Why don't you wait until you find out what the real situation is before
contemplating "passive suicide"?

M

CatEyes schreef:

Well nobody really can say. Only a small part of the people having HCV
is discovered and from those detected many die with HCV rather then
from. The answer lies in the deaths of the many undetected. So I would
say your a bit premature. There is many ways to keep the virus in chess
and the liver in condition so you will be able to die from something
else. I would suggest you look into depression though this line of
thinking might just point to that.

I've heard it said on more than one occasion that most infected people die
with Hep C, not from it.

Those of you who have other beliefs, please don't flame me.  I'm posting an
honest opinion to an honest question.

I'm a devout and actively practicing Christian.  I've tried treatment three
times.  Two times it failed me, and the third was too rigorous.  It involved
daily shots of Infergen.  I'm widowed, I have to work, and that's when I sat
myself down and did some serious thinking.

I made the decision then to go for quality of life versus quantity.  Quality
of life meant I had my hip replaced last spring because I had pain that
could be fixed.  If my other hip goes, I'll have it replaced too.  I can do
all sorts of things I couldn't while I was hurting, like play with my
grandkids (I have 6).  That's quality.

At one time I was in the transplant database at Emory (not the list).  I
called them and had myself taken off.  Why?  Because the constant testing
and MRI's kept the Hep C in the front of my mind.  It was controlling me,
not the other way around.  I also did some research into liver transplants,
realized it was too much of a crap shoot, and decided I'd rather not go that
route.  It could give me quantity--maybe--but there is no guarantee of
quality.  I didn't like the odds.

I don't see this as "passive suicide."  Rather, I made the decision that I
believe is best for me.  And, according to my beliefs, only God knows the
number of my days, so I could go out in slow agony or fall down a flight of
steps tomorrow.  It doesn't matter; I'm completely at peace with it because
my faith promises me something much better anyway.  I love my family with
all my heart, I have a wonderful job and lots of friends.  I don't *want* to
leave all that, but I'm ok with whatever God decides.

I've got one of two things in front of me:  Liver failure or liver cancer.
I know either one can be agonizing and either one can be slow or fast.  I
don't dwell on it.  When it happens, it happens.  Again, this is where my
faith comes into play, because Jesus stated that today's worries are
sufficient unto themselves.  I can't change yesterday, and I can't control
tomorrow.

So, that's my answer.  We all have to deal with this in the way that's best
for us.  Kudos to folks like Spidey who killed the dragon, but the rest of
us are left to face these tough decisions.

You haven't yet been diagnosed with hep C and, as others have pointed out,
it's pointless to make decisions until you know for sure.

Christians believe that suicide is a sin, punishable by eternity in hell.
Either you believe this or you don't. If you do believe, then you know that
your intent is as damning as your behaviour and that passive suicide is no
less a sin than active suicide. Choosing to not step out of the way of an
oncoming train is no less suicidal than firing a .45 calibre bullet into
your brain. I don't believe in God but, if I did, I wouldn't believe that he
could be so easily tricked.

If you don't believe, then the choice is yours to end your life whenever and
however you want. This is my belief and, along with it, my knowledge that
death is eternal. So, life is precious to me and I am prepared to endure
considerable pain, illness and distress to extend the one-shot experience of
life as long as possible, and out of consideration for loved ones who would
be somewhat traumatized by my suicide. If I found myself in a position that
my quality of life was nil and without hope of any improvement, I would not
hesitate to take my own life. But, facing an eternity of nothingness, it
would be a decision not made lightly.

Death occurs in an instant. It's the lead-up to the final moment that you're
concerned about, and this could be days, weeks or years. If you have
hepatitis C and serious liver damage (remember, you don't know this yet,
you're anticipating the worst-case scenario), you will most likely die of
liver failure, probably because of liver cancer. That's not anywhere near
the Top 10 of preferred ways to die, but we humans are rarely lucky enough
to die peacefully in our sleep. Hospice care is available, as are some
pretty damn good drugs to keep the pain at bay. And, this point may not be
reached for years, if ever.

How about this? Wait until you know what's going on before you make any
decisions. You may find that you don't have hepatitis C, or you may find
that your liver disease is so advanced that you are not elegible for
treatment and the discussion is moot. If you do have hep C and the option of
treatment, by all means give it a try; if it's more than you can handle,
simply quit. If you find yourself facing death, with constant severe pain,
zero quality of life and no hope for improvement, you have the option to
take your own life, e.g. by heroin overdose (quick, painless and not nearly
as messy as a bullet).

But, these are just my thoughts in a philosophical discussion, and that's
what all posts in this thread will be. I think you should have a sit-down,
face-to-face with a counsellor or psychologist, or even a priest if you are
a Christian. I also think you should talk to your doctor about
antidepressants (either a new prescription or, if you're already taking
them, an adjustment). You may have some difficult decisions to make, and I'm
guessing you're so overwhelmed about the recent upheaval in your life that
you can't focus clearly enough to make them. The right antidepressant will
allow you to do so, and it won't hurt to give it a try. Like treatment for
hep C, you can always stop taking it if you aren't comfortable. But you owe
it to yourself to give it a try and you've got nothing to lose.

No rules broken, that's one of the good things about an unmoderated Usenet
group. Think of us as your virtual, dysfunctional family; we don't always
get along, some of us are wise and some of us are wingnuts, but we do care
about you because we all share the hepatitis C experience. You take care.

I really hope not doing tx is a quick end to life. I've gone through it
twice, but won't again until something gives (new tx or I get sick).
That being said, I've got too much life I want to live to go peacefully.
I've had cirrhosis since 1992, but my liver seems to holding it's own
for now. I'm not afraid to talk about death, just not ready to
experience it first hand. We can't stop death, but we can choose how we
want to spend our time while living.

Dwight