Quote:
Originally Posted by pwd72s
How long do you want to live? Not meant as a joke. The desire to keep living changes as the health problems pile up. That doesn't mean one is suicidal, but it does mean you begin to think long and hard about whether or not to undergo a procedure.
My personal example...I have abdominal aortic embolisms, both sides...after reading of the operation to correct these, and considering my age, I decided I'd rather bleed out than go through the pain and long healing process of the operations, assuming I even survived the stress of them. So, I stopped going for the monitoring scans.
It's really the old quality vs. quantity of life debate....something for each individual to decide...
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This. My MIL is 93, and has a pacemaker she refused to have the battery replaced. She can walk to and from the car with cane, but wants someone to provide a hand to hold onto. She is in hospice care, and 100% positively will never go to the hospital again. She is at an assisted living home, and it is very nice, friendly staff, and the food they cook on site sure smells good. She has sold her house, and her car, and gotten rid of all her excess stuff. She has occasional strong chest pain, and they call hospice and they will administer pain medication and nitroglycerin. That is all.
I never want to live like some of the other residents there, that just sit and stare blankly at the TV, and can't even feed themselves or interact with anyone.