Some dumb comments today

I have my first viral infection since being diagnosed and was wondering if I should do anything special so I calle my clinic and spoke with the nurse.

I have a sore throat and I was worried about it causing an an exacerbation. Is there anything I should do?

Are you feeling any numbness or tingling?

Well, I always feel numbness and tingling, so that's not going to tell us anything. I was just wondering if I should do anything.

Well, you could come in and see the nurse practitioner, but we're not going to give you solumedrol.

I don't want steroids, I haven't had an exacerbation. I just want to know if there's anything I need to do special. This is my first time with an infection.

Gargle with salt water. If it still hurts, you can gargle twice a day. Actually, you can gargle as often as you like. If it's still bad by Friday, you should call (insert my GP's name here) and make an apointment.

Salt. Thank you.

Later, i had one of those "I know someone with MS" converstions where they tell you how bad they are. If someone was fighting cancer and met someone in the bus and told them, they wouldn't say - "You have testicular caner? My nephew had it as well" How's he doing? "Oh, terrible. He died a very painful death."

No one would say that, but somehow with MS, they feel the need every time.

[CasinoKathy]

Geez-some people take the cake, don't they?!

I too get some DUMB comments from others at times. It takes alot of will power on my end to let it go and not come back with a "comment" of my own--one that would be quite "colorful" at that!

[tejokid]

Seems the response is too often one of the extremes--the "Cool Hand Luke" so-what's-the-big-deal? response such as you got, or the "Chicken Little" the-sky-is-falling over-reaction. It's usually Luke though--as in luke-warm. Even over the phone you can almost see them responding like a teenager--rolling their eyes, giving the "tsk" sound, and thinking what-ever-rrrrrrrr...

My PCP's nurse has always been friendly, chatty--and dingy as they come. Last week there was a new nurse there--I really had to keep an eye on her because she wasn't overly friendly, wasn't chatty, and she seemed so very...what's the word? Competent!

Questions are a search for information--the best people in the medical field are those who know that and really get the worry behind the question. Like, I think I'm coming down with something that could affect MS--what should I be watching for, and what can I do if this throat thing turns into the Awful-Awful Disease?

But then again, gargling can be a lot of fun, especially if you learn to vary the glarg-glarg sound enough to sound like a tune. I discovered the joys of garling when I was but a wee lassie--and my gargling sounds almost as good as my singing Hope you feel better quickly.

[roo613]

Some dyas it is easy to just let the comments go, and other days I just want to snap back.

I don't get the worst-case scenario one as much as I get, "well I know this lady who had MS, but she didn't have nearly the problems with that you do..." Why yes. I am the least dramatic person you know, but I choose to make this a bigger deal than others. Why yes. I just WANT to drag my leg or lay on the couch, unable to get up...

I feel your frustration Big A!

[journeyman]

Duhhh...

I'm not sure if they think they are helping or that we haven't heard all those before or that we are mentally handicapped or that we are stupid.

What I think is that they don't have a good answer and we will be dumb enough to accept their offering.
J.

[meissie47]

yeah i hear you. Im coming out of a flare right now and the comments i keep getting are "well you sound good,well you look good" as if that is suppose to make me feel better.

Makes me want to scream okay what am i suppose to sound and look like otherwise!

Lately i just try not to even answer the phone or steer the conversation in a different direction, because nobody in my circle really gets it because alot of my issues are not obvious.

[zippity]

Mammoth Mouth

I have had similiar experiences when calling the doctor. They think I am looking for something other than information.--- geez I am new to this I don't know what to expect so I am calling the doc. for clarification and that is all. And another thing:
sometimes I wish I would have never told some people because they have something brilliant to say sooo often!
i really only told my supervisors at work because I figured they should know why I walk like I'm drunk but one of them- who I call Mammoth Mouth- is really good at making me feel like my life is about to end and making me feel like I can't do anything -this is mostly based on her experience with someone she knows who has Ms and blah blah blah
on the bright side I haven't had anyone as me when my baby was due lately (not pregnant) Hang In There

[hunterd]

i, too get the same thing. just yesterday, i called the pcp because i`ve had a headache for 6 days. she called in an ANTIBIOTIC!!!!!!!!!!!! since when did an antibiotic fix a headache (i still have it)?
when i get the comments about ms (usually not a provoked conversation) and they are ludachris (sp), i`ll awnser with something so off the wall, they have to shut up because it was so stupid!!!!!!hehehe that might just be my devilish side, but the looks i get are priceless. i just try to have fun with it.

dave

[0485c10]

I suspect the topic of the thread went right over my head---sorry if i replied a little too concretely.

[wkikta]

The gargle with salt water thing is a very old, tried and true thing. Warm water, not hot, works much better. It will relieve many sore throats. A couple of times a day works great for me.

[rdmc]

Sometimes the ignorance of the general medical community can drive me crazy.

Take a UTI for instance. Nobody likes to have them, but try to explain to a GP, or a urologist, or urologist staff why you need to get in right away to be treated because it's making your MS so much worse, and you get treated with incredulity.

I've taken to just going to a walk-in if I get a UTI. Of course, I've been met with odd comments at the walk-in too.

In a doctor's office I tend to have HBP, it's perfectly normal at home, but shoots up at the docs. So the last walk in I went to, when the NP saw my BP was high thought I might be stroking out. I had written I had MS, and she knew I was there for a UTI...but I am faced with these questions:

Do you have any numbness?
(to which I reply, I have MS)

Do you have slurred speech?
(to which I reply, I have MS)

Do you have any weakness in a limb?
(to which I reply, I have MS)

It got to be funny because it was like the woman didn't have a clue. Oh well, not much we can do about it but endure.

[DianeD]

I am not a big fan of PA's and NP's, but everything is leaning that way. I am sure there are some good ones, but they have some limitations. One would be they don't know me like my doctor does and I don't know them.

We pay dearly to see a doctor but we end up seeing a less qualified individual. Does that mean the visit is less expensive (probably not(.

I just think that it can be more reassuring to have a doc dx your problems.

I personally get very irked if I take the time to go to the doc (heck, I see them when I sick and don't necessarily feel like going out!) and the asst. tells me to come back if I dont get better!!!

May as well go to the pharmacy and buy OTC stuff.

Wondering how you know you have an infection though. I'd demand they do a culture of your throat and if you do have one you insist on medication.

Grrrr....the situation makes me so mad.

Diane

[count5]

We are new to the world of MS. My husband was DX on July 2nd. Someone we know has been pushing that my husband start going to the gym with a trainer. Hubby is walking with a walker and wobbles pretty good. Yesterday she handed hubby a business card from trainer. Said her friend with MS, who has never had mobility issues, uses this trainer. The exercise is so great that his new MRI showed the lesions went away! Miracle!

[zippity]

count5 - wow how did that make him feel?

[BigA]

We are new to the world of MS. My husband was DX on July 2nd. Someone we know has been pushing that my husband start going to the gym with a trainer. Hubby is walking with a walker and wobbles pretty good. Yesterday she handed hubby a business card from trainer. Said her friend with MS, who has never had mobility issues, uses this trainer. The exercise is so great that his new MRI showed the lesions went away! Miracle!

There is evidence that exercise helps, but you cannot rush it. He needs to feel better and then exercise very slowly at first.