What would you do if you won a million pounds/dollars ?

A million doesn't go far any more.      Most properties are in the £500k area which only leaves £500k left to live on - and with almost zero interest rates, that's £25k annually for only 20 years.

A better bet might be buying a couple of flats to rent out for income and then live in a camper van and see the world.

Well, I could probably get something decent here in the North East for much less so I guess it depends quite heavily on location. 

Here as well, I could get 3 - 4 small houses to rent out @around £80 - £100k each and bring in a decent stream of passive income, even after paying agents, maintenance and tax.  It might not sit well with my socialist principles, but since my back's against the wall in terms of planning for my family's future, needs must.     

how about a holiday home somewhere ? 

you would end up a multi-millionaire :)

After paying your taxes on that £1M BUY a lot of shiny yellow metal coins. Hide them well, and ensure only the right people can find them after you kark it. Draw from your stash as required.. *Hint* if you buy certain UK and commonwealth issued Yellow shiny coins, even if they go up in value you pay no CGT. Saving in gold makes it less likely that you will fritter away your savings thoughtlessly too. (I can suffer from this problem...) It goes without saying that you cannot boast about this form of savings like you can about "money in the bank"...

There, for the grace of God, go I.

Oh, I do hope they'll be able to help.  In theory a beer tap style device sounds very useful but I expect that there can be complications from this kind of intervention.  Hopefully it'll just need tweaking to provide better drainage and relief.

Best of luck for tomorrow!   

They fit a beer tap - like a Watneys Party Seven       It gets punched into my side and connected to a measuring bag.

I'm not totally sure what the problem is - the draining should have fixed it but I think I'll be on a drip tomorrow while they fit a feeding tube.

I'm suffering from massive acid reflux which builds up until I'm sick - it's a real drag.

Oh, Plastic, I'm so sorry to hear this!  2 gallons is an awful lot!  I might have that sort of amount inside me too and one of my fantasies is of having a kind of rubber-tapping device fitted to keep draining my abdomen!   I seem to remember a documentary about a woman with cancer ("Living with Lesley"?) who stayed at home but had a little hand pump to drain the fluid herself.  

Unable to eat or drink - are they planning on tube-feeding you?  I do hope they're able to help you, even if just a little, cos comfort and quality of life are so important too. 

My very best wishes to you! 

Thanks for the memories!

Hiya Jenny

50/50 is terrifying - literally being put to sleep.

When you say about looking pregnant - I had over 2 gallons of fluid drained from my abdomen last week.   I gave birth to a 23lb puddle   

I'm in a serious way right now - might not see the end of next week - lots of things are swinging into action - probably in hospital tomorrow as I'm unable to eat or drink..

thanks for the advice  its hard to know these days what to do ---- eg saving money is no longer good advice !

It depends...   it would need very high levels of trust and confidence for me to take that step.  It does, after all, give them a LOT of power, including the power to make you homeless or make foolish decisions which cannot be reversed.   I'd discuss it with a solicitor, paying considerable attention to a whole host of "What ifs".  Not all of these are likely or pleasant, but when it comes to legal matters I think it's better to dot the Is and cross the Ts. 

e.g. What if one of them predeceases me?  What if one of them needs to claim benefits?  What if they disagree on a sale or rental?  Might one of them try to buy the other(s) out and what might be the consequences?  What if they fall into debt and the property needs to be sold to pay it?  Where might I live if the worst happens (bad financial decisions and the bailiffs are coming round)?  What if they marry/divorce/have kids themselves?  The list goes on (and apologies that it's a bit of a sad and sorry one).   

My personal approach is to try and stay in the driving seat for as long as possible but also make reasonable plans and make these known.  Some of these might be clear cut, others not so much so.  And the time might also come for Power of Attorney.  One bit of advice to us from our late mother, "If I'm getting weaker and frailer, drain the accounts!"

Thanks Plastic.  Yes, I can imagine how they might have messed you up and, as you're no doubt aware, it's not a step to be taken lightly.  I wish all parts were guaranteed to last a lifetime but it seems not all bodies are made that way. 

50/50 feels quite scary to me and of course there's a strong feeling that we shouldn't be in this position, especially when we have family responsibilities.  I'm trying to avoid the slab too because, even if this disease does turn out to be my exit visa from this world, I'd prefer to die in my own bed and not have a bunch of masked medics as the last people I see!  

Generally, though, I think I'd feel less worried if the Care Act was sorted out.  As it stands, I just think that everything we've planned for could be lost if, say, one of us had stroke or heart attack, to say nothing of a flare up of the conditions we already have.  

I wish I had a solution  - I would readily share it - but instead I combine various strategies with a good dollop of hoping for the best!   

oh i know the urge to look after the kids. I hope to put my house and properties in there name soon. DO u think that is wise ?

So sorry to hear you're in such a poor medical state - I've been on immunosuppressants in the past and the really messed me up,

They've offered me a surgical option too - a 24hr operation, 50% chance of dying on the slab - maybe to gain another year.

My family need me too - I shouldn't be in this position either - I really feel for you.

I hope you get the solution that works for you.

Best wishes.

I hope so, but I'm also aware that I'm chucking many of my principles overboard.  Ideologically I feel opposed to rentierism and private healthcare.  But I need to square that with the need to provide for the people I've brought into this (often less than caring) world.  :(

if was a billionaire i would post u a million  u sound a magnificent mum

Nah, I'm hoping they'll last as long as I do.  But I'm mindful that around 50% of people with my diagnosis reach kidney failure by age 60 (I'm 58) and the risks then go up as each year passes.  My liver is a total mess and I look heavily pregnant all the time.  However, it functions so I'm not going to get to the top of the transplant list that easily, if I even wanted to.   They did offer to put me on it, and some of that would depend on finding a good enough match, but I'm also extremely averse to having my liver removed, replaced with someone else's and then having to take immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of my life.  If my liver was actually failing, I'd have to go through it, but the surgery is not without its risks (incl. a 1% chance of dying on the slab and a 20% chance of some quite significant post operative complications).  And my family really, really needs me.      

So the current position is one of feathering this little nest we have as best we can, whilst trying to provide for the future but being all too aware that care costs could wipe it all out and leave our adult offspring at the mercy of the DWP (which I'm keen to avoid after various negative experiences with them over the years).  I also tread a fine line between saving and buying in therapy, courses and webinars to try to plug the gap left by inadequate services. 

I suppose I'm saying that it'd be all very well getting £1m, but keeping it and passing it on might prove tricky.       

Nah, I'm hoping they'll last as long as I do.  But I'm mindful that around 50% of people with my diagnosis reach kidney failure by age 60 (I'm 58) and the risks then go up as each year passes.  My liver is a total mess and I look heavily pregnant all the time.  However, it functions so I'm not going to get to the top of the transplant list that easily, if I even wanted to.   They did offer to put me on it, and some of that would depend on finding a good enough match, but I'm also extremely averse to having my liver removed, replaced with someone else's and then having to take immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of my life.  If my liver was actually failing, I'd have to go through it, but the surgery is not without its risks (incl. a 1% chance of dying on the slab and a 20% chance of some quite significant post operative complications).  And my family really, really needs me.      

So the current position is one of feathering this little nest we have as best we can, whilst trying to provide for the future but being all too aware that care costs could wipe it all out and leave our adult offspring at the mercy of the DWP (which I'm keen to avoid after various negative experiences with them over the years).  I also tread a fine line between saving and buying in therapy, courses and webinars to try to plug the gap left by inadequate services. 

I suppose I'm saying that it'd be all very well getting £1m, but keeping it and passing it on might prove tricky.       

After paying your taxes on that £1M BUY a lot of shiny yellow metal coins. Hide them well, and ensure only the right people can find them after you kark it. Draw from your stash as required.. *Hint* if you buy certain UK and commonwealth issued Yellow shiny coins, even if they go up in value you pay no CGT. Saving in gold makes it less likely that you will fritter away your savings thoughtlessly too. (I can suffer from this problem...) It goes without saying that you cannot boast about this form of savings like you can about "money in the bank"...

There, for the grace of God, go I.

Oh, I do hope they'll be able to help.  In theory a beer tap style device sounds very useful but I expect that there can be complications from this kind of intervention.  Hopefully it'll just need tweaking to provide better drainage and relief.

Best of luck for tomorrow!   

They fit a beer tap - like a Watneys Party Seven       It gets punched into my side and connected to a measuring bag.

I'm not totally sure what the problem is - the draining should have fixed it but I think I'll be on a drip tomorrow while they fit a feeding tube.

I'm suffering from massive acid reflux which builds up until I'm sick - it's a real drag.

Oh, Plastic, I'm so sorry to hear this!  2 gallons is an awful lot!  I might have that sort of amount inside me too and one of my fantasies is of having a kind of rubber-tapping device fitted to keep draining my abdomen!   I seem to remember a documentary about a woman with cancer ("Living with Lesley"?) who stayed at home but had a little hand pump to drain the fluid herself.  

Unable to eat or drink - are they planning on tube-feeding you?  I do hope they're able to help you, even if just a little, cos comfort and quality of life are so important too. 

My very best wishes to you! 

Thanks for the memories!

Hiya Jenny

50/50 is terrifying - literally being put to sleep.

When you say about looking pregnant - I had over 2 gallons of fluid drained from my abdomen last week.   I gave birth to a 23lb puddle   

I'm in a serious way right now - might not see the end of next week - lots of things are swinging into action - probably in hospital tomorrow as I'm unable to eat or drink..

thanks for the advice  its hard to know these days what to do ---- eg saving money is no longer good advice !

It depends...   it would need very high levels of trust and confidence for me to take that step.  It does, after all, give them a LOT of power, including the power to make you homeless or make foolish decisions which cannot be reversed.   I'd discuss it with a solicitor, paying considerable attention to a whole host of "What ifs".  Not all of these are likely or pleasant, but when it comes to legal matters I think it's better to dot the Is and cross the Ts. 

e.g. What if one of them predeceases me?  What if one of them needs to claim benefits?  What if they disagree on a sale or rental?  Might one of them try to buy the other(s) out and what might be the consequences?  What if they fall into debt and the property needs to be sold to pay it?  Where might I live if the worst happens (bad financial decisions and the bailiffs are coming round)?  What if they marry/divorce/have kids themselves?  The list goes on (and apologies that it's a bit of a sad and sorry one).   

My personal approach is to try and stay in the driving seat for as long as possible but also make reasonable plans and make these known.  Some of these might be clear cut, others not so much so.  And the time might also come for Power of Attorney.  One bit of advice to us from our late mother, "If I'm getting weaker and frailer, drain the accounts!"

Thanks Plastic.  Yes, I can imagine how they might have messed you up and, as you're no doubt aware, it's not a step to be taken lightly.  I wish all parts were guaranteed to last a lifetime but it seems not all bodies are made that way. 

50/50 feels quite scary to me and of course there's a strong feeling that we shouldn't be in this position, especially when we have family responsibilities.  I'm trying to avoid the slab too because, even if this disease does turn out to be my exit visa from this world, I'd prefer to die in my own bed and not have a bunch of masked medics as the last people I see!  

Generally, though, I think I'd feel less worried if the Care Act was sorted out.  As it stands, I just think that everything we've planned for could be lost if, say, one of us had stroke or heart attack, to say nothing of a flare up of the conditions we already have.  

I wish I had a solution  - I would readily share it - but instead I combine various strategies with a good dollop of hoping for the best!   

oh i know the urge to look after the kids. I hope to put my house and properties in there name soon. DO u think that is wise ?

So sorry to hear you're in such a poor medical state - I've been on immunosuppressants in the past and the really messed me up,

They've offered me a surgical option too - a 24hr operation, 50% chance of dying on the slab - maybe to gain another year.

My family need me too - I shouldn't be in this position either - I really feel for you.

I hope you get the solution that works for you.

Best wishes.

I hope so, but I'm also aware that I'm chucking many of my principles overboard.  Ideologically I feel opposed to rentierism and private healthcare.  But I need to square that with the need to provide for the people I've brought into this (often less than caring) world.  :(

if was a billionaire i would post u a million  u sound a magnificent mum