How long would it take???

[anonymous]

If for some random reason you couldn't or decided not to take your enzymes, and breathing treatments (pulmozyme, albuterol, theravest, etc.), or any antibiotics, if you let mother nature take over and didn't fight the effects CF with your usual battery of medicaitons and therapy, how long do you think you would last before you expired/died?

Thank you.

 

[luke]

That is one of the most troubling questions ever asked on this site. I hope and pray you are asking just for some morbid fact finding mission rather than thinking about taking your own life. If you are having suicidal thoughts I would encourage you to find some one to talk to, preferably a professional. With that being said, I have some idea about how long it would take but I will not post it.


Luke

 

[anonymous]

Is there some financial reason why you can't get your meds? If so, there are some programs avail to assist you-at least in the US there are. Let us know if that's the reason.
The reason I ask is because you said "If for some reason you couldn't..." The only reason I could think of why you COULDN'T take your meds is because of financial reasons.
Of course, some of us react to some meds adversely and therefore can't take them anymore, but it's a very rare person that can't take ANYTHING for CF because of allergies.
Like Luke said, please don't deliberately try to ruin your life. My philosophy is that no matter how bad it is, there is always someone worse off than me. I would much rather have CF than to have a disease where you can't walk, communicate, eat, do other bodily functions that I won't mention, etc.

 

[Mockingbird]

I've thought of this question, too. Just kind of as a curiousity type thing. Like if the apocalypse came and all the medication companies got destroyed. heh, what can I say; I've got an over-active imagination. =-) I don't know about the original poster, though.

Jarod
22 w/cf

 

[serendipity730]

I hope that you aren't considering doing this, but I imagine it would take varying degrees of time before one woul d succumb to the disease, depending on current state of health. I think that not taking enzymes would prob be more catastrophric, because you would essentially starve yourself. Again, I really hope you aren't considering this.

 

[mammabettybear5]

<b>in response to your question i hope your not considering this but i felt i need to say something to you,my son was diagnoised at 2 months of age they said he would never see 3 he is now 12 the last year has been relly hard on him,i have fought with him all his life to do treatments,meds,and everything,and now he wont do anything for treatment it had been 4 months and believe me i see the diffrence in him now hes scared and has no energy and cant breath well,his body had caught all kinds of germs and he wishes he would of listened to me and his doctor,he is now doing his meds and treatments with just a little yelling but i think he finally understands how inportant it is,please make sure you are taking care of yourself and doing what you need to do to fight this terrible disese,if you need to talk come here ppl relly care and will help you</b>

 

[anonymous]

Hi, It's Kathy (Coll's Mom). I don't know what this says about me, but I've thought about this question too ! I think it first popped into my mind once watching the show Survivor. Eventually I realized that I hoped no one had ever experienced this-so no one actually knows the answer.

 

[Emeraldmirror]

I think it depends on the person and how bad you are and all that stuff. I wouldn't suggest trying it, though i'm sure you weren't going to. I think this was just a curiosity question that got blown out of proportion. Me personally, I'm not sure, my cf has gotten worse over the past year, it's weird cause i really actually think about that. So i'm not sure, for me maybe a year or two, who knows.

Ashley 20 w/cf

 

[anonymous]

I think the 1st infection would take your life away.

 

[Emily65Roses]

I have to say, I've wondered this before myself. Just out of like... hmmmmm how morbid can I be? and hmmmm how bad could this CF be if I let it run wild? type questions. I don't think it hurts any to ask, unless said person has every intention of doing it. And we don't really know what intentions they have. Could be suicidal, or just wondering.

As for how long it would take, I have no idea. I think it would depend highly on what kind of lung damage you already have, what infections you already have, what meds you're on that you'd be stopping, etc etc.

 

[anonymous]

Hi,
I think, it will depend on the person and how bad his/her cf is. There are still people, which are diagnosed very late, as adults and they are still alive without doing any special treatment.
I know a young man in his thirties now, he was treated for his cf until about 15; at that time he decided to do no more treatment, because he hated it all. Since that time (over 15 years) he did not go to any doctor any more and doing no kind of treatment. He looks like a "typical" cf-person: pale, very thin, but he is still alive and working...
I myself was diagnosed with 6 months but did only get some enzyms and antibiotics during infection for years. At the age of 12 I came to a specialiced cf-clinic and took oral antibiotics from that time on. I tried inhalation, but didn´t like it, so I did not inhale for years. From about the age of 23/24 I did Iv´s, but only once a year until now. I do inhale now since about 8 years, but daily only the sprays/powders, I do Pulmozyme 2-3 times a week, Colistin since last year for 2 weeks daily, then about 4 weeks break. I´m always told to do more therapy, but I preferred to live a normal life as long as possible... Noone can tell me or anybody for shure, if I would live longer and how much longer with more therapy. I worked fulltime until last year, now I´m thinking of quitting, because it´s getting to much now.Maybe I will have more time for therapy then...I lived my life "to the full"until now, visited many countries, tried exotic fruits, parasailing and much more and I loved it! There are still many things I want to do and I will try do to as many as possible. Next week I fly to a greek island for a week!

Uli,Germany,42,cf/cfrd

 

[rose4cale]

I also thought about those diagnosed late in life which tells me it depends on the case and person. I find it disturbing to think about I think because it is my son who has it and not me.

 

[anonymous]

I am really sad to read a letter of this nature, it brings back haunting memories of a phone call I received from my brother-in-law several years ago. My sister and him decided she had struggled with CF for long enough and she wanted quality of life rather than quantity. With her Doctors help, she decided to come of her meds. I had great difficulty with their decision and was upset that I could not sway her to change her mind. I was angry for a very long time and am so pro life now, that I truly treasure each day I live with CF. I spent 3 of those final 6 months with my sister, she was religious, this may have helped her, I would not attend any religious prayer meeting when they came calling, I felt they were all condoning her right to die.
This has to be a personal decision, please to the original poster, life is worth living, and as others have said, having friends on this forum can get us thru' some difficult days.

'SMILE FOR THE SHARE GLORY OF LIVING'

 

[NoDayButToday]

I've wondered the same thing. It probably depends on the personal case. Actually, I think my mom and I both started thinking about it around the same time- in relation to Survivor- which I wanted to be on LOL!

It may be morbid to think about, but I think about it from a purely analytical point of view.

 

[Emily65Roses]

Just one quick little note... something to think about. You can be pro life and that's all fine and dandy. But why bother being pro life if the life in question isn't worth living? That's not to say no CFer is worth living, but I'm sure there's a point you get to where it's just not worth it to some people anymore. And that's a personal decision. I think your sister had some serious balls to actually open up her mouth and stop fighting when she felt she had had enough. It seems like a lot of people keep fighting only for the people around them. I'm glad she was able to do what she truly wanted, and not what others wanted of her.

 

[anonymous]

Emily, sorry I am not defending what I wrote about my sister's choice, I stated it was a personal decision, and life moves on..................

 

[anonymous]

life is worth living if the person, and only if the singular person, decides it. it is none of my/our business what someone chooses...

 

[anonymous]

Watching Survivor one can't help to wonder, "Could I do that? then the rabbit hole deepens.

We are endowed with the fate of CF. By God's work, our own choice, or random genetics we have this disorder. Nature and time conquer all. If a CF patient were to let nature take its course, I don't think this would necessarily be an act of suicide, but possibly recognition of fate, and a choice to not fight.

At any given moment we all choose to fight. How many times of taking up arms against this disease, before you are tired, exhausted? Perhaps you lost hope, the true currency of life for the impaired and challenged. Don't we all have the right to give in or give up, and not be a lesser person for the choice? If one has fought an honorable fight, having given one's best to triumph over or at best survive this disease, and at a point in time finds him/her self exhausted and without hope, I think that person can live as they die, with respect and dignity.

The true challenge of such a question is how difficult would it be not to fight? We all have ingrained in each of us a fighter's or warrior's spirit. Even when we want to give up, that spirit ignites our anger and carries us through our more difficult moments. How does a person, with such a warrior's spirit, relinquish the remaining strength he/she has to the choice not to fight? I am guessing most of us have been there or will be at some point. Would you choose, with your finite strength, to direct your last swing of the sword at your opponent, the disease, or would you choose to not direct your last bit of energy, but more choose to be, in the moment. Fighting takes energy, to exhale does not.

It ends up being a choice made by the individual. If let nature take it's course and live as my genetics will, I think -in my current status, I would expire in a matter of 3-4 months, depend on whether a cold or flu accelerated the process.

 

[ClashPunk82]

<blockquote>Quote<br><hr><i>Originally posted by: <b>Emily65Roses</b></i><br>Just one quick little note... something to think about. You can be pro life and that's all fine and dandy. But why bother being pro life if the life in question isn't worth living? That's not to say no CFer is worth living, but I'm sure there's a point you get to where it's just not worth it to some people anymore. And that's a personal decision. I think your sister had some serious balls to actually open up her mouth and stop fighting when she felt she had had enough. It seems like a lot of people keep fighting only for the people around them. I'm glad she was able to do what she truly wanted, and not what others wanted of her.<hr></blockquote>

I agree. My brother and I both need lung transplants. I am going through with it, however my brother has decided it's a no for him. Although I am upset and wish he would change his mind I understand it's what he wants. It's not about me or my family it's about what he wants and if this is what he wants I will support him all the way to the end.

 

[Emily65Roses]

"Emily, sorry I am not defending what I wrote about my sister's choice, I stated it was a personal decision, and life moves on.................."

I don't care. Nowhere in my post did I ask you to defend what you wrote.

Oh, and Nicole... I have no idea how hard it must be for you to accept your brother's decision. But the fact that you have done that, and are supporting him even though he's "not fighting anymore," I think is awesome. That has to take a lot of courage to accept without fighting it or trying to change his mind. No doubt, you are helping make his decision easier by supporting him through it. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/rose.gif" border="0">