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 Introduction
Regardless of your illness, you are likely to share many concerns
with others who face life-threatening disease, including the fears,
worries, and needs for information and support that accompany this
critical time in your life. Your particular illness will shape some
of what you can expect to happen, and even how much can be predicted.
It helps to know that doctors often can give only very general guidance
on how long you will live, and what problems are likely to arise.
Like birth, death is not always predictable or logical. Nevertheless,
you should press your doctor, and often a knowledgeable nurse, to
tell you the best and worst that your illness is likely to cause.
Organizations devoted to a particular illness can provide you with
helpful information and resources, often connecting you to support
groups based in your own community. Only a few, though, are prepared
to deal with the problems that illnesses cause close to the end
of life. The Internet, which can be reached through terminals at
many public libraries, offers an overwhelming amount of information.
Be cautious in relying on some of the information posted in newsgroups
or on bulletin boards; some of it will be no more reliable than
advice you might get from a random person sitting with you on a
bus. Check it out with your nurse or doctor before you trust it.
One reliable source of information is the federal government's site,
healthfinder http://www.healthfinder.gov/, which screens sites before
adding links to them.
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