Six months to live

[Wicked Whippets]

I have a friend who got the news last week that he has one of the most aggressive forms of MS. The prognosis is he will be slowly losing muscle control over the next six months and may be in a wheelchair within a year. I used to work with a woman how developed MS in her 30s and has managed the disease for 20 years, so his version must be unusual.

He has decided to retire early, buy an RV and spend the next six months traveling the country as a full-time RVer.

In addition to being distressed about my friend's health, now I'm wondering if the tables were turned would I want to spend my last six months being able to walk and feed myself in an RV?

I guess it's the same sort of question we were asked in high school philosophy class: If you had one day to live, how would you live it? I remember there was this really cute blonde in the class and I had my answer...

Anyhow, even though I'm worried that he will find the MS making it difficult to handle some of the RVing chores 4 or 5 months from now, I'm not going to say anything to discourage him in his decision on the trip.

It has caused me to pause and wonder how I would handle the same sort of diagnosis. How would you spend the time? Would you continue as a full-time RVer, or would you opt for another lifestyle?

[Route 66]

Although I'm not in that situation, I do have major medical problems which have drastically affected my fulltiming.

This is what I want to do and I'll do it as long as I can.

When these things happen, you have two choices. Live your life as you want or give in and do nothing.

I say God bless him and go for his dream.

[Olive]

I fully agree with Dirk. I too have a major medical problem that has greatly altered my lifestyle but I have been fulltime solo with it for 8 years now. Yes, I get frustrated at times as I am able to do less myself or it takes me a day to do what used to take me 30 minutes but I'm not about to give it up.

Only God knows how his disease will progress and each person is different, so if he needs encouragement from you as a friend, be an encourager. The way medicine is today in a year a new treatment method may become available.

BTW please tell your friend to be sure to stay far away from the artificial sweetener aspartame. It is known to aggravate MS and there have been many people falsely diagnosed with MS (and other diseases) who had aspartame poisoning. I personally know of two, a guy I worked with and a friend.

[rjf7g]

My older brother has has MS since he was in his early 20's and sold me his camper when camping got too hard (he was in his early 40's then). He now has a cabin in the hills of WV. MS is a nasty disease and manifests itself differently in different people.

[GraciesMom]

I will RV until there's no way I can get up the stairs and drive anymore . . . I love this life.

[Lorna]

I will RV until they chase me down to take my driver's license away... But first they have to catch me! Best of luck to your friend and all my respect for having the guts to live his life on his terms not someone else's.

[doc]

Ms Carol has had MS for nearly 20 years. It is slowly taking her strength from her left leg and arm. She cannot walk without a walker and then for only short distances. We still RV as much as possible and she still climbs in and out of the MH with a little help from me. We find ways to do things that a healthy person can do with ease. It has made us stronger together and we are closer than ever in our lives. MS is a terrible disease. Ms C has the Primary Porgressive type and has slowly gone down since she was diagnosed. We have friends who have the episodic type with attacks and then periods of remission. We are on Beta Seron that she gets a 1cc shot of every other day. We are not sure it helps, but have faith it does. Luckily I had great insurance at my job and it pays for the medicine.
MS is not necessarily the end. It can be a new beginnig with a new outlook. You just have to live each day the best you can and make do the best you can. Ms Carol is my hero. I don't know that I could ever find the strength to fight this disease and never give up like she has.
Tell your friend to never quit, do the best you can and live the life you have as good as you can.
God Bless

[EngineerMike]

If you have to go (and we all do), then go RV'ing

[Elkhartjim]

I'm in excellent health for my age and being retired, I do as much Rving as well as all the other things I enjoy doing in life. Consider the fact your friend thought he was in good health the day before he was diagnosed. Isn't that the way we all feel? Who knows what diagnosis we will get tomorrow or even be a tomorrow.

God speed to your friend and to all the others out there suffering from ailments and medical conditions.

[Trueblue R/T]

Been lurking here for quite a while just reading and learning and thinking..Never signed up till I read this thread..Tell your friend to go and have a good time,best medicine in the world..Had a wonderfull wife for 34 years that had MS,we allways did everything we could and that included many things that the doctors and others said we could never do.Camped under the stars and saw many sights when we were young..Even went to the top of Mt Baldy in New Mexico with her riding piggyback just because we wanted to..I wish now we had decided to throw caution to the wind,,bought a motor home and gone full time like we talked of doing many times,,but for some reason or the other we never did..So now I have to decide if I am going to try and fullfill our dreams alone..If you all see a greyhaired guy in a too big of coach for traveling alone [because that is what we allways talked of getting],,probably wearing some sort of cap that says something about being a marine..you will know which decision I made..
back on track Tell your friend enjoy every minute and we will be watching for him..He now knows how precious every day is..

Barry

[Route 66]

Just as a follow up, none of us know how much longer we have to live.

As we get older and there is something we want to do, we better do it before it's too late.

[Mel-O]

Sorry to hear about your friend.

As far as camping with disabilities, it wasn't anything I ever thought about at age 36...until recently. I broke my ankle back in March and it became complicated and turned into something called RSD. I haven't walked in over 12 weeks. It is VERY hard to get in and out of a motorhome on crutches so I've resorted to scooting up and down the stairs, borrowed a hoveround and haven't missed but one scheduled trip out of 6.

In light of my recent discovery of "life as you know it can change in a minute" we have decided to throw caution to the wind and hit the road full time. Fortunately for me, I have gotten good medical care early and should be walking in a few weeks and hopefully make a full recovery. But I can't imagine spending anymore of my life, healthy or otherwise, not seeing the country in an RV!

[motojavaphil]

I think your friend has the right idea. Sitting at home, waiting for death, is not my idea of coming to terms with one's mortality. Finding meaning in ones life, be it short or lengthy, be it with God, friends or just looking at flowers is far better than endless days of dribble. Drive that RV, be part of it all and wish him the best from us.
Phil

[Mike54]

I'm not fulltiming yet but the question came up with my sister about if I die on the road how will they handle it. I'll have information in my wallet to call a local funeral home have me creamated and UPS me back home so someday I might just show up at your door.