Monday, April 25, 2016

Good to Know that MS is NOT a Terminal Disease!

Well, not really that good to know.  I have known this for a long time but have not really thought about it that much.  It's harder not to think about it now that I am moving along in the disease progression.

So MS is considered to be a "chronic condition" rather than a terminal disease.  Chronically robbing its victims of all nerve functions other than autonomic functions that keep the heart beating and the lungs operating.  What the hell is the sense of that?  The human body is remarkably resilient in terms of design.

In practical terms this means that if I lived in the States, and was lucky enough to live in one of those States where the right to die is recognized, I still would not have the right to die!  By the time a doctor would agree that I was six months from death I would have lost the ability to operate the all important kill switch.

Time for a little rant.  I find it interesting that the conservatives in the US are so very keen to deny me the right to choose the time of my ending, and are rabid about abortion, but are actively supportive of gun ownership (with the tens of thousands of deaths that entails) and would be the first in line to vote for war.  The sanctity of life is subject to definition and interpretation I guess.

Not that England is any better.  The sad truth is that I am denied the right to die not to protect me from ending my life but to keep the kids from talking Grandma and Grandpa into making the trip.  Why not write laws that protect them directly rather than through my rights?

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