Do you ever use your "MS card"?

[lilly.hewlett]

Where I live and with the insurance I have it can take 3 months to get in to see the dr. So my Neuro is really the only one that I play the MS card with. So far in MY ms life, some little bugs, things that bother no one else, and others wouldnt sneeze at *have* turned into be much bigger than anyone expected.

[Tawanda]

Oh, and for those who said it was unethical, really? Getting in to see your dr when you are sick is unethical??

Living in So. Cal, a reg dr visit can take 2-3 weeks to get in.

Not offended. I don't know about you, but I'd rather be healthy and burn my M.S. Card (and my SSDI card for all that matters)!

We MSers have to protect whatever health we still have with everything we've got (if not for ourselves, than for the people who love us). On the flip-side, I sometimes play the "Denial Card" with disasterous results.

[KatieDidNOT]

Thank you for the replys and I am truly sorry if my post offended anyone.

Hi JBell-

I read someone say on this Board once that it is better to PO people that you don't know, than to PO those that you love.

And you know what? We have all written one of those posts, so let me be the first to officially welcome you to the club! You have now been officially initiated into MSWorld.

When I first saw your post, I thought, "Ohh.....this is going to be interesting." And it has been.

I don't think I personally have ever responded to one of your posts yet, but I have read them...and I think you ask some really good questions. You are still relatively new at this and are still trying to gather all the information you can about this disease. And that is a really good thing.

No...I have never played my MS card...but you know what? I just might given the right circumstance. And I think with you being so new to this and just starting Copaxone (without training, which was very brave)...it was O.K. for you to play that card.

MS is scary, but gets less scary over time.

Cheers--Katie

[jbell2435]

@Katie

Thanks for the welcome to another club I didn't want to join!

I truly didn't think the post would be taken so offensively...that is not my style and I feel pretty bad about it. Your response made me cry...not sure why, but I guess I do need to hear some encouragement once in a while.

I'll just stick to asking medical questions I guess. It's safer.

[AnneLouise]

Ms may have eroded my brain, but antibiotics are not for colds or viruses, correct? I am under the impression that they are for infections. I dread antibiotics because I don't need a yeast infection!! I used to work with a guy that went to the doc for antibiotics every time he got a cold. I guess he didn't want to deal with it. "What are you going to do if you really get sick?" He would just shrug me off. A cold will last a least a week. That's the way it is.

[SNOOPY]

Ms may have eroded my brain, but antibiotics are not for colds or viruses, correct?

AnneLouise, you are correct. Antibiotics are not for colds/viruses/the flu or a "bug' but for infections.

MelissaQ:

The office staff in your drs office aren't going to be aware that you are a special circumstance

Just because you get a virus and have MS does not make you a special circumstance.

[Cat Mom]

I can only speak for myself but I like reading others' perspective on the non-medical stuff, whether I agree or not. These kinds of topics allow me to see the human side of MS (the diagnosed and the undiagnosed).

Some of us live in an MS bubble, I feel like a total FREAK sometimes and being able to see these discussion threads always helps me to feel so not alone.

[Waydwnsouth1]

Well this an interesting topic. I believe one time or another we have used our MS to get out of or get into things. I have never said "I have MS" so I need to ...... Now I have used it to leave functions that I no longer wanted to be at. The way I looked at that is a polite way to exit and nobody gets their feelings hurt.

[jbell2435]

for the record, she dx as an infection. others that had this were put on antibiotics. and you are correct, I am not special, but I do expect to see a dr when I am sick, regardless of the ms.

[MarkLavelle]

I'll just stick to asking medical questions I guess.

What kind of boring community would only be interested in medical questions?!

[seeuinct]

jbell

Don't take what some of the posters have commented about your post to heart. Some people like to be opinionated and tell you when they think you are wrong.
I truly think you made the best decision for YOU at the time. NO ONE should find fault in that IMHO, since we all need to take care of ourselves. Flu, bug, infection, cold....they all can make you feel bad and if you have MS they can make you feel worse. Good for you fro sticking up for yourself!
Glad you are feeling better

[JILLSHYE]

Please do not feel bad here...I can tell you for ME, knowing what I know now after surviving a hellish week and a half of a pseudo relapse from hell where literally I could not see, move, let alone breathe to take care of my three children under eight and knowing I could have at least shortened or minimize the time spent inhaling vicodin and neurontin from the pain by seeing a doctor????? Hell yeah...I will plead, beg, and yes use the MS card to avoid a repeat episode. I am sooo glad you are feeling better

[jbell2435]

seeuinct

Thanks...I was pretty floored by some of the comments. I don't think I have ever in my life been accused of being inconsiderate, selfish, or unethical!

Kind of sucks when you are already dealing with this disease and all the uncertainties and emotions. The hardest thing for me is not being able to know what to expect next, yet intellectually I know that is not possible.

I have come here for support, understanding, experience, and information and that I have received mostly so I am very grateful for that.

Thanks again for the support.

[gomer]

I am sure most/all of us are bias or jaded by our own personal life experiences.

In my case, I go Gomer'd for over a week before the sick bay(navy) doc got mad and marched me down to Xray, saying he was going to PROVE there was nothing wrong with me. Next he called the ambulance, taken to the base hospital. There I was written up for criminal violation of UCMJ for failure to seek medical treatment. The Hosp doc pointed out a place for me to request anything for my defense. I requested my sick bay records for the previous 10 days, end of story.

After the Navy, I had a sore throat. I saw my fam doc. Then about a week or so later, I called him and asked for a F/U apt. He REFUSED to see me, saying he had "sick patients" that needed him and I had a simple sore throat.

MY boss at work nervously asked me if I would see a co doc. It was obvious to everyone around me something was seriously wrong. I said YES and noted my fam doc had refused to see me. I saw the Co doc in the morning, was given a clean bill of health and returned to work in time for lunch. That evening after dinner and a couple little sips of Coke; it was a meat wagon ride to ER and admitted. That was when I was formally, rude and crude Dx with diabetes.

My experiences are not that of the average Joe but it is MY experience, and remains so, even today.

Last month I fell in the driveway. I could not get up. My wife called 911, they pasted the house a couple times, we had to call 911 yet again and tell them that. Got to the ER, rude Xray crew said no broken bones, bruised muscles I was told & given mild pain killer & sent home.

Two days later my kidney's went into acute failure. I was still in severe pain due to ineffective pain pills and had to call 911 to even get out of my chair. Then off to ER yet again. Pulled/bruised muscles are not usually traumatic enough to trigger acute kidney failure. New Xray crew, much nicer and more competent found FIVE broken ribs.

They put me on morphine for the pain, IV for my kidneys and admitted to nurse Ratchet's (one flew over the Cuckoo's nest) training ward. I can only wonder, what if my kidneys had not started shutting down, would I be forced to linger in far worse pain, unable to even get out of my chair for who knows how long?

Weird I know, but that is MY typical experience.

Good thing I knew the signs of kidney failure, MY fam doc said it would have been much worse ahd I not gotten to ER right away. MY kidneys recovered from the acute failure, but, still have stage 3 chronic kidney disease.

Gomer My world, from my experience & vantage point

[MelissaQ]

I'm sorry but I disagree SNOOPY. For people with chronic illnesses, a small little cold virus can be debilitating. I have seen this first hand, not from my own experience so far - knock on wood, but from my mother and my aunt who have become so so sick from something as minor as a cold.

And yes, a virus does not go away with an antibiotic, but when does someone know for sure if they have a virus vs an infection if they are not seen by a physician.

I don't know if "special circumstance" is the word to use or not, but it's not the same for someone who has MS.