and kicking them can be hell on earth. (Guess how I know about that.) Some say a benzo addiction is tougher to kick than heroin. But people don’t die from benzo OD. In fact, this was one of the driving forces that made benzos so popular when they were new (in the 1960’s, I guess), as an alternative to the feared “Mother’s Little Helpers”, the barbiturates. People (stereotypically, bored depressed housewives) OD’d on barbs regularly, and often nobody knew if it was an intentional suidice OD or an accident. ---
**Author:** ![eltro102](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@eltro102](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eltro102)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-incurable-progressive-terminal-disease-it-hurts-what-if/655199/39 "2013-04-09T22:06:31Z")
overdose on LSD, hope that I don’t have a bad trip ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-incurable-progressive-terminal-disease-it-hurts-what-if/655199/40 "2013-04-09T22:22:18Z")
As long as hospice is willing to increase the pain meds up to and beyond the point that it suppresses breathing, I wouldn’t feel a need for a gun. I’ve heard that’s allowed as long as the goal is relieving the pain and the suppressed breathing is secondary. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-incurable-progressive-terminal-disease-it-hurts-what-if/655199.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-incurable-progressive-terminal-disease-it-hurts-what-if/655199.md?page=3)