Re: Re: The Mention of Physician Assisted Suicide--long

[Guest guest]

I agree with both of you. My son committed suicide when he was only

18 yrs old. I don't know of any pain greater than to lose a child

especially

to suicide. This was in 1968 and I still feel the pain at times. The loved

ones of the person that commits suicide will never ever get over it. I am

speaking through experience..........Joyce M

----- Original Message -----

From: " " <catdelouise@...>

<Rheumatoid Arthritis >

Sent: Sunday, January 30, 2005 10:45 AM

Subject: Re: The Mention of Physician Assisted

Suicide--long

I must agree with Jane on this one! Anyone thinking of killing themselves

over RA or anything should be evaluated by a doctor and given anti-

depressants. See if that makes a difference for you. Your depression is

clouding your judgement and getting in the way of rational thinking. I know

when I felt suicidal, I did believe I was rational.

There has been 2 times in my life when I wanted to kill myself. Once in

1996

when I had Costochondritis so badly that I could barely get enough breath to

speak and just had to lie in bed. I didn't want to live like this. Well,

guess

what, I found a Pain Doctor and got better.

The second time was when I was in love with someone (my ex-boyfriend) who

was marrying someone else. I just didn't want to live without him, couldn't

take that pain. That was in 1999 and I met someone else, just started

dating,,,anyway long story short, I am now married to a wonderful man.

I am very sick right now again with Costo but my point is, things change in

your life. Even though I have had Chronic Pain and Illness between RA and

Costo for 2 years now, there is joy and happiness in my life. I have my

husband, good friends and 4 cats who bring me joy. I have travelled to

beautiful places like Bryce Canyon in Utah or Cape May, NJ, I have seen

beautiful art, and felt the love of my husband. None of this would have

been

possible if I had ended my life.

Nothing we have is going to kill us. We can get better. My RA right now is

about 90% improved. You never know what Life has in store for you, do you

really want to miss out on it? Life is a gift, no matter what.

I hope this makes everyone think.

-- In Rheumatoid Arthritis , " chafarm123 " <chafarm@a...>

wrote:

>

>

> One of you had mentioned physician assisted suicide, and I must

> weigh-in here.

> Yes, it is true that some countries are permitting a euthanasia of

> sorts for those who live in severe pain and who have no reasonable

> expectation of recovery.

> Although suicide is always an option for every human being

> whether their pain be psychic or physical, I would like you each to

> consider something.....

> Suicide is a permanent solution to what could potentially be a

> temporary problem. There is research going on all over the world on

> RA, Lupus, ulcerative colitis,scleroderma, and Crohn's disease and a

> myriad of other autoimmune disorders. It is a matter of time before

> some REAL tangible progress is made in the management of all of these

> illnesses. Progress on RA is likely to be made by accident while

> working on another illness entirely.

> In all honesty I am quite depressed myself. I am limited

> considerably compared to a year ago in terms of my occupational value

> and also in terms of my ability to do things with my four children

> and my husband that we once enjoyed. I am having to sell my beloved

> farm.

> However, any type of suicide doesn't solve the problem for the

> person who suffers. It creates a deep loss which can eat through and

> destroy a family. When people commit suicide, their families suffer

> not only the loss of a beloved family member, but they suffer the

> guilt of not having recognized the depth of pain, depression and

> frustration of their loved one. Their children blame themselves

> forever. Some psychiatrists believe and will tell your family that

> the person who committed suicide was angry with them and that this

> was a motivating factor in their choice, even though this may not be

> true. The families of those who have committed suicide often later in

> life choose this themselves. You may be blazing the trail for your

> spouse or for your children, or even for your neighbor or a friend.

> Lastly, while you are in pain enough to consider this, you need

> to examine what you feel about God. Some faiths believe that God

> does not admit us into heaven when we have taken the life He has

> given us. Other faiths believe that a loving God would understand our

> choice. You need to search carefully what YOU believe before doing

> something irrevokable.

> I cannot say that suicide has never entered my radar screen.

> Most adults who have lived a life of any depth or who has experienced

> any losses will tell you it has, at least at some point.

> My choice at the moment, is to hang on, taking whatever morsels

> from the candy store my physicians provide to slow the progress of

> this thing. I enjoy what I can and limit my contact with those who

> annoy me or erode my resolve. (And there exist a lot of this type of

> people !)

> Please think about the points I've raised. It may be time to ask

> your doctor about a mild antidepressant such as amytriptaline, to

> help shore you up while all of this research continues. Remember, a

> cure might not be found for all of us, but it may well be found for

> some or even most of us. This thinking is as much a reality as the

> possibility of suicide, and it too is a valid choice.

>

> Best wishes to each of you,

> Jane