A lethal illness

[SimpleTrades]

I need the opinions of risk takers-traders.

1. Die gently over a period of a few months or weeks.
2. Die perhaps agonizingly over a period of weeks or months, but there is a 25% probability you will be cured.

You are 71 years old. Which option would you choose. No, I am not the one dying.

 

[luisHK]

Wouldn't it depend on the person's feelings, including his attachment to life and his endurance to pain ?

I don't know which option I'd chose for instance.

 

[SimpleTrades]

Yes, of course it does. I was actually curious to see whether or not a trader would value life and comfort differently.

 

[jem]

My Dad died from esophageal cancer at 78 years old. (about 2 years ago).

He traded almost every day in retirement and made good money doing it.

about 3 months out he chose to discontinue chemo.
he had a great month or two...
than he last month was not so great.

during that last month about the time he was so week he could barely walk around... he really wished he had treated his ulcers better and told me to never make the same mistake.

at that point in time... I think he would have taken the 25% chance and a lot of pain.... but it is just a guess as overall my dad was very stoic. (his whole life).

 

[StarDust9182]

I sure hope this is a theoretical question and not the case for you personally.

I believe that the decision is unique for every person and that most do in fact choose their demise (although most are not aware of their own choice).

Traders are risk takers and so you might skew the answer depending on the nature of the particular trader. I like to trade safely and earn less and have been in the game for decades. (There are no old bold traders!) My answer would always take into account the risks to me and those around me. This trade sounds like a long out-of-the-money option trade.

So factoring and restating your problem: given 100% chance of dying but going peacefully or a 25% chance of living but going agonizingly. The time period is not really relevant to this problem for me. My life has been great so far and I don't have a whole list of unfinished things I have yet to do.

For me personally, I think I would choose to die gently executing a plan of things I wanted to do after the news and before I went. I would think I would explain my choice to those around me at a living funeral like my 91 year old aunt whom I respect. She died in March.

 

[Trader.Fighter]

Quote from SimpleTrades:

I need the opinions of risk takers-traders.

1. Die gently over a period of a few months or weeks.
2. Die perhaps agonizingly over a period of weeks or months, but there is a 25% probability you will be cured.

You are 71 years old. Which option would you choose. No, I am not the one dying.

I choose 1, not afraid of dying, I embrace it, as it would bring me closer to the Lord.

 

[riskaddict]

for the sake of medicare just die! Once you're dead are you really gonna know any different? This would make a great interview question.

For me I guess it depends on the pain. Am I going to be shitting myself left and right and have no dignity or can I just suffer without having to bother anyone? My mother suffered for years and spent 100's of thousands of medicare's dollars trying to hold onto a painful miserable life and still ended up basically suffocating to death. And I'm not going to be polite about it it was a major burden on me at such a young age 28. My dad never went to a doctor and never really had many problems expect with what normally comes with old age. One day he had a heart attack while he was on the shitter. I'm glad I wasn't the one that found him. I feel bad for all these kids with old parents because many of them will be in the same boat as I was. Sorry none of this has anything to do with the question but i'm bored.

 

[Optionpro007]

I'd take 25% while reading and re-reading, every minute of everyday...

http://www.amazon.com/The-Biology-B...4534411&sr=8-1&keywords=the+biology+of+belief

 

[Ned Stark]

Depends on how well I lived those first 71 years. But, 1 sounds better than 2.

Quote from SimpleTrades:

I need the opinions of risk takers-traders.

1. Die gently over a period of a few months or weeks.
2. Die perhaps agonizingly over a period of weeks or months, but there is a 25% probability you will be cured.

You are 71 years old. Which option would you choose. No, I am not the one dying.

 

[ofthomas]

Quote from SimpleTrades:

I need the opinions of risk takers-traders.

1. Die gently over a period of a few months or weeks.
2. Die perhaps agonizingly over a period of weeks or months, but there is a 25% probability you will be cured.

You are 71 years old. Which option would you choose. No, I am not the one dying.

neither... well, more like a combo... and I assume we are talking about cancer, but the "25% prob of cured" is tricky... since there is no cure, merely remission...

3. go onto hospice, get the Fentanyl Transdermal Patch to control pain and be with little disconfort... go on about living as long as you can for as long as your quality of life is maintained.. make peace with all those around me and with myself, once my quality of life starts to suffer and I need a home aid to feed me, clean me, etc... then just add morphine to my pain protocol and die peacefully in my sleep... and it should be done via a morphine drip, so it is continuous and I am asleep while my body deteriorates and I dont wake up at all during the process.

that would be my choice, and I speak from personal experience.