A tough question for any serious prepper

[Skeeter]

This is one I think about every now and then.

Pretend we are in a post-STHF world, and things really did crumble. You are alive, have a food/water stock. However, you are dangerously sick from an unknown cause. The machine of society is no longer running, meaning no doctor access, no internet access, etc. Your condition is getting worse each day. At what point do you make the difficult choice to do yourself in? Or do you fight to the last moment?

 

[Mountain trapper]

This is one I think about every now and then.

Pretend we are in a post-STHF world, and things really did crumble. You are alive, have a food/water stock. However, you are dangerously sick from an unknown cause. The machine of society is no longer running, meaning no doctor access, no internet access, etc. Your condition is getting worse each day. At what point do you make the difficult choice to do yourself in? Or do you fight to the last moment?

For me I'd fight to the very last. I think a better scenario would be, what if you had a serious accident that there was no chance of recovering from. Example, your horse spooked and threw you off on to a rock pile and you broke your back and was paralyzed from the waist down. At that point you really don't have many options.

 

[lonewolf]

i'd fight to the very end, never give in.

 

[AmirSalaam]

I don't know if I would have the courage to face the afterlife prematurely. I would probably wait it out and hope to get better.

I don't know if painkillers ever actually expire. I hope not, because I have hundreds I've saved throughout my life. They make me nauseous, so I've never taken them after all of my different surgeries and procedures ... But they would come in handy in this sort of situation.

 

[Skeeter]

I don't know if I would have the courage to face the afterlife prematurely. I would probably wait it out and hope to get better.

I don't know if painkillers ever actually expire. I hope not, because I have hundreds I've saved throughout my life. They make me nauseous, so I've never taken them after all of my different surgeries and procedures ... But they would come in handy in this sort of situation.

I would find out about the pain killer expiration sooner rather than later. Your doctor or pharmacist should be able to help you.

 

[lonewolf]

actually drugs- or anything else- don't expire one minute after the expiry date, they just lose potency over time, they still work just a bit less as time goes by.

 

[Gazrok]

Pretty hard to answer until you are there...and so many other factors.

 

[Dani]

Depends on what is going on. . . there is always other alternatives. Question is, have you educated yourself on them? You really need to learn up on herbal medicine. Just cause normal society is no longer functioning doesn't mean your life will not survive.

 

[lonewolf]

Just cause normal society is no longer functioning doesn't mean your life will not survive.

that's what I've been saying for years, but watch the suicide rate rocket post SHTF.

 

[Maverick]

Fight to the end although it will be the human-will that will dictate one's action! We can hypothesise all we want but in the end it will be the human-will that makes the decision.

 

[jontte]

you don't know until you actually face the music what you will do,you can imagine all you like,but until you are there you don't know.
prolly I would hang to dear life with tooth and nail,hopeing for the best..

 

[Skeeter]

I think some people are literally unable to live without having someone (the government, society, a cultist church, etc) tell them exactly how to live their lives. They just can't handle that kind of freedom.

 

[Brent S]

you don't know until you actually face the music what you will do,you can imagine all you like,but until you are there you don't know.
prolly I would hang to dear life with tooth and nail,hopeing for the best..

I agree, no matter how resolved you think you are, you won't really know until you face that situation. I don't think I'd have a problem with ending it for myself. I've seen a lot of suffering in the world, and am certain I don't have the constitution for it. Of course we are talking of an injury you will never recover from here. I can deal with a bad broken bone, etc., just knowing it will heal eventually is good motivation to tough thru it.
One thing I've always said though about suicide is don't leave a mess for someone to find. Seeing your brains all over a wall is going to traumatized some poor soul that happens upon it. It's pretty rude and self centered to leave that for your family to see.

 

[lonewolf]

I think some people are literally unable to live without having someone (the government, society, a cultist church, etc) tell them exactly how to live their lives. They just can't handle that kind of freedom.

that's why when TSHTF I expect the suicide rate to sky rocket as most people wont be able to handle the stress of it.

 

[Murphy]

I would consider suicide if I was in constant pain without reasonable hope of recovery.

I would also consider suicide if my situation was causing an unreasonable burden to the survival of my family.

 

[lonewolf]

that's one less then!

 

[Brent S]

that's one less then!

You really are bad to the core!

 

[lonewolf]

You really are bad to the core!

yep, I will fight to my last breath, I wont give in easily.
the more people that commit suicide post event will leave more breathing space for the rest of us who do want to survive- at all costs!

 

[Murphy]

yep, I will fight to my last breath, I wont give in easily.
the more people that commit suicide post event will leave more breathing space for the rest of us who do want to survive- at all costs!

There's a difference between wanting to survive and wanting to exist... There's also a difference between being productive and being a drain on your family...

I'll bet there are a lot of people out there who are afraid to die and will hang on to their last breath.. even if it hurts their own family..

 

[Brent S]

yep, I will fight to my last breath, I wont give in easily.
the more people that commit suicide post event will leave more breathing space for the rest of us who do want to survive- at all costs!

No, I meant your bad for being so callouse about others lives! LOL

 

[DrHenley]

I suspect we will all be in for an adjustment to our sensibilities...

 

[Kevin L]

actually drugs- or anything else- don't expire one minute after the expiry date, they just lose potency over time, they still work just a bit less as time goes by.

Not entirely true.

Many drugs degrade into toxic substances.
Tetracycline is an example. If tetracycline (or doxycycline) goes too far past the expiration date, taking it can lead to kidney failure, and dialysis will be difficult post SHTF to say the least.

 

[lonewolf]

yes, they decline OVER TIME, its like expiry dates on cans of food, 5 minutes to midnight its okay, 5 minutes after midnight it will kill you? come on!

 

[Gazrok]

Kevin raises a good point though....

 

[Kevin L]

Yes, they decline over time. I did say "too far" past expiration date, not 5 minutes.

I suspect that...post SHTF...expiration dates must be more respected rather than less.

Storage conditions will be less than ideal. Refrigeration and air conditioning will be intermittant or nonexistant, humidity will be an issue, vermin and mold will create problems, and so on.

Many meds become toxic and/or useless under such conditions. I believe that if one combines such meds with primitive assessment techniques by people with no medical degrees and only rudimentary training, the problem can be worse than just leaving things alone.

I'm not saying that this is true in all circumstances, but I think that many people become cavilier about perscription meds, and screwing around with them in a crisis may (note that I said 'may', not 'will') create more problems than they solve.

Just my two cents.

 

[user 6493]

This is one I think about every now and then.

Pretend we are in a post-STHF world, and things really did crumble. You are alive, have a food/water stock. However, you are dangerously sick from an unknown cause. The machine of society is no longer running, meaning no doctor access, no internet access, etc. Your condition is getting worse each day. At what point do you make the difficult choice to do yourself in? Or do you fight to the last moment?

I never give up,

 

[lonewolf]

Yes, they decline over time. I did say "too far" past expiration date, not 5 minutes.

I suspect that...post SHTF...expiration dates must be more respected rather than less.

Storage conditions will be less than ideal. Refrigeration and air conditioning will be intermittant or nonexistant, humidity will be an issue, vermin and mold will create problems, and so on.

Many meds become toxic and/or useless under such conditions. I believe that if one combines such meds with primitive assessment techniques by people with no medical degrees and only rudimentary training, the problem can be worse than just leaving things alone.

I'm not saying that this is true in all circumstances, but I think that many people become cavilier about perscription meds, and screwing around with them in a crisis may (note that I said 'may', not 'will') create more problems than they solve.

Just my two cents.

if we've got them we'll use them no matter what some date printed on it is.
I think any meds will be used up quickly, I can only get non prescription drugs pain killers and the like over the counter, my family doctor will not prescribe anti biotics for me to stockpile, they have to be for a serious complaint and if we don't take the whole prescription they probably aren't fully effective.
so this subject is academic to me as they wont be available full stop.

 

[Kevin L]

Antibiotics such as pennicillin, doxycycline, keflex, azithromycin, erythromycin, flagyl, ciprofloxin, and many others are available in a veterinary form without a perscription from the internet.

Anyone who aspires to use these drugs in an appropriate and efficient manner should obtain The Physician's Handbook for Antimicrobial Therapy.

Also, pyrental, piperazine, vermox, and prazequantal will be important for internal parasites.

Pork tapeworms are especially bad, since the larva can migrate to the brain, become cysts, and cause severe and incurable neurological problems.

I've toyed with the idea of using an electric wine cooler cabinet (around 55°) with a solar panel to preserve the meds, but I haven't worked out the logistics yet.

 

[lonewolf]

fish anti biotics you mean? never had the doses explained to me yet, bit of a difference between a fish and a man!
i'll stick to pre pharma medication, wife is a trained herbalist.

 

[Maverick]

fish anti biotics you mean? never yet had the doses explained to me yet, bit of a difference between a fish and a man!
i'll stick to pre pharma medication, wife is a trained herbalist.

I keep these antibiotics on hand (in pill form 250mg and 500mg variants) plus several Nurses Drug Handbooks and Doctors PDAs. For young kids it's very ify given the dosage is very different and in many cases requires liquid form, one on the list (Doxycycline) must be discarded on the exp date due to the toxic nature. Antibiotics should be the last resort in any given situation.

Antibiotics
fish flex forte (Cephalexin)
Fish Pen Forte (Penicillin)
Fish Mox (Amoxicillin)
Fish Flox (Ciprofloxican)
Fish Zole Forte (Metronidazole)
Fish Cillin (Ampicillin)
Bird Sulfa (sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim)
Bird Biotic (Doxycycline)