Category: Elder Folk
when i was in a biology or natural science class the teacher commented on how the instante we are out of womb. we begging to die. so true. i have been blessed with some thirty five years of good health.this has changed the last ten years. now i have diabedies, blood prssure issues, naurapothy, some atrophy, back issues, and diealyses three times a week for some four hours. i am 44yrs now. i cant help but feel as if i will be the first in my family to go. the end is near. so, can you prepare for it? waite for it? listen to your bod and stop dancing? we have lost some young zoners. most with the same health issues as mine. i obbess so metimes about dieing. i have made some preparations. i am paying for my funeral already. my bf knows what my wishes are. i have a service dog. so i worry abou him. i am tempted to leafve him with my famly buyt nt sure. is this crazzy? i mean. am i just worryi8nbg about it too much? do you guys think of the ned? cheers. live long and prosper!
No, I don't think of the ned, but I do think of the end. LOL, Sorry, but I cringed at the typos and bad spelling while reading this, and with a word misspelled in the subject line, I'm not even sure why the hell I clicked on it. However, snarkiness aside, I too have had serious problems the last several years and have come close to having to have my feet amputated, although, thank God, not yet. But yeah, having health problems no matter how old you are can cause you to worry about dying. And, as you pointed out, we have lost zoners in their twenties and thirties, so old age isn't necessary to cause people to think about dying.
losing me feet also concerns me. i am always checking them. applying lotion to themso they are soft and smooth. my biggest concern is the quality of life. what would it be like if i were to have my feet amputated?
Honestly dying is one of the most untouch topics in society, and its not something people talk about in public. As part of my college education, for sociology credit I had to take the class titled The sociology of death and dying. I honestly dreaded the titled, not only is this something I didn't want to talk about but it was a night class, three hours once a week. So say the least I went with it just for the credits.
I learned so much from this class. We learned how people in different countries experience and celebrate the death of someone. We learned about how in certain countries, like Switzerland I believe, suicide is legal and you can pay to have an assisted suicide. We watched a video on it dealing with someone who was fairly young and really sick with ALS.
We had to go to a simetrary and write of our experience, We had to note the lay out and how different places are set out.
I honestly learned so much. The book is great and easy to read too. I'd be willing to give you a copy of it if interested, its in word format, its appropriate for any age reader.
But you always must remain positive. Your not old, my mother is 44 and she is fortunately in good health now. With advancements in technology you never know what is possible.
Brittany
I think most people think about death more as they age than they did when they were young. For one thing, young people rarely know anyone their own age who dies unless it's something sudden like a car accident. But older people start having more and more people they know die from cancer, heart attacks, etc. It's just natural for people to think and worry about it more as they age.
Also, people with chronic conditions such as diabetes tend to think about it more no matter their age. I'm not afraid of death as much as I'm afraid of ending up bed ridden and helpless. Suffering also scares me. I've known three people to deal with cancer; one of them died, and the other two went into remission after months of chemo. I hate being sick and in pain, and I have been in severe pain several times and came close to becoming addicted to pain medication each time. If I had had an irresponsible doctor like some people do, I could very well be a drug addict. But what I'm saying is that suffering and pain or complete helplessness scare me more than actual death.
The idea of studying how other societies handle death may be interesting, but I don't think taking such a class can really calm most people's fears. It's a very personal thing, and everyone has to handle their fears and beliefs in their own way.
t. thank you for offering to hook a bear up! *winks* ill take it!blue, i agree with you. i am not afraide of it as much as i am afraide of being in constant pain and suffering!
Yeah Blue I totally understand. I did learn that as you age being comfortable with the thought of dying becomes more easier to think about.
No prob Gizzy, I'll dig it out of my college stack of books and get it to you.
Interesting. I have always thought about it even as a child, because of animals and such that die in your live. I tend to change, but if I had to deal with pain, oor lack of life all the time I don't know. Maybe death would be better depending on how bad the pain was.
The only thing that scares me about death is what will happen to my son. Other than that, the thought really doesn't bother me. I'm far more worried about having some sort of illness that kills quality of life or would cause me to require care in such a way as to be a burdin on my family. I'd rather go quickly in that case. As for the actual event itself, I'm thinking quickly in some sort of accident would work just fine. lol I'm not sure I'd want to know it was coming.
Oh yes, I agree with goddess.
For me, it would be if I lost my hearing. Many are unaware but I have multiple disabilities. Not only am I visually impaired but I'm in a wheelchair due to an undiagnosed illness. I was born with dislocated hips, however the doctors did not find it until I was about fifteen months old. I also have severe scoliosis and some kind of storage disorder. Even though it is undiagnosed, doctors think I have a storage disorder, my body can't store the good things and so I'm super weak and have very brittle bones.
But after all of that for me it would probably belosing my hearing. I just do not know what I would do.
Wow, interesting topic; I'm 34 and up til very recently (about prob six months ago), death was my absolute biggest ever fear. I'm a christian but even then, I still don't know how long I'll be dead for and what exactly will happen.
I certainly don't have as many illnesses as some of the above posters here but I was diagnosed with Chronic Kidney disease at the start of 2011. I was actually told at my apt this morning that my specialist would like to do a transplant in the next twelve months; It's this and other reasons recently related to my Kidney decline that it has got me thinking about death a lot more and I somehow find myself not as fearful of it as I was.
This may not exactly ring true at the time but I don't know; However, i find myself saying to my family that I'd rather die than have to visit/stay in the hospital , either if my Kidney doner doesn't end up working out or if infections happen after the transplant.
Then I get to wondering, how many kidney transplants can one person go through? The lifespan of a donated kidney is on average 20 years and a bit less from a deceased organ doner but what if they don't survive well in me? It could happen.
Anyway I have rambled and i'm sorry, but I've just amazed at myself that I can joke or talk seriously (at times) about death without any such fear factor at all.