I don't know if anyone remembers a book published in the 80's titled Final Exit. It spent two or three years on the top of the New York Times Bestsellers List. I was young then. Healthy, as well as dumb founded and saddened that such a book was so popular, primarily among the elderly who had lost their will to fight! To live! Final Exit was a how to book. An instruction manual or destruction manual. Quality of life versus quanity of life? That is the question. I haven't decided. GOD Bless

I agree! Many years ago , I served in the Vietnam war. I saw more than a Dr can describe, or prescribe.
My wife is an RN, and I would never tell her that a war is worse than COPD, so I just take the meds an so it goes.

We all die! A Fact!

Why dwell on it?

teespoon

I don't have a problem dying....I know I am not gonna get any better....I can "prolong" things a bit and have good days.................the most I want is to go quickly and not have my Hubby hurt in any way.

BUT..I will take all the "free" meds they give me and hope for many GOOD days while I am still here...............

That way of dying sounds stressful to me! Shortness of breath from the pneumonia.....and then, how long does it take to for a person to be-come dehydrated. Oh, that is so scary - I would have to think long and
hard on that one j.h. You have more nerve than I do!!!

P.S. I agree with wanting to go quickly and not cause any more hurt than possible for my family. Perhaps a fatal heart attack would be the way to go. Don't care with any of the options, but since we really don't have much of a choice...........

I thing pneumonia, with the fever and conjested lungs, gasping for breath would be the very worst death, as your lungs fill with liquid and you are gasping like a fish out of water!!! Nothing friendly about that!!

I feel quality of life is how you make it, instead of stressing over each hour of life you are losing, start living that hour and enjoying what you have.

No one wants to hurt their loved ones, and I especially do not want my kids to see me gasping and struggling to breathe, or hooked to a ventolater, but I am not God, so therefore I do not have a choice in how I die , but I do have a choice in how I live.

I am thankful each day for what God gives me, and try to live that day as if it is my last, because one day, it will be...

BJ

Unfortunately, you can't count on COPD being a quick, painless way out. Quite the opposite is what I would have to say from my own experience. I watched my father lose his faculties slowly and painfully.
He was going to live his life on his terms and not take a lot of medications, or even quit smoking for that matter. He suffered and struggled just to breathe for the better part of 2 years before he got the prescriptions for Albuterol and Qvar, which is all that was available back then. He went on O2 24/7 and didn't quit smoking for another 6 months. By that time, he was unable to walk to the bathroom alone and he had no quality of life at all. He spent another 9 months living on the couch in the living room, eating microwave meals when he could and trying to figure out a way to painlessly end his existance. He went off the O2 hoping to suffocate with no luck. He tried to starve himself which only lasted a couple of days because according to him, a very painful way to go. He turned his O2 all the way up hoping to over oxygenate. He became angry because he had to live and no one would bring him a gun. Finally someone set him up with a prescription drug cocktail from leftovers in the house and he managed to get over the edge. He was 62.
This disease works differently for everyone. I wish you the best of luck with your plan. For me, I'm enjoying my being smoke free, excersizing and visiting the Pulmonologist and Rehab as often as they care to see me. As this disease works and I'm able to do less as time goes on, I do have plans to punch my own ticket, but as Teespoon said, no point in dwelling on it. I'll jump off that bridge when I get to it.

Tis good to have that planned. I too have no intention of becoming a bitter clinger. Please be sure that you have a living will and a DNR (or a POLST) document made up - otherwise they can do anything they want - espically if you cannot speak for yourself
A link for the living will: http://www.doyourownwill.com/living-will/states.html
The DNR or POLST is state specific. Without one the EMS community will do whatever it takes to maintain your life - even if your doctor has a copy of the DNR...

Hugs,
Dennis

Admire your thinking. I keep very close tabs on my mental abilities. My hope is NO STROKE. I will fight like hell until it is obvious that the end is not that far and I am becoming a burden. At that point, I have a large stash of powerful meds. to take care of the problem
Meanwhile, will live the best life possible-----one day at a time!!!

I myself, am terrified of suffocating to death. Dehydration sounds scary. I guess none of us really has a get out of agonizing death free card. Who knows what finally takes me down.

I'm hoping its quick whatever it is. I will not kill myself. I've fought the idea for many many years being bipolar. I've tried to kill myself several times over that time and thankfully I finally found the will and reasons to live my life to the fullest.

I cannot say what is best for anyone else but for me, taking my own life, is something that I cannot consider for my family or my faith.

I really appreciated your thots on this. It's such a taboo subject. Who knows how I will respond if push comes to shove. I do know we're not so special. Everyone I know beyond 70 is dealing with something....
Bad backs, joint replacements, prostate problems, etc, etc. I do find
Knowing that hospice is available reassuring.

Really appreciated your comments on this. It's such a taboo subject.
I'm so glad there is hospice available now to ease the final days.
It seems everyone I know beyond 70 is dealing with something....
Back surgery, joint replacements, prostate problems, etc. we're not so
Special: ). It's not that I do nothing. I see GP once a year, take Spiriva and do water aerobics still. I quit smoking 27 years ago and
It still caught up with me:(

Oh, shoot. I didn't think that last one went thru. You're going to be tired of seeing my face!

this is such a tabboo subject. interesting it being brought up on the board here and to see others reactions.
glad i'm not the only "morbid" one who thinks about how things will end.
after caring for 4 family members so they could go with dignity, i have thought alot about how i hope to exit this earth.
most that i have talked with on this subject; the main fear is PAIN.
thank god we have gotten out of the barbaric 80's where they were afraid to give terminal cancer patients pain meds because they might get "addicted."
with hospice i was able to keep all the loved ones that i cared for pain free in those final days.
but i do get afraid now days with all the idiots abusing pain medication and doctors being on trial for prescribing that doctors are starting to be afraid to take care of their patients with narcotics---- i fear once again we might be headed for those tortuous days of the 80's.
ewwwe, that was a rather negative post.(sorry..but it is a fear i have & i've talked to others that have that same fear that we are about to regressndue to all the negativity towards pain medication again.

I have never really been afraid of death. What I did not plan on was the chronic pain. Pulmonary Specialist says the pain has nothing to do with my Emphysema. It is caused by fibromyalgia; osteoporosis; arthritis; depression-----on and on. I finally asked for pain medication. The pain medication does not work. Suffering is something I am not good at.
I figured I would slip away from lung failure or a heart attack (since my heart is involved due to the severe stage of my Emphysema). I did not plan on facing unrelenting pain.
I have no one; am alone in the world-----so no one would notice my absence. My only son is homeless; and I have no idea where he is; or if he is all right. He was not concerned about me; mainly because I spoiled him and gave him everything; never spanked him; etc-----trying to avoid the abusive childhood I (somehow) lived through.
Lately, I think of assisted suicide. It is legal in my state. My fear: If I bring it up to a doctor; they will lock me up in the mental ward.
I can not think of a suicide that will not leave a mess for anyone; or cause management of my apartment complex upset. I just go on-----one day at a time; not knowing how long I can stand the pain; not knowing how long I have to live (with End Stage Emphysema; Heart Complications; and all my other medical problems). It is sad that there is not one person I can talk to ---- about any of this. I know it is morbid to most; but dying is a fact of life. I wish more would discuss these issues with those of us that are facing death. That you to j.h. for broaching this uncomfortable (to some) topic.