My dear fellow MSers,
my appologies that I haven't been on here a lot lately. You know how it is: sometimes you just don't feel like it, or it's the MS, that we can't concentrate on anything. So this is how it was with me for the last couple of months.
When I started being on MySpace I got luckily involved in the MS groups here.
At the very beginning one of my first comments was, that I've noticed that so many of you American MSers are on antidepressants, which is totally uncommon in my country (Germany).
That's why I would like to share this with you.
This message from a friend of mine just made my day:
>>Ok well ever since you mentioned that in the US, everyone (especially MS patients) is on antidepressants, I've been thinking about that. Several of my closest friends (without MS) are on them. What you said first got me to notice how really widespread antidepressant use is in this country. Why is that? Are we a nation of depressed people? Well, we are a nation of overweight people who eat primarily processed foods. Maybe that's it.
This coincides with an insurane issue causing me to have to quit "cold turkey" the strong antidepressant I've been taking for more than 2 years, Effexor. I am hating the withdrawal symptoms, so I've been researching this drug. It turns out it was CAUSING a lot of the problems I was attributing to my MS!!
For example, I've been struggling with the stairs and climbing at the hilly campus where I go to school. Turns out this drug has elevated my blood pressure and put strain on my heart. Weight gain, lack of sexual desire, feeling suicidal if I miss a dose, these are a few others. And quitting the drug is like torture.
Turns out our government food and drug administration has known about all this for years, but the pharmaceutical companies get out a stronger message to people through television advertising. Doctors apparently don't do ANY research.
Anyway, I know you were considering antidepressants. Unless depression is severe and life threatening, the benefits of these drugs (SSRIs) do not balance out the risks. Your comment was the original seed of my inquiry into this.<<
Now I know that we, that I, CAN make a difference!
Just another example:
I learned here online about the MShug which isn't known at all in Germany. And I got plenty of suggestions from YOU experts online what I can do to ease the pain.
So I really want to make you share more of your experiences! We can all learn from them. I thank you all for the advice I've gotten from you. Thanks.
And thanks for your attention.
Sending my support to all of you:
Regina.
my appologies that I haven't been on here a lot lately. You know how it is: sometimes you just don't feel like it, or it's the MS, that we can't concentrate on anything. So this is how it was with me for the last couple of months.
When I started being on MySpace I got luckily involved in the MS groups here.
At the very beginning one of my first comments was, that I've noticed that so many of you American MSers are on antidepressants, which is totally uncommon in my country (Germany).
That's why I would like to share this with you.
This message from a friend of mine just made my day:
>>Ok well ever since you mentioned that in the US, everyone (especially MS patients) is on antidepressants, I've been thinking about that. Several of my closest friends (without MS) are on them. What you said first got me to notice how really widespread antidepressant use is in this country. Why is that? Are we a nation of depressed people? Well, we are a nation of overweight people who eat primarily processed foods. Maybe that's it.
This coincides with an insurane issue causing me to have to quit "cold turkey" the strong antidepressant I've been taking for more than 2 years, Effexor. I am hating the withdrawal symptoms, so I've been researching this drug. It turns out it was CAUSING a lot of the problems I was attributing to my MS!!
For example, I've been struggling with the stairs and climbing at the hilly campus where I go to school. Turns out this drug has elevated my blood pressure and put strain on my heart. Weight gain, lack of sexual desire, feeling suicidal if I miss a dose, these are a few others. And quitting the drug is like torture.
Turns out our government food and drug administration has known about all this for years, but the pharmaceutical companies get out a stronger message to people through television advertising. Doctors apparently don't do ANY research.
Anyway, I know you were considering antidepressants. Unless depression is severe and life threatening, the benefits of these drugs (SSRIs) do not balance out the risks. Your comment was the original seed of my inquiry into this.<<
Now I know that we, that I, CAN make a difference!
Just another example:
I learned here online about the MShug which isn't known at all in Germany. And I got plenty of suggestions from YOU experts online what I can do to ease the pain.
So I really want to make you share more of your experiences! We can all learn from them. I thank you all for the advice I've gotten from you. Thanks.
And thanks for your attention.
Sending my support to all of you:
Regina.
********************************************
Narrow minded people
I had one of those good ones today, ya know?
1. but you don't look sick at all(so I'm just acting as if, or what? When I don't feel well nobody gets to see me, because I'll rest in bed or on the couch.)
2. I know that, too. I have tongue twisters all the time
(well fine, so you got MS, too?)
3. you keep forgetting things? But me also, that's normal(but I am not normal, I AM ILL!)
4. you just gotta go back to work, and you'll be back on track again!(I know, all my doctors have to be wrong, the government agency who put me on disability, too, and the ones who got me retired, as well, huh?)
5. what does multiple sclerosis mean anyway?
(many scars in my head)
oh, then that's why you put on make up?(no, I put on make up to look better than I feel, and the scars are in my brain, not on my face!)
*sighing*
No. 5 came from a 10-year-old, so this one is excusable.
But with all the others... remember my two blogs on MS? Go, have a scroll through them, and go back far enough. There's one about the top ten things not to say to a person with MS (just if you're seriously interested in my life), and there's one blog about how us with MS feel. Those blogs are very interesting, and they (like a couple of others) show how my allday life mostly is. I believe that you of my friends who have multiple sclerosis too, know what I write about here, and you also know how frustrating days like this one today are to us!
I just felt like sharing.
Good night, I gotta rest now, my knees are killing me today, besides all the "normal" stuff, listed above, and besides all the stuff I didn't even mention (there's a big list of usual stuff in one of my other blogs...).
Tired of thinking now:
yours,
Regina.
1. but you don't look sick at all(so I'm just acting as if, or what? When I don't feel well nobody gets to see me, because I'll rest in bed or on the couch.)
2. I know that, too. I have tongue twisters all the time
(well fine, so you got MS, too?)
3. you keep forgetting things? But me also, that's normal(but I am not normal, I AM ILL!)
4. you just gotta go back to work, and you'll be back on track again!(I know, all my doctors have to be wrong, the government agency who put me on disability, too, and the ones who got me retired, as well, huh?)
5. what does multiple sclerosis mean anyway?
(many scars in my head)
oh, then that's why you put on make up?(no, I put on make up to look better than I feel, and the scars are in my brain, not on my face!)
*sighing*
No. 5 came from a 10-year-old, so this one is excusable.
But with all the others... remember my two blogs on MS? Go, have a scroll through them, and go back far enough. There's one about the top ten things not to say to a person with MS (just if you're seriously interested in my life), and there's one blog about how us with MS feel. Those blogs are very interesting, and they (like a couple of others) show how my allday life mostly is. I believe that you of my friends who have multiple sclerosis too, know what I write about here, and you also know how frustrating days like this one today are to us!
I just felt like sharing.
Good night, I gotta rest now, my knees are killing me today, besides all the "normal" stuff, listed above, and besides all the stuff I didn't even mention (there's a big list of usual stuff in one of my other blogs...).
Tired of thinking now:
yours,
Regina.
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