I just had a really interesting talk with my mother. I wish I could tell you it all, but most of it is really for family only. It's the sort of deep stuff that one goes into, after a funeral (which went well, BTW). We did, however, compare the management of chronic illness with the management of the aches and pains of advancing age. There are a lot of similarities.

My thought was that managing either is like teaching a classroom of year ten boys (age fifteen and full of recalcitrance and originality and hormones and follow-the-sheep-into-idiocy). My mother is going to consider this deeply through her medical appointments next week and get back to me. She's an ex-teacher and has taught many groups of year ten boys in her time. My argument was that a pasing grade is when we are able to lead a carefully managed but full life and a fail means giving up. Her answer was "We'll see."