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Which Disease/Condition Is The Hardest To Live With?

jack v

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Which of these conditions would you find it hardest to live with day to day? Which would be the easiest?

A) Stage 2 Colon Cancer

B) HIV

C) Multiple Sclerosis

D) Crohn's Disease

E) Schizophrenia

I don't know personally all can be debilitating in different ways.
 
Along the lines of this particular order, starting with the worst:

A) Stage 2 Colon Cancer - terrifying

E) Schizophrenia, a life sentence for many but some fun along the way,

C) Multiple Sclerosis, an incurable, debilitating, physically-wasting disease

B) HIV, terrible but with the right medications AIDS may be preventable and there is still hope for a cure

D) Crohn's Disease, possibility of a cure or improvements with diet and medicine, but no fun either
 
A) Stage 2 Colon Cancer - I can't imagine having this specially going through chemos :(
B) HIV because this might progress into AIDS which will be harder to deal with :(
E) Schizophrenia - can't imagine hearing things and can't distinguish what is real and what is not.
C) Multiple Sclerosis - same with what P-helix said this is physically wasting
D) Crohn's - I think this is the easiest amongst these other diseases but is still pretty tough to deal with.
 
It's all relative, really. It's like saying which kind of suffering is the worst?

OP, why did you choose these diseases, specifically?
 
HIV positive people i think can lead a happy, healthy lifestyle if they're treated with good medicine, but if they get aids than that is truly terrible, i mean horrible. To be paralyzed from the neck down would be awful. God, you'd be vulnerable and completely dependent. I saw a spanish film about a guy with this and he chose to do assisted suicide. A lot of of people are just cursed with terrible diseases, and it wasn't there fault, they had none of this shit coming to them.
 
I too wondered why these specific diseases.

I believe any type of cancer is terrifying-as a nurse for 20 years some of the worst, lingering suffering (pain wise) I have ever seen is from advancing cancer especially once it spreads into bone. Cancer bone pain is the worse imagineable pain to suffer.
HIV-because along with eventually potentially being fatal and all the suffering that goes with everything that attacks a person when they have lowered immunity there are still so many people who are afraid to be "close" to someone who has AIDS. I would hate to feel alienated by people while I was dying.
Schizophrenia-this is also one of the saddest things I have ever seen as a nurse. I worked for years in a psych hospital and a kid about 22 or 23 years old came in suffering from his first psychotic break. He was truly so confused because he had been a normal, healthy kid 6 months before. He knew something was wrong with him but he was terrified because he didn't know what was reality and what was not. The people he trusted most (parents, brother and girlfriend) were out to kill him in his mind. He was afraid to eat or drink anything because he believed everything was poisoned (even at the hospital) for a good solid week. He also thought his GF and dad and brother were sleeping together behind his back (part of why they were trying to kill him). He was so upset because he was close to them all and loved them very much. It was so sad. So yes, not being able to discern reality from not and knowing something was wrong with you would be terrifying. But schizophrenia is not always a life long disease. Some people eventually "out grow" and some get completely better later in life. It just seems like a horrible waste of a once promising life. And to come so out of the blue sometimes...
MS, I have always been a very physically active person and I have early MS. It scares me to think that one day my mobility will be so impaired that I won't be able to take care of myself. There are already some things I can no longer do that I used to (dirtbike riding, hiking any strenuous activity such as those I used to do without a second thought now is more difficult and even if I do it I know I will pay for it for days after with extreme exhaustation and pain).
Crohns disease.
 
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Am I the only one that thinks this is a horrible, horrible thread idea?

It definitely shouldn't be in healthy living.. more like.. TDS (if anything). I don't see any benefits to such a negative POV on life in general.
 
OP, why did you choose these diseases, specifically?

This thread is kind of morbid, and the conditions listed seem a bit random. What about people with autism, Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease? How can we rate which would be harder to live with?

Especially with so many different types of cancer. My mother died from brain cancer, after she beat breast cancer twice. I had a dear friend who had stage 4 breast cancer. It had spread into other organs and she suffered terribly for two years until she passed away last month at age 45.

Cardiovascular disease is another big one, here in the U.S. heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women. I've already had 2 mini-strokes and I'm only 49. I live in fear that the next one could take me out. My biological father never showed any signs of cardiovascular disease and died from a sudden massive heart attack.

You didn't mention liver disease. I knew a man who lived at the shelter who was in the late stages and he was hopeful once he got on the transplant list. But he made the mistake of smoking weed so they took him off the list. So within a year he died, how sad. None of these conditions would be easy to live with, but if discovered early can be treatable.
 
HIV should not be on the list. It is classed as a chronic disease like diabetes.

My HIV doctor said 'if the average life expectancy is say 85 I expect my patients to live to close to 100' (she expressed this through a sketch of a graph) - and thats with today's med's God knows what it will be like in 5 years time never mind 20

http://www.aidsmap.com/Life-expecta...ge-as-long-as-ART-keeps-working/page/2551483/

(no-one in the modern world get AIDS now)

The stigma and lack of knowledge is the biggest problem with HIV now.
 
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B) HIV, terrible but with the right medications AIDS may be preventable and there is still hope for a cure

With the modern medication 100% preventable (even looking now or very soon, to be a possible 'functional cure') also can have children and live a normal life - so therefore why 'terrible' please expand on this?

Do you realize how offensive this thread might be to some people?

The lack of knowledge the general public has regarding HIV is shocking

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/s...is-now-a-a-realistic-possibility-8622284.html

New thread:

Which moronic thread is the hardest to live with?
 
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I can understand if you might be a little sensitive to this topic I guess. I don't think he listed them because of any commonalities...none of the diseases he listed are similar. Would it be an offensive question to someone with schizophrenia? I wouldn't think so and there is still a lot of misunderstanding and stigma attached to that and a lot of mental illness. It is also not a disease that will kill you if that is what is offensive about listing HIV as your post implies.

Are you implying it would be "great" to have HIV as opposed to terrible since that was offensive to you also? I have MS and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. All of these diseases listed are "terrible" to live with to some extent.

Great strides are being made against HIV and AIDs but as a hospice nurse I have cared for dying AIDS patients so I am not sure why you say that no one in the modern world develops AIDS from HIV anymore. Statistics may be better but it is simply not true that no on has HIV develops into full blown AIDS.
 
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^Sorry not sure if I understand you.

I imply nothing.

Listing diseases is crude. A simple list, what are we judging this on? Hardest to live with, in what sense?

If I had schizophrenia and someone who (obviously) knows very little said I think your disease would be in my top ten as the worst diseases to live with. I would be offended, maybe offended is too strong of a word, I would think you were a clown.

It trivializes a subjective matter which has too many variables. (It screams high school children, cafeteria conversation)

My Grandma had MS. If I said 'hey Grand do you think MS should be in the top ten of the worst diseases to live with?' Her reply would be stop 'talking out your arse!'

Regarding the word 'terrible' I was asking him to expand on it.

So to conclude, maybe 'offensive' is the wrong word 'crude' 'morbid' maybe 'lame' 'childish''silly' 'sad' 'too-much-time' 'pointless' 'boring' these words might be more fitting to this thread
 
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Great strides are being made against HIV and AIDs but as a hospice nurse I have cared for dying AIDS patients so I am not sure why you say that no one in the modern world develops AIDS from HIV anymore. Statistics may be better but it is simply not true that no on has HIV develops into full blown AIDS.


okay, okay, why you want to get into semantics on a thread which is so vague to begin with is beyond me, but here's my two cents reply (this is so tedious, I really have too much time on my hands today):

1% of people with HIV die in the UK and that is due to late diagnosis, not to mention other diseases, coininfection, age etc. In my book not even worth noting or putting into a list on BL (lol). More people die falling down stairs

http://www.nat.org.uk/HIV-Facts/Statistics/Latest-UK-statistics/Number-of-deaths.aspx

http://www.bhiva.org/NationalAuditReports.aspx

Then you have to take into account what country:

http://www.poz.com/articles/global_deaths_761_24467.shtml

Missmeyet? how many AIDS patients died in your care?

I have just returned to Cambodia and visited a 5 year old girl who was very lately diagnosed with HIV. The first time I visited 2 years ago she had a CD4 count of 1% and thrush was killing her. Now with HAART meds it is like nothing ever happen, she is running around playing football with the boys.

Tell these kids that you have made a list and they are on it, they would think you are mad:

http://www.baangerda.org/index.html
 
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I guess everyone has a right to feel how they feel but the OP did nothing wrong in posting this thread and I certainly think offending someone would have been the last thing he intended..of course I cannot speak for him. As I said, I have MS and it does not offend me at all. I do think it is a horrible disease and would not with it on anyone. I don't lay around and feel sorry for myself or get pissed if someone else thinks it is horrible.

So maybe several people found the thread a little morbid. I get that. I find it interesting what most people fear in a disease and how they would handle it and what their perspective might be. Maybe it was a random choice of diseases, maybe the poster knows someone with each of these diseases listed...who knows..but childish? Offensive? Sad? It was discussed with me earlier that this forum is open and anyone should feel 100% free to post any topic or pose any question they like as long as it does not break the rules or abuse anyone.

If concerned that people need to be more educated why not maybe take something like this as an opportunity to be a tool to do so.
 
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okay, okay, why you want to get into semantics on a thread which is so vague to begin with is beyond me, but here's my two cents reply (this is so tedious, I really have too much time on my hands today):

1% of people with HIV die in the UK and that is due to late diagnosis, not to mention other diseases, coininfection, age etc. In my book not even worth noting or putting into a list on BL (lol). More people die falling down stairs

http://www.nat.org.uk/HIV-Facts/Statistics/Latest-UK-statistics/Number-of-deaths.aspx

http://www.bhiva.org/NationalAuditReports.aspx

It certainly is not my intention to get into "semantics" with you or to upset you. You will find throughout BL many threads are very vague and/or have no meaning at all. It is nothing to get riled up about. I'm sorry you are so upset by something like this. It really is a small thing in the big picture.
 
^ indeed.

Tedious and bored (killing time), not 'upset' thanks for your concern. I was originally commenting that I don't think HIV should be on the list, but you kinda sucked me in with my miss use of the word 'offensive'. Sorry should have used a better word (and then for you to pick apart my alternative words. Maybe I shouldn't have offered my opinion, I didn't mean to upset you, sorry, please calm down).


You will find throughout Bluelight lots of people saying a thread is pointless. It is nothing to get riled up about. I'm sorry you are so upset by something like this. It really is a small thing in the big picture.

If you are so upset about people thinking a thread is pointless then take something like this as an opportunity to be a tool, and educate people on pointless thread semantics instead of getting so upset.

Please relax and look after yourself. Sincerely, good luck with the MS, take care :)



......

p.s
I didn't claim that you implied anything, .
At risk to upset you further, you seem already quite riled, please don't get too upset, but what was this then?:
Are you implying it would be


I think we both need to choose our words more carefully or at least remember what we type.
Good luck:
http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,36874,0.htm

:)

(again, I'm harmlessly, kindly, curious, how many people died of AIDS related diseases in your care Missmeyet? and what country are you located in?)
 
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No worries, not upset at all..you misunderstand. I will send you a PM answering your specific questions that are off topic!

Sorry so far off the original topic, all. I just felt bad that Wobblier was upset by the thread or misunderstood especially being so new to BL.
 
Wobblier,

I for one am thankful that you have came in here to help clear up misconceptions about HIV. I am definitely ignorant re: the drug and modern treatment, and I appreciate someone coming in here as a primary source to clear things up.
 
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