So. . . . .would you be brave enough to end it all? And if so, how?

It seems sad that in this case the man knows how he is going to die and how horrible it is going to be. Rather than being allowed to choose the time and place he's going to be forced to suffer for days in a semi-comatose state. We have no qualms about putting an animal out of it's misery but we insist that our own kind suffer when they make it clear that they don't want to.

I don't think assisted suicide should be simple but if two doctors agree that the person involved is able to make that choice and it's not due to mental health issues why can't it go to court and be judged on it's individual merits.

Would I like to suffer and eventually suffocate leaving my family with their final images of me in the throes of painful suffocation fighting for every breath and suffering greatly or would I like them to remember be as relaxed and ready?

Nobody is going to force (or cajole) anyone into 'ending it all' but what the Dignity campaign is all about is choice

Interestingly there's a poor chap in the news today going to Court to be able to decide when he wants "out". Decision delayed til Ocotber for goodness sake!
I hope I would have the courage to end my suffering and, therefore, the suffering it would cause my dear family too. But it would have to be definite so I wouldn't end up in a worse state so I'm not sure what to do.
As OP have said a trip to the vets would be in order to stop an animals suffering but not us!

Perhaps if you were in constant, screaming agony you might feel differently downsized? If you knew you were going to die in two or three days anyway and that every minute of those days would be unrelenting pain?

I wouldn't have the guts to do it. There have been times in the past when depression made me feel life had no point but I never had the courage to end it all. Glad I didn't now. I realise it is different if one is terminally ill, but I still couldn't do it.

My mother had a massive brain tumour which had eaten through her skull and pressed on the pain centres of her brain. All her body was a mass of pain which could not be relieved because no drug could counteract the effect of the tumour. She begged me to "help her go" and I had to say that I couldn't because I had young children at the time and would be imprisoned.
Would I do that for someone I loved now that I don't have other responsibilities. I hope I would. How much better if it could be done in legally.
I can't believe that those opposed to legal suicide have ever had to witness anything like that. How cruel to make someone continue in agony when death the only outcome anyway.

Esspee, even in the case of dementia you can have it written into your advance directive that you do not want to be kept alive in that situation.
Unfortunately my mother in law did not, even though she knew her son had. She never thought it would happen to her.

I agree that we treat our pets better, giving them a gentle release to stop suffering, but nobody soon is going to take Granny to the doctor and ask for her to be bumped off. I'm sure that legal euthanasia will come but I shan't be asking for it. I've seen hundreds of pet owners distraught with grief and guilt, asking if they had done it too soon or left it too long.

I wouldn't do that VQ - you might survive and suffer irreversible brain damage. There's nothing gentle about carbon monoxide poisoning

I would light a couple of disposable bbqs (obviously making sure they don't set fire to anything nearby cos I don't want to burn to death) and settle down on the sofa. The carbon monoxide would take me gently and in my sleep.

NfkDumpling, thank you for your post. I had never heard of a Family Protection Trust and must research if that applies in Scotland.

Durhamjen, You were both fortunate that your DH was of clear mind and able to express his wishes. Unfortunately for many the slide into dementia means that medical staff have a duty of care to the patient which involves doing everything to keep them alive. So few of us think about setting out our wishes when strong and healthy. I am at the stage of telling everyone how I feel about end of life scenarios, giving them time to come to terms with the idea. It is a discussion which has to be faced, yet so many people just bury their heads in the sand. Next step is to get it in writing, witnessed and copies left with my GP, children, brother and OH. My OH and brother are in full agreement, (same generation - same worries) but my children need time to process the idea. They are still at the stage of wanting to live forever themselves. For me there are much worse things than dying.

I think we have everything in place. We've even put our house into a Family Protection Trust to make things easier for the offspring. I just hope I have the courage when the time comes and don't leave it too late.

Yes, Nfk. Miss him like hell, too.

Esspee, I was having to give him injections, test his blood, feed him small bites of banana, etc., which was about all he could swallow at the time. The diabetic nurse was phoning every day so I could give results to see if any changes were needed.
When he told the doctor he'd had enough, she asked him if he realised what he was saying. When he said yes, she agreed to the AD, and said that he was only to be given any food or drink if he asked for it.
What impressed most of the carers was not just his determination, but also his unfailing politeness even until the end.

I don't know about Scotland, but I do know what happens here. You have to have everything in place while you are still of sound mind.

Your husband was a man of courage DJ, you must be very proud of him.

My husband discussed it with the family. He told them what he wanted. Both our sons had a copy so they knew exactly what his wishes were. you have to give your document to your doctor and he has to sign.

Durhamjen, unfortunately an advanced directive is not legal in Scotland though a doctor should take it into consideration when making decisions about your care. I am under the impression that an AD only covers medical interventions such as CPR, force feeding, medication etc. but medical staff are not allowed to do anything to hasten your death such as withdrawing food and fluids as that would be assisted suicide which, like euthanasia, is illegal.
So in the case of dementia where the patient can no longer make decisions the withholding of food and fluids would be illegal. I am in the process of researching this subject as I would like to get my wishes in writing. So, if any of you have info I might find useful please let me know.

I am in a considerable amount of pain every day and I have to take a lot of medication in order to be able to do just the ordinary every day things and then if I want to go out it's a case of making sure that I have had enough to get to the point of enabling me to go but not being a danger to other road users if I am driving .. and the fact is that things are going to get worse so I am often feeling very low and have contemplated doing something to end it all but .. and a very big BUT I just wouldn't want my children to have that on their minds for the rest of their lives! It is very different from the situation where due to an ever increasing illness where families are involved in the situation there could be a much different outcome.

Thanks, Annie.

Esspee, if you sign an advance directive, and list your wishes, and that you do not wish to be fed artificially in various situations, nobody can keep you alive against your will.
You may have to stop eating and drinking at the end, but again, it is your choice.

So sorry Jen X

Ana, not one was dignified, one put a pipe in her exhaust into her car, she didn't just slip into a deep sleep . Two hanged themselves, had deficated, urinated . The fourth jumped in the river , panicked on hitting the icy water and couldn't reach the bank, she clawed untill her hands bled. They were lovely people and three could have been helped , not the same as the illnesses discussed here but possibly the way one would choose, not a peaceful corpse for loved ones to view.

Sorry about your loss durhamjen and the indignity you MIL had to endure. We need to rethink how we treat people in this situation. If I set out my wishes while still of sound mind then everybody should respect these wishes but the law insists that people are kept alive against their will. This is inhumane in my opinion.

My mother in law's funeral last week, Esspee. She was just like that, no dignity, like a sack of bones at the end, being turned every half hour, to prevent bedsores. She couldn't even scream any more.
I'd rather die like her son than her.

Unfortunately dignified is not a word which describes the descent into dementia or the horrors of death from something like cancer. It is the opposite of selfish to spare your loved ones this.
I have two favoured options, one is drugs the other is nitrogen - to be done in private without my family being the ones to find me. Switzerland is a third option.
There is nothing brave about dying unless you do it under your own terms.
I have a close relative who is cared for in a good nursing home. It is incredibly distressing to see her stripped of all personality, no idea of who or where she is. She cannot eat, clean or toilet herself but is kept alive because that is how we treat fellow human beings. If she was a dog we would do the decent thing and put an end to her misery.