Montel Williams
Cowboy
Copyright 2003 Johnson Publishing Company, Inc.
Jet
July 21, 2003
Montel Williams: Talk Show Host Discusses His Battle With MS And His Battle
With Hollywood
MARGENA A. CHRISTIAN
Montel Williams is a fighter. He knows how to kick down doors and make a way
for himself.
He has had his share of curve balls thrown in his path, but none like the
one thrown in 1999. That year he was diagnosed with MS (multiple sclerosis),
a debilitating autoimmune disease that affects the brain and spinal cord.
Williams recently shared his thoughts with JET about his struggles with MS
and Hollywood's perception of him since revealing his illness.
"I have to face the stigma. The fact that people know there is something
wrong," says Williams. "We look at illness in America as weakness. I may be
ill, but I am for damn sure not weak by anybody's stretch of the
imagination. It's a tough one. That's the hardest battle to overcome."
Dealing with the disease has been an adjustment, he says. His body is
plagued by pain 24 hours a day. The extreme nerve pain, he says, causes
problems in his lower extremities.
"It's mostly in my feet, shins and the back of my calves. In that area it
can be so painful that I don't want to put my feet on the floor."
Self-healing and self-thinking, along with a multitiered approach to
medication, have helped him in handling the illness.
"I take the traditional medication. I go after a holistic approach and I'm
taking some vitamins and some herbs and some things that I know now after
four years have benefited me immensely. I'm also on a hormonal replacement
kind of therapy. A lot of people find this questionable, but I know how well
I'm doing. That's what's important to me. What I take may not work for
someone else. That's what's so insidious about this illness."
He also goes to the gym every day. Two years ago he wrote the book
Body-Change: Beyond Maintenance along with Wini Linguvic. The book details a
21-day aerobic exercise program that was developed to help Williams take
control of his life again.
Working out, he has learned, has assisted in counterbalancing some of the
debilitating, spastic kinds of things that affect coordination. Snowboarding
has been extremely beneficial for him as well.
"With snowboarding, your feet are locked in. That sport is like a
therapeutic training tool for someone who has MS like I do. It puts you back
in contact with your feet. Heat can be an exacerbant for people with MS.
Summer months can bring me down. It is better for me to do things in the
cold, cooler weather."
Now in his 12th season as host of his daily, hour-long "The Montel Williams
Show," he serves as the executive producer and corporate owner of the show.
Three shows are taped a day, two days a week. Some days he might have 30
different guests. He doesn't use a teleprompter; he relies on memory and
research. His work on the show earned him a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding
Talk Show Host in 1996.
"Our main objective was to make sure we didn't disrespect our viewer's
living rooms. That's a part of the reason why the public was able to discern
the difference early on that this show is different. Since I've been on the
air, like over 140 talk shows have come and gone and we're still here."
His diagnosis has not knocked him off kilter, yet he notices that Hollywood
is a bit cautious to reach out to him.
"I've been doing this talk show and going into my 13th year and never missed
a day at work. Still there are people in Hollywood who question whether my
illness would thwart me from doing a stint in a movie or at another job when
I'm very clearly working four jobs at the same time. It's very easy,
especially in this profession, once you give people an excuse. They will
have an excuse to use."
Williams has always stood out head and shoulders above the rest. The
Baltimore native, a former commissioned officer in the Navy, made history in
1975 when he became the first Black enlisted Marine selected to the Naval
Academy Prep School. When he graduated, he received a presidential
appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy. While there he studied Mandarin
Chinese and earned a degree in general engineering with a minor in
international security affairs. Later he studied and obtained a degree in
Russian from the Defense Language Institute.
He has always known how to make people listen when he opens his mouth. His
work as a fiery motivational speaker and as an award-winning talk show host
in Denver helped pave the way for his own show in September of 1991.
Having his talk show credentials doesn't mean that he wants to pigeonhole
himself as just a talk show host. He has enjoyed acting roles on "JAG" and
"Touched By An Angel." In 1995, he developed, executive-produced and starred
in his own prime-time dramatic series, Matt Waters. TV viewers might recall
seeing him more recently on "American Dreams." Last season he portrayed a
minister on the series. He will reprise that character in the upcoming
season with a recurring role.
He has also authored books, his best-selling autobiography, Mountain, Get
Out Of My Way, and others like Life Lessons and Reflections, Practical
Parenting and A Dozen Ways to Sunday.
A personal project that Williams has been passionate about bringing to the
silver screen is the story of Bass Reeves, a former slave believed to be the
first Black deputy marshal commissioned west of the Mississippi River. It
bothers Williams that Hollywood has been reluctant to embrace the project.
"It's ignorant to me that Hollywood would dare take the characteristics of
this man and give them to everybody else and not do a movie about him , , ,
He was one of the most phenomenal characters of the Wild West and the
bravest, but no one has ever heard of him before."
History shows that in Reeves' 32-year-career, he caught more than 3,000
desperados, capturing more bad guys than anybody in the history of the U.S.
marshals. He was never wounded and on multiple occasions he brought back
20-plus desperadoes by himself. Reeves was the only person to carry guns
backwards in his holster because he was such a fast draw. He was the only
U.S. marshal at the time allowed to collect the full bounty on people he
went out to get. He had a cook and other marshals who were White who worked
for him.
"People might think this is a Black story, but this is an American story. If
it was Clint Eastwood, [the story] would have been made 75 times. Every
portion of his life would have been made into a movie."
With that project thrown against the magic wall and as he "waits to see if
something sticks," Williams is working on an all-inclusive book on MS. He
also continues work with the Montel Williams MS Foundation, which provides
financial assistance to select organizations and institutions, conducting
research to raise national awareness and to educate the public. It's one of
the only foundations in this country where 100 percent of the money donated
goes to research.
"It is an everyday struggle, but somebody's gotta be in it, and I'm in it to
win it. I worry less about the 'Oh, woe is me' part of it and more about
'Let's get busy and figure out how to end it' , , , I will be around for a
lot more rounds."
GRAPHIC: Picture 1, Montel Williams lets no mountain stand in his way-not
even MS. The Emmy Award-winning talk show host continues to be a major
player in the talk show arena in spite of his 1999 diagnosis.; Picture 2,
"The Montel Williams Show" first aired in 1991. It remains one of the top
talk shows on the air. "It's not just about telling a story," he says. "It's
about peeling an onion and telling every aspect of that story. One of those
layers of that onion is what may help save someone else's life."; Picture 3,
Williams is congratulated by fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger and MS cure
activist Nancy Davis after Williams received the first-ever Man of Courage
Award at the 7th Annual Race To Erase MS ceremony in 2000., Bill Jones;
Picture 4, Williams enjoys some time snowboarding. The sport has assisted
him in handling the illness.
--
For this and many more articles, see Paul Jones' website at
http://www.mult-sclerosis.org/
Robert
>
> Copyright 2003 Johnson Publishing Company, Inc.
> Jet
>
> July 21, 2003
> Montel Williams: Talk Show Host Discusses His Battle With MS And His Battle
> With Hollywood
>
> MARGENA A. CHRISTIAN
>
>
> "I take the traditional medication. I go after a holistic approach and I'm
> taking some vitamins and some herbs and some things that I know now after
> four years have benefited me immensely. I'm also on a hormonal replacement
> kind of therapy.
Wouldn't it be a hoot if the HRT made him grow tits!?!? His "disability"
would be pretty evident then, wouldn't it? Cocky bastard.
Glen Appleby
alt.support.mult-sclerosis,Robert <rob...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
[Montey Williams was quoted as saying:]
>>I'm also on a hormonal replacement kind of therapy.
>
>Wouldn't it be a hoot if the HRT made him grow tits!?!?
Fortunately, all people do not get all hormones in all cases.
The hormones, that he is given, might be testosterone or (as in
another discussion) growth hormone.
>His "disability"
>would be pretty evident then, wouldn't it? Cocky bastard.
Tits AND cocky? Wouldn't that make him a he/she? He'd be a real
hit in prison!
--
"Who we are and who we become depends, in part, on whom we love."
-- "A General Theory Of Love" Thanks, Mom
______________________________________________________________
Glen Appleby gl...@armory.com <HTTP://www.armory.com/~glena/>
Jennifer
anything that he thinks might help him stay healthy. Many of the people here
take things that aren't mainstream or often take very different paths. But
the main goal for everyone here is to enjoy life and try to stay as healthy
as long as we can.
Jen (who has taken the alternative approach by telling people to bugger off
when they tell me to slow down)
"Robert" <rob...@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:3F1E8B...@bellsouth.net...
Robert
>
> Why do you call [Montel] a cocky bastard? He sounds like someone who is doing
> anything that he thinks might help him stay healthy. Many of the people here
> take things that aren't mainstream or often take very different paths. But
> the main goal for everyone here is to enjoy life and try to stay as healthy
> as long as we can.
I guess the short answer is because he *is* a cocky bastard. His
disability is minimal and he takes such a dramatic posture like he is at
maximum disability but *he* won't be held down! He is in good shape, all
things considered with MS, and I, personally, think a little humility
would do him wonders. Just IMO, but that's the impression I get. Let him
spend a couple of days in a wheelchair or on crutches and I feel his
perpective might change.
NO_SPAM@hotmail.com David SH
Hollywood
> is a bit cautious to reach out to him.
Might this not just be because he's not very good at what he does? Of all
the satellite junk talk shows, his surely has to be the worst. Blaming MS
for people not 'reaching out' (vile phrase btw) might just show that he's
not as okay with his MS has he tends to suggest.
Rgds
Jennifer
haven't changed one bit. I kept on fighting right thru it an kept my
positive attitude even though I had no career, wasn't sure if I could finish
my schooling, wasn't sure if I could play my flute or piano, etc. I made
other plans. Luckily I have recovered 100% and am doing all that I want.
However, if I do progress downwards I will still think and act the way I do
now. I don't think he's cocky, I think he has confidence.
Jen
"Robert" <rob...@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:3F1F02...@bellsouth.net...
Jennifer
Yes, I turn over some shows because I hate the topics but I have always
liked Montel..pre and post MS
Jen
"David SH" <whitepyjamas_ NO_...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:bfmvuf$573$1...@sparta.btinternet.com...
Debra Blackwell
how could you possibly know what level his disability is?
IMO, i see a little denial there with montel. but, we should, and i say
should, know that a little denial can be a good thing. keeps us going
longer, helps us fight.
---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
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JiLs
health to that attitude, and suggest that if only YOU had my attitude, you could
throw away your walker/wheelchair/leg braces/etc.
whereas the truth of the matter is that ms comes in all flavours; some people improve
regardless of what they do, some continue to get worse despite their best efforts.
like you say, jen, luckily you've recovered 100%. and "luckily" may well be the
operative word.
robert, get a better 'tude man. at least you'll be able to call montel a cocky
bastard with a smile on your face.
"Jennifer" <Jno...@shaw.ca> wrote in message
news:dEGTa.498237$ro6.11...@news2.calgary.shaw.ca...
Glen Appleby
alt.support.mult-sclerosis,"JiLs" <ji...@optusNOSPAMnet.com.au>
wrote:
>whereas the truth of the matter is that ms comes in all flavours; some people improve
>regardless of what they do, some continue to get worse despite their best efforts.
>like you say, jen, luckily you've recovered 100%. and "luckily" may well be the
>operative word.
Might this "luck" be that the MS is still a relapsing/remitting
form?
Robert
>
> ...I don't think [Montel's] cocky, I think he has confidence.
OK, potato, potahto. I feel his confidence is too high making him come
off as cocky. I still say a little humility would do him good.
His disability (as far as I can tell or have seen) is minimal. Good for
him, I wish I could say the same for me as could MANY people with MS.
But to hear him talk he is moving *mountains* and going thru a whole
bunch of whatever so that he has, in essence, beaten MS. Wonderful if it
were true but he is just minimal.
He didn't get out of a W/C after years of therapy and walk again,
beating the odds. He eats healthy, does some alternative things, has a
staff to help him in any way and a lot of money to afford things others
could only dream about. Then he goes on like he's some kind of superman
and has done what no other mortals could do. He's cocky, pure and
simple. Also delusional.
Robert
>
> robert,
>
> how could you possibly know what level his disability is?
All I know is what I see on TV. He gets around damn good. And he admits
to having minimal problems with his disease. Wouldn't a whole lot of
people like to be in the shape he is in.
> IMO, i see a little denial there with montel. but, we should, and i say
> should, know that a little denial can be a good thing. keeps us going
> longer, helps us fight.
Some people, just getting out of their bed is a superhuman achievement
but they ain't on TV telling everyone how great they are. And as far as
denial, if he is in denial at all, it's by no means "little." There's
also a difference between denial, cockiness and reality.
There is a business show on Fox Television Network called "Your World
with Neil Cavuto." Neil Cavuto has MS, but you wouldn't know it to look
at him. And he doesn't talk about it like some kind of badass, making MS
do what he wants. He's admitted to using Avonex when he interviewed the
CEO of the pharmaceutical company that manufactures it. He doesn't drone
on about how he is doing what no other mortal can do to beat MS. He is
humble and knows that, ultimately, it is the disease which is in charge
and all we do is hope it won't get worse.
Robert
>
> the problem with PWA (people with attitude) is that they often attribute their good
> health to that attitude, and suggest that if only YOU had my attitude, you could
> throw away your walker/wheelchair/leg braces/etc.
>
> whereas the truth of the matter is that ms comes in all flavours; some people improve
> regardless of what they do, some continue to get worse despite their best efforts.
> like you say, jen, luckily you've recovered 100%. and "luckily" may well be the
> operative word.
Well put. Thanks, Jils. That was my point, just using less words and
being more eloquent.
> robert, get a better 'tude man. at least you'll be able to call montel a cocky
> bastard with a smile on your face.
Like I don't already? I call him a cocky bastard (and a lot of other
things, too) with a huge grin on my face. I've seen the dark side of
this disease, something Montel with his staff of assistants and large
bank account hasn't as far as I can tell.
And *me* get a better "'tude?" Jils, Jils, Jils. Et tu Jils-te? I have a
wonderful (cynical, sarcastic, evil, dark, pragmatic, vulgar) attitude.
Just ask me... <;-P
Jennifer
RRMS because my symptoms were so severe. He honestly didn' think I would
recover.
And yes, everyone recognizes not everyone is the same and therefore I would
never attribute a deciline in someones condition a sign of a bad or poor
attitude. It's just something that happens. IT will probably happen to me
one day but I don't think my attitude will change much. I'm just a perky
outgoing and positive person. Sometimes I even make myself sick with how
perky I am..LOL
Jen
"Glen Appleby" <dirt...@rcip.com> wrote in message
news:suovhv8q5qalk57dl...@4ax.com...
Eagle Way2
Siiiiiiiigggggggggghhhhhhhhh...
As someone who is one of "those" MS folks with ALL of the invisible sx of MS,
this hits me right in the gut.
I am so tired of the "but you look so good!" syndrome. My FATIGUE left me
totally disabled 13 years ago, (even by SSDI standards!!) later combined with
my rapidly worsening double VISION, the frustration of the encroaching
COGNITIVE problems, the violent MUSCLE SPASMS, the MEMORY loss, the CONFUSION,
INCONTINENCE, PAIN, total intolerance to HEAT above about 75° F and many other
sx I've probably forgotten to mention. But even *I* seem to fool people
(completely unintentionally) for hours at a time.
So, because the man isn't publicly suffering or in a wheelchair, you ASSUME his
disability is "minimal". Hell, the man is a TV host. Regardless of what I
think of the quality of his programs, one HAS to be a bit cocky to do what he's
doing. His choice of treatments is just that. HIS choice!
Believe me, *I* don't have to spend a couple of days in a wheelchair to get a
new perspective on this $%^*&(*# disease!!!!! I barely have the energy to
feed myself, but I have to take care of my 93 yo dad with Alzheimer's, so I
can't afford to "quit" and take care of myself. But, if you saw me, you'd
probably assume I was also "minimally" disabled. Everyone does!
Just one of my reeeeaaaalllly pet peeves!!!
Judith
¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what
lies within us." R.W. Emerson
Eagle Way2
Amen, Jennifer!
He wouldn't be on TV for very long if he didn't. Besides, he was a helluva lot
cockier BEFORE he was diagnosed. It's a prerequisite to his choice of venues.
Eagle Way2
Glen,
A good point I forgot in my previous rant! As someone with slowly but
insidiously progressive MS, I always forget about those who have RR -- the
majority. As I understand it, the times between relapses may be quite long.
I would think it would be difficult NOT to think you are 'curing' yourself
(with *whatever* treatment) if you're able to resume a full work load for
months or even years at a time.
Glen Appleby
alt.support.mult-sclerosis,eagl...@aol.comedy (Eagle Way2)
wrote:
>>>Might this "luck" be that the MS is still a relapsing/remitting form?<<
>
>Glen,
>
>A good point I forgot in my previous rant! As someone with slowly but
>insidiously progressive MS, I always forget about those who have RR -- the
>majority. As I understand it, the times between relapses may be quite long.
My early flares were 6 months to years appart.
>I would think it would be difficult NOT to think you are 'curing' yourself
>(with *whatever* treatment)
My pat. pending chocolate treatment *does* work!!
>if you're able to resume a full work load for
>months or even years at a time.
I remember someone (Michael?) suggesting early on that the RR and
the progressive may actually be two seperate diseases. I
certinally don't disagree AND it may be possible to have both for
some periods of time.
Glen Appleby
alt.support.mult-sclerosis,"Jennifer" <Jno...@shaw.ca> wrote:
>it is, but according to the neuro, from the beginning he didn't think I was
>RRMS because my symptoms were so severe. He honestly didn' think I would
>recover.
Send the boy back to med skool! I do not believe that severity
is the determining factor for determing the type of MS. I
believe it is simply if the symptoms have gone way (it's RR).
>And yes, everyone recognizes not everyone is the same and therefore I would
>never attribute a deciline in someones condition a sign of a bad or poor
>attitude.
Alternatively, you *might* stick yer thumbs in yer ears, wiggle
yer fingers at them and stick out yer tongue.
You *might*!
>It's just something that happens. IT will probably happen to me
>one day but I don't think my attitude will change much. I'm just a perky
>outgoing and positive person.
My condition has taken a decided turn for the worse, in the past
year. I can really no longer walk, even with a cane.
Eh, I am not negative about it. Sometimes, though (especially in
the summer heat when I am too drained to get from the floor, onto
the SEWER), I get a bit miffed at my body giving out on me like
that.
Most of the time, though, I'll just grunt (from the expended
energy) and laugh.
Glen Appleby
alt.support.mult-sclerosis,Robert <rob...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
>Like I don't already? I call him a cocky bastard (and a lot of other
>things, too) with a huge grin on my face. I've seen the dark side of
Hmmm ... "dark side". Is that a bigitted remark about Montey's
herriatage, perchance?
Glen (YES, I'm kidding!!) Appleby
Glen Appleby
alt.support.mult-sclerosis,eagl...@aol.comedy (Eagle Way2)
wrote:
>>> His disability is minimal and<<
>
>Siiiiiiiigggggggggghhhhhhhhh...
>
>As someone who is one of "those" MS folks with ALL of the invisible sx of MS,
>this hits me right in the gut.
Sorry.
Montey is different, though. He has (by his own words, if I'm
not mistaken) said that his symptoms are minimal; yet, as Robert
said, he tells everybody how he has "overcome" all of the
problems and tells folks how they should do it.
It is most possible that he has (mostly) the RR form and any
perceived benefits of his treatments are simply the normal course
of the disease.
rose dawn scott
> the problem with PWA (people with attitude) is that they often attribute their good
> health to that attitude, and suggest that if only YOU had my attitude, you could
> throw away your walker/wheelchair/leg braces/etc.
i've always been a PWA myself! i don't think i've annoyed others by
suggesting that THEY could overcome physical problems with attitude --
i tend to push myself a lot harder than i'd dream of pushing anyone
else.
there's another problem with it though -- when the things you've
attributed your health to stop working, it can be a REAL rough thing
for the person him/herself t accept. when i had to work harder for
less result, it was ok, because i've never been scared of hard work,
and less result is still A result. after many years and disease
progression, some of them have stopped working altogether. it was a
bitter thing for me, because i really did believe that i could
overcome ANYTHING, to find out sometimes there are things you can't
solve with plain old guts alone.
kicking yourself in the ass if you reach that point is
counter-productive, but when you're used to kicking yourself and
pushing yourself harder all the time, it's a tough habit to give up.
these days, i try to look at things as realistically as possible --
what can i still do all by my lonesome, what can i do if i'm willing
to bend enough to accept some help, and what do i need to consider
giving up altogether and replacing it with something else.
sometimes it works better than other times -- i still push my badself
a lot -- but not to the point that i'm making things worse and
excluding those who really WANT to help. oh well, c'est la sclerotique
multipel, i guess!
rose
Michael
Glen Appleby said:
> On 24 Jul 2003 18:06:17 GMT, in
> alt.support.mult-sclerosis,eagl...@aol.comedy (Eagle Way2)
> wrote:
>
>> if you're able to resume a full work load for
>> months or even years at a time.
>
> I remember someone (Michael?) suggesting early on that the RR and
> the progressive may actually be two seperate diseases. I
> certinally don't disagree AND it may be possible to have both for
> some periods of time.
Wasn't me, but I won't disagree. For all we know so far, MS might turn out
to be a host of different-but-related diseases, and some forms may even turn
out to be unrelated to the others except in the way they manifest.
((U))
M
Chris Fincham
"I guess the short answer is because he *is* a cocky bastard. His
disability is minimal and he takes such a dramatic posture like he is
at
maximum disability but *he* won't be held down! He is in good shape,
all
things considered with MS, and I, personally, think a little humility
would do him wonders. Just IMO, but that's the impression I get. Let
him
spend a couple of days in a wheelchair or on crutches and I feel his
perpective might change."
Here's the perspective of someone with PPMS (article snipped for
brevity):
"What is Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)?
How does it relate to multiple sclerosis?
by Brett Curtis Weber, Ph.D.
Published January 2002
Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) is a newly emerging field of science that
explores the complex relationships that exist between the mind
(psyche), the brain and neuroendocrine system (neuro) and our body's
cellular and biochemical response to foreign invasion, abnormal cell
development and autoimmune disease (immunology). Within the last few
decades scientists and physicians have gained a far greater
appreciation for the profound influence our body's neuroendocrine
system has on our immune system. Today it is recognized that the
immune system and neuroendocrine system communicate with each other
and that unfavorable changes within either system may compromise
appropriate immune and inflammatory activity leaving the body more
vulnerable to illness.
Today an increasing number of physicians are recognizing that
emotional health has a large impact on immune function and may
influence the course of disease and healing in either a positive or
negative direction. For example strong feelings of hate, suppressed
anger, depression and frustration over an extended period of time can
produce harmful biochemical changes within the body and may set the
stage for illness; just as feelings of love, laughter, tranquility and
fulfillment can set the stage for healing.
I believe that elevated levels of Interferon beta-2 (IL-6) may
accelerate disease progression in primary progressive MS (PPMS).
Because there is no current proven effective treatment for PPMS, it is
imperative that Interferon beta-2 (IL-6) suppression be considered by
the scientific community as one possible treatment strategy. There is
now strong scientific evidence that Interferon beta-2 (IL-6) and other
inflammatory cytokines respond to acute mental stress in humans. In
fact, blood sera concentrations of Interferon beta-2 (IL-6) have been
shown to increase by some 56% in healthy individuals two hours after
the onset of an acute stressful event (P<0.05) (Abstract Paper1 Paper2
- download Acrobat Reader). I have experienced that periods of highly
charged emotional stress correlate with increased symptoms and
disability caused by my PPMS. Consequently, reducing emotional stress
may be crucial to effectively slowing disease progression and
disability in people with my form of MS."
Chris F
Jennifer
Jen (who loves to even laugh at herself)
"Glen Appleby" <dirt...@rcip.com> wrote in message
news:66a0ivsh0hq1fsu6a...@4ax.com...
Anna Begins
> I guess the short answer is because he *is* a cocky bastard. His
> disability is minimal and he takes such a dramatic posture like he is at
> maximum disability but *he* won't be held down! He is in good shape, all
> things considered with MS, and I, personally, think a little humility
> would do him wonders. Just IMO, but that's the impression I get. Let him
> spend a couple of days in a wheelchair or on crutches and I feel his
> perpective might change.
>
So you don't think having severe and chronic pain is disabling enough?
Let the guy enjoy what he can, while he can.
As someone barely affected yet by my MS, I admire him for being able to
do so much - I know I couldn't. I'd be proud if I'd achieved what he has.
--
Anna
We are all travellers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we
can find in our travels is an honest friend.
- Robert Louis Stevenson
Glen Appleby
I still tend to agree.
Maybe not totally different diseases, but different enough that
they should be treated differently.
Mike M
"Jennifer" <Jno...@shaw.ca> wrote in message
news:dEGTa.498237$ro6.11...@news2.calgary.shaw.ca...
JiLs
even though i can identify with this montel person (bear in mind i've never seen him,
all i know is what i've read in this ng) as a pwms whose symptoms are all but
invisible, i still think the way it sounds as though he promotes it somehow
undervalues pwms whose symptoms are far more noticeable.
even if ms makes us a group, we still all have vastly different personalities and
could be bright & bubbly/miserable & depressed regardless of our ms. people with
perfect physical health still vary in their ability to cope with life's challenges.
an outgoing, permanently cheerful person can still make the introverted,
introspective person feel inadequate.
and in my opinion, making another person feel inadequate is pretty thoughtless.
"Robert" <rob...@bellsouth.net> wrote in message news:3F1FEF...@bellsouth.net...
Vincenet
">"Robert" <rob...@bellsouth.net> wrote in message news:3F1FEF...@bellsouth.net...
>> JiLs wrote:
>> >
>> > robert, get a better 'tude man. at least you'll be able to call montel
a cocky
>> > bastard with a smile on your face.
>>
>> Like I don't already? I call him a cocky bastard (and a lot of other
>> things, too) with a huge grin on my face. I've seen the dark side of
>> this disease, something Montel with his staff of assistants and large
>> bank account hasn't as far as I can tell.
>>
>> And *me* get a better "'tude?" Jils, Jils, Jils. Et tu Jils-te? I have
a
>> wonderful (cynical, sarcastic, evil, dark, pragmatic, vulgar) attitude.
>> Just ask me... <;-P
I'm about to paraprase song lyrics so bear w me
Yada yada yada you say
Scuse the tude,
but I haven't eaten today.
Alice in Chains
Alice always reminds me of other ladies in Chains--like the women of Darkover,preSuffrage,
China, Africa etc. Some chains are figurative; some are very real.
the hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new worlds. . .
Valhalla I am coming!
Vincent
Vince
Both actually!
no fate except that we make (see terminator 3)
Vince
Glen Appleby
alt.support.mult-sclerosis,"Jennifer" <Jno...@shaw.ca> wrote:
>lol Can never laugh too much.
Usually, I agree.
I found out, though, that since MS, my "swallow" and "breathe"
can be confused, especially when watching Robin Williams or Jim
Carey.
I have learned not to eat or drink when watching them.
Nice But Dim
following diagnosis.
If his disease progresses he will not continue to
be as the other poster wrote "a cocky bastard".
I too was a "cocky bastard" when I was first diagnosed,
gonna change the MS world etc....ate everything from
grape skin extracts to blue whale tesiticles in order
to restrain the progression of this monster.
However as the disease has progressed I find I have
attained a Zen like state where its easier to sit back
and watch the likes of Montel make the fuss.
Sad but true
NBD
On Wed, 23 Jul 2003 15:21:53 GMT, "Jennifer" <Jno...@shaw.ca> wrote:
>Why do you call him a cocky bastard? He sounds like someone who is doing
>anything that he thinks might help him stay healthy. Many of the people here
>take things that aren't mainstream or often take very different paths. But
>the main goal for everyone here is to enjoy life and try to stay as healthy
>as long as we can.
>
>Jen (who has taken the alternative approach by telling people to bugger off
>when they tell me to slow down)
>"Robert" <rob...@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
>news:3F1E8B...@bellsouth.net...
>> Cowboy wrote:
>> >
>> > Copyright 2003 Johnson Publishing Company, Inc.
>> > Jet
>> >
>> > July 21, 2003
>> > Montel Williams: Talk Show Host Discusses His Battle With MS And His
>Battle
>> > With Hollywood
>> >
>> > MARGENA A. CHRISTIAN
>> >
>> > [...]
>> >
>> > "I take the traditional medication. I go after a holistic approach and
>I'm
>> > taking some vitamins and some herbs and some things that I know now
>after
>> > four years have benefited me immensely. I'm also on a hormonal
>replacement
>> > kind of therapy.
>>
>> Wouldn't it be a hoot if the HRT made him grow tits!?!? His "disability"
>> would be pretty evident then, wouldn't it? Cocky bastard.
>>
>
Robert
Yes, Vincent. I understand completely. The moon is made of cheese.
REPEAT: The moon is high. Who has the "football"? Is the football in
play? Is the cow jumping over the moon? We MUST know these things if the
operation is to get underway. Trust no one and never use Cremora in your
coffee, it's a CIA plot. The end is nigh. Never drive a Chrysler, they
are a spawn of satan since the pact they made with Daimler. The Germans
are poised to take over the world. One car at a time... Never give up --
never surrender.
Over and out. Carry on,
Red Leader
Mike M
Did you really eat whale testacles? LOL
I'm not sure about the 'Zen-like' state you describe. Yes, it's easier but
it would mean we would stop fighting. As Jennifer said in her post, you can
make some great improvements by continuing to fight. I have been at both
extremes, fighting like mad to get better and then just accepting the way
things are. The latter is definitely easier, but I like the former attitude
better and am working towards it again.
I think we have to combine the fighting attitude with a dose of realism and
not be upset when we 'fail'.
... and when I am rid of this disease, then I'll enter my Zen-like state.
LOL
"Nice But Dim" <stunos...@netcomuk.co.uk> wrote in message
news:pc22iv08mkkdpkidh...@4ax.com...
Tee
Tee
"JiLs" <ji...@optusNOSPAMnet.com.au> wrote in message
news:3f20f29f$0$20077$afc3...@news.optusnet.com.au...
Jennifer
mouth onto the guy I had a crush on. But it might be good if you are with
people you don't like...;)
"Glen Appleby" <dirt...@rcip.com> wrote in message
news:u312ivs8sl4fcu2nb...@4ax.com...
Jennifer
still the person I was before and have plans on changing my personality. I
have been in a very poor position before and relied on everyone to help me
do the smallest of things. Cut my food, sign a cheque. One morning I fell
out of bed and was wedged between the wall and the bed. Luckily my dad took
time off work and was able to heave me upright. Our house is 4 stories...try
having to go up to the 4th level to take a shower because the bathroom on my
level I couldn't lift my legs and my dad had a walk in shower. I couldn't
sit in regular chairs because my back wasn't supported and I would slump and
fall over. My parents had to buy a recilner for me that is now sitting in
the basement collecting dust.
I've hit rock bottom but came back up. Never once during my lowest points
did I change my positive attitude or outlook on life. I just kept telling
myself it's going to get better and if it doesn't there are other things in
life that I can do. And I'm not dying and I'll live a long life so it could
be much worse.
Not everyone stops being a little "cocky"
Jen
"Nice But Dim" <stunos...@netcomuk.co.uk> wrote in message
news:pc22iv08mkkdpkidh...@4ax.com...
d...@cheetah.net
>I take offense to this. I have been diagnosed for almost 4 years and I am
>still the person I was before and have plans on changing my personality. I
>have been in a very poor position before and relied on everyone to help me
>do the smallest of things. Cut my food, sign a cheque. One morning I fell
>out of bed and was wedged between the wall and the bed. Luckily my dad took
>time off work and was able to heave me upright. Our house is 4 stories...try
>having to go up to the 4th level to take a shower because the bathroom on my
>level I couldn't lift my legs and my dad had a walk in shower. I couldn't
>sit in regular chairs because my back wasn't supported and I would slump and
>fall over. My parents had to buy a recilner for me that is now sitting in
>the basement collecting dust.
>
>I've hit rock bottom but came back up. Never once during my lowest points
>did I change my positive attitude or outlook on life. I just kept telling
>myself it's going to get better and if it doesn't there are other things in
>life that I can do. And I'm not dying and I'll live a long life so it could
>be much worse.
>
>Not everyone stops being a little "cocky"
>
>Jen
Never give up!
Donn
Jennifer
My dad told me when I was first diagnosed to always keep fighting. I plan on
it.
Jen
<d...@cheetah.net> wrote in message
news:bso2ivkn16lf00efr...@4ax.com...
d...@cheetah.net
>Thanks Donn,
>
>My dad told me when I was first diagnosed to always keep fighting. I plan on
>it.
>
>Jen
It is may be possible to "fight" in several different modes
to achieve, maintain or delay the negative onsets that come
with the progression of the disease and consequences. You
may remember Kathi Matthews, the lady I called "the Queen of
the Mississippi. She did just that, always figuring out how
to keep going, to get by or to get help. Her life was not in
vain. And the giant of a man, Steve, always poetic and using
his interests to carry forward. I still have his poem. It
seemed he never forgot us. Their both listening.
Managing the damned disease for many is initially, it seems,
just a pile of words that are covered by fear. But it is,
in the final analysis of what to do, a matter of managing.
For each person it is different and comes in varying degrees.
Some folks sit back and sort of "counter punch" the symptoms
to stay just a step or two ahead of the effects. Others go
straight at it and try all kinds of approaches. I've read any
number of comments to those ends right here on ASMS.
But it seems to me the most important thing is to never lose
contact with a community of people who understand, support and
provide for the emotional aspects of "fighting." When you're
down, they lift you up; when you're saddened, they bring you joy;
when you're bewildered, they give you clarity; when you're
uncertain, they share your purpose to carry on.
Just an opinion from an old man.
Donn
Specialsearcher
beating the odds. He eats healthy, does some alternative things, has a
staff to help him in any way and a lot of money to afford things others
could only dream about. Then he goes on like he's some kind of superman
and has done what no other mortals could do. He's cocky, pure and
simple. Also delusional."
What do you want from him?
Glen Appleby
alt.support.mult-sclerosis,"Jennifer" <Jno...@shaw.ca> wrote:
>"Glen Appleby" <dirt...@rcip.com> wrote in message
>news:u312ivs8sl4fcu2nb...@4ax.com...
>> On Thu, 24 Jul 2003 22:34:54 GMT, in
>> alt.support.mult-sclerosis,"Jennifer" <Jno...@shaw.ca> wrote:
>>
>> >lol Can never laugh too much.
>>
>> Usually, I agree.
>>
>> I found out, though, that since MS, my "swallow" and "breathe"
>> can be confused, especially when watching Robin Williams or Jim
>> Carey.
>>
>> I have learned not to eat or drink when watching them.
>Oh, I learned that a long time ago when I sprayed pop out of my ose
Um, have you seen a dok about this? This is *definitely* not
normal.
>and mouth
Even *worse*!!
>onto the guy I had a crush on.
Wow. And I thought that it was not possible to turn a guy off to
sex.
See how wrong I can be?
>But it might be good if you are with
>people you don't like...;)
I do try to stick with that plan. Unfortunately, there just
aren't many people that I like so little that I'd spew poop on
them ... from *any* orifice.
Should I get out more? Maybe hang with politicians?
Robert
Some humility and admission that he is not the typical MS sufferer. He's
got it pretty good and the more visible he is the harder it is, IMO, for
others with worse symptoms to get a fair shake. "MS? Montel has MS and
he is doing well. Why can't you? I mean, Montel can do it."
AAAAARRRGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
JiLs
"Glen Appleby" <dirt...@rcip.com> wrote in message > >> Carey.
Glen Appleby
alt.support.mult-sclerosis,"JiLs" <ji...@optusNOSPAMnet.com.au>
wrote:
>she said pop, glen, not poop .. time for an eye check? :)
Don't bother me with inconsequental things like the number of
"o"s.
Sylvia
> Sadly he is at the stage most MSers go through
> following diagnosis.
> If his disease progresses he will not continue to
> be as the other poster wrote "a cocky bastard".
Yeah, I was a "cocky bastard," too, at first. I was gonna beat it, .
.and for eight years, I did.
Was it anything I did? No. But somehow I thought I was "special."
Hah! I was just in a long remission, which I should have appreciated
more than I did.
Enjoy it while you've got it;it may not last.
Sylvia
>
synaptic misfire
> On Fri, 25 Jul 2003 16:30:03 GMT, in
> aren't many people that I like so little that I'd spew poop on
> them ... from *any* orifice.
SNORFLEHAHAHAHA!!
Could that also be referred to as, hehehe, brown boogers? Proboscis poop?
Nasty nasal nuggets? Schnoz shit? Flying fecal phlegm?
Sylvia
> I take offense to this. I have been diagnosed for almost 4 years
Not very long, in my books.
and I am
> still the person I was before
I think everyone else is the same person they were before. I know I
am.
> I've hit rock bottom but came back up.
No, you haven't. Rock bottom is when you can't move anything. You
can't even swallow at this point.
Yeah, it's rare, but it can happen.
I watched my cousin go down with this diesease. She died of cancer
before she got to the last stages of MS, but she was on her way there.
My fear is that I will live long enough to get as bad as she got.
Sylvia (cocky enough to post the truth)
Jennifer
am now :)
Jen
"synaptic misfire" <synapti...@excite.com> wrote in message
news:vi5cit6...@corp.supernews.com...
Jennifer
in some peoples books. I consider myself damn lucky.
Oh ya, and as for the swallowing thing, I did and still do have problems
swallowing especially if im on my back. The dentist is always a fun
experience. Lots of suction otherwise i feel like im choking to death. That
nasty lesion I have on my brain stem isn't quite gone. And because I am a
musician I often do diaphramatic breathing. Try to breath like that when you
can't feel your trunk. Giving up the flute was one of the hardest things. I
can stll play but not at the level I used to. Oh well, time to learn a new
instrument...how about the accordian or maybe the triangle ;)
Jen
"Sylvia" <Sylv7...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:e43f7f84.0307...@posting.google.com...
synaptic misfire
=chrisnews:a0AUa.524952$ro6.12...@news2.calgary.shaw.ca...
Jennifer
here!. Hehehe
Jen
"synaptic misfire" <synapti...@excite.com> wrote in message
news:vi6efd2...@corp.supernews.com...
d...@cheetah.net
>Glad you are comin to join us in the insane group. It's quite "crazy" in
>here!. Hehehe
>
>Jen
Yes! it is that. Thank God!
Donn
Glen Appleby
alt.support.mult-sclerosis,"synaptic misfire"
<synapti...@excite.com> wrote:
>Sorry, Jen. It's all Glen's fault. I plead total insanity ;-}
You cannot us the insanity defense.
It's MINE, all MINE!
Glen Appleby
alt.support.mult-sclerosis,d...@cheetah.net wrote:
>Yes! it is that. Thank God!
Thank Her for *what*?
Jennifer
"Glen Appleby" <dirt...@rcip.com> wrote in message
news:76p6iv0sddjaftiuo...@4ax.com...
Glen Appleby
alt.support.mult-sclerosis,"Jennifer" <Jno...@shaw.ca> wrote:
>"Glen Appleby" <dirt...@rcip.com> wrote in message
>news:76p6iv0sddjaftiuo...@4ax.com...
>> On Sat, 26 Jul 2003 22:33:19 -0400, in
>> alt.support.mult-sclerosis,"synaptic misfire"
>> <synapti...@excite.com> wrote:
>>
>> >Sorry, Jen. It's all Glen's fault. I plead total insanity ;-}
>>
>> You cannot us the insanity defense.
>>
>> It's MINE, all MINE!
>isn't delusions of grandeur one of the first symptoms of insanity ;)
Dunno, but *they* are all mine, too!
d...@cheetah.net
>isn't delusions of grandeur one of the first symptoms of insanity ;)
Either that or a poorly constructed investment
portfolio.
Donn
Nice But Dim
I had to stop playing guitar and am now limited to
composing crud on my PC.
Something I was advised via this type of forum which
helped me with my breathing problem (collapsing throat)
was to use a salbutamol asthma inhalator.
It does help me.
As for the triangle I doubt I could hold it still enough.
I think I may try a rack of car horns like seals use...LOL
Stay Well
NBD
Nice But Dim
The second symptom is looking for them...<VBG>
NBD
On Sun, 27 Jul 2003 06:18:32 GMT, "Jennifer" <Jno...@shaw.ca> wrote:
Michael
Nice But Dim said:
> Jen,
>
> I had to stop playing guitar and am now limited to
> composing crud on my PC.
What constitutes "crud", and what software/hardware do you use to compose
it?
Composing on a PC can be fun and very expressive if you play around with it
enough.
I've played lots of different instruments ... some of them pretty well,
though I never could play a piano or other keyboard worth a damn... but I
compose with only a mouse now, and I create stuff I never could have
*dreamed* of playing on a live instrument.
What sorts of "crud" have you come up with, and how?
((U))
M
Jennifer
stamina
Thanks for the suggestion though
Jen
"Nice But Dim" <stunos...@netcomuk.co.uk> wrote in message
news:6u78ivsm5c26lhin5...@4ax.com...
Nice But Dim
it has some fun bits to it and
I have made some "almost"
acceptable sounds with it..LOL
NBD
On Sun, 27 Jul 2003 12:13:01 -0700, "Michael" <muir...@island.net>
wrote:
Michael
Or get hold of something like Cakewalk Home Studio (or Voyetra MIDI
Orchestrator, cheaper though not as good) for composing.
All kinds of good stuff in these sorts of programs... not least with
CWHS2002/2004XL, a variety of instruments and ways to tailor them the way
you like... and they make putting multi-voice, multi-track compsistion and
editing pretty straighforward.
Check out Dan Weidenbeck's site, http://www.musicianswithms.com ... and
maybe think about putting a musical contribution together. :-)
((U))
M
In <news:abm8ivsnri2lhff1c...@4ax.com>,
Keith Snyder
> Or get hold of something like Cakewalk Home Studio (or Voyetra MIDI
> Orchestrator, cheaper though not as good) for composing.
I just switched to a 15" laptop with Digital Performer and a bunch of VST
instruments. It's really amazing--I'm selling most of the music gear I
spent the last 15 years accumulating.
I've got a killer writing deadline, so I've had almost no time to play with
it for the last month, but after next week...
Keith
Jennifer
program. Most of the students composed some great things, except for the
ones with no music backgroud. Then it sounded pretty crappy..lol
Jen
"Michael" <muir...@island.net> wrote in message
news:bg219...@enews2.newsguy.com...
Michael
Keith Snyder said:
> in article bg219...@enews2.newsguy.com, Michael said:
>
>> Or get hold of something like Cakewalk Home Studio (or Voyetra MIDI
>> Orchestrator, cheaper though not as good) for composing.
>
> I just switched to a 15" laptop with Digital Performer and a bunch of
> VST instruments. It's really amazing--I'm selling most of the music
> gear I spent the last 15 years accumulating.
>
> I've got a killer writing deadline, so I've had almost no time to
> play with it for the last month, but after next week...
It's de rigeur to drool at this point. :-)
Because they offered me such a good deal as a user of their stuff, I went
for an upgrade to Cake's HS2002XL with a bunch of software synths and new
(for Home Studio, at least) audio tools attached. Purty much all I'll ever
need... until they offer me something more for cheap. :-)
((U))
M
Michael
Jennifer said:
> Cakewalk is nice and easy. My music composition class I taught used
> that program. Most of the students composed some great things, except
> for the ones with no music backgroud. Then it sounded pretty
> crappy..lol
This would be a demonstration of the "can't make a silk purse out of a sow's
ear" principle? :-)
Actually, *I* have just about zero musical background, but I've almost
always played various instruments by ear, since I was 3 or 4 years old.
((U))
M
Keith Snyder
> HS2002XL with a bunch of software synths and new
> (for Home Studio, at least) audio tools attached.
Native Instruments had a limited-time offer of "everything we make for
$999," so I bit down hard and ordered. The one piece of software I
figured I'd never use ("Traktor," which is DJ software) might actually
turn out to be the most fun, since I read an NY Times article about
this place in Manhattan that has "laptop jam sessions" every Sunday.
It's been a huge investment, but I'm actually expecting to come close
to breaking even after I sell all my old stuff.
Eagle Way2
it." AAAAARRRGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!<<
I agree with that, Robert... But the fact is that uneducated (about MS), or
just plain stupid and thoughtless people have been saying that sort of thing
for years. Long before the likes of Montel ever showed up.
I've been very fortunate not to have encountered any of those folks in my life.
But plenty of people, right here on ASMS, have family members or even spouses
who treat them like that.
We had one gal here for some time whose grown children actually threw away her
arm crutches and told her to stop FAKING to get attention. She is no longer
with us, but she's always in my thoughts. I sometimes wonder how her "brats"
feel about her "faking" now!
Her kids weren't influenced by TV or other media personalities. They were just
completely thoughtless and cruel! And there's a helluva lot more of that going
on than any of us can imagine.
So, Montel is in a form of remission. He's doing what probably 50% of us
(assuming we are a fairly representative sampling of the MS community) have
done at one time or another. I don't care for his show, so I don't watch him
except on occasion. He HAS spoken about how much help he needs from his
staff, how his memory fails him, the hot lights, exhaustion, etc...
But for crissake, the man was cocky loooooong before he had MS...who else does
that kind of ridiculous, cheap talk show? It SCREAMS for a cocky personality
in order to succeed. Does that really have anything to do with his personal
outlook on his MS? Probably.
But there are dozens of people who have come and gone on this group who "KNOW
the answer" and are way too willing to share their CURES with us. And,
nobody's ever *heard of them!!! Not famous, no huge staff of helpers, etc...
Just plain annoying, in TOTAL denial and cocky about it.
>>Some humility and admission that he is not the typical MS sufferer.<<
---He doesn't KNOW he's not typical! (Do we?) He has no idea of what his
future might be. He just doesn't know it yet. And, I don't think others
"with worse symptoms" who "don't get a fair shake" are being affected by
Montel. But they ARE dealing with people in their lives who would have found
ANY reason not to accept the realities.
It could just as easily be the courageous woman who continues to run the
marathons (Lord knows SHE got ripped to pieces on the group when she ran the
last one.)
Why is it (not being at all personal, Robert) that people in general HATE it
when someone who is in a similar (but different) health situation - climbs
mountains, runs marathons or does the best they can on national TV? Possibly
just because we wish we *could!?
>MS? Montel has MS and he is doing well. Why can't you? I mean, Montel can do
it."<<
---If anyone here has friends or family who are scouring the newspaper, TV for
these things just to shove them in someone's/your face that CAN'T do them...
Well, you need to EDUCATE the relatives (or remove them from your lives) and
get NEW friends!
Besides, how do WE know that Montel is not the typical MS sufferer. We only
know what we can see on TV and what he chooses to share. I imagine he'd like
to keep his day job as long as possible! So far, the Networks aren't too happy
with "problem" personalitites...or with women who approach the age of 50, for
that matter.
In the 15 years since my Dx, not one person in my life has ever compared me to
anyone with MS who had accomplished something. I say, if you can run, climb,
act or whatever.... DO IT WHILE YOU CAN!!! And yes, I do think attitude is a
huge help! Even if no one agrees with you! We all do the best we can!
'nuff of rant...and as I said, none of it was directed at you, Robert.
Best,
Judith
Best,
¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what
lies within us." R.W. Emerson
Robert
>
> In the 15 years since my Dx, not one person in my life has ever compared me to
> anyone with MS who had accomplished something.
I always thought you were incomparable! :-)
Nice But Dim
In fact as you have guns in the USA can you not
shoot all "chat show hosts" who try and "play"
with MS.
Saint Oprah's crap show in which she mixed
MS and ME patients together caused so much grief
and damage that many people are still confused
by it...did she ever put this right, was there even
an apology...NOPE.
As for Montel maybe he needs to be taken and shown
other folks further down the MS track and have it explained
to him that his arrogance and foolishness is CAUSING additional
pain and problems to these people.
Stay Well
NBD
Laura....
what is ME?
--
Laura
"Nice But Dim" <stunos...@netcomuk.co.uk> wrote in message
news:chjoivsabsbsu3vhl...@4ax.com...
Keith Snyder
> Why is it (not being at all personal, Robert) that people in general HATE it
> when someone who is in a similar (but different) health situation - climbs
> mountains, runs marathons or does the best they can on national TV? Possibly
> just because we wish we *could!?
That's not an MS issue. That's just human beings.
All you have to do is accomplish something, and the complaining starts. As
I tell my writing students (on the odd occasions when I actually have some):
No matter what you do, somebody's not going to like it.
Keith
Lynne
students.
- Lynne
"Keith Snyder" <ke...@woollymammoth.com> wrote in message
news:BB51DE7C.843D1%ke...@woollymammoth.com...
Glen Appleby
alt.support.mult-sclerosis,"Laura...."
<the_hap...@myrealbox.bom> wrote:
>what is ME?
"... Me, a name I call myself ..."
rose dawn scott
> what is ME?
hi laura,
'Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) - also known as Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome (CFS)' -- i didn't see the show, but that would be my guess.
some similar symptoms with cfs and m.s.
r.d.
[keeping the initial thing going, LOL]
rose dawn scott
> I've been very fortunate not to have encountered any of those folks in my life.
me too neither. what i find a lot more common is, every time anyone
hears something on the news, or a talk show, they interpret is both
'new' and 'a cure' and can't wait to tell me about it. bee venom,
mollusk neurotoxin, diets, supplements -- all of it! last month one of
my sisters told me she'd heard 'they' had found an m.s. 'cure' -- i
reacted a bit skeptically, and she assured me that it was true. 'they
found this new stuff, called beta-interferon...' ROTFL. no joke!! but
people like that mean well, even if they get a little bothersome at
times, so it's all good.
nobody has ever compared me negatively to a celebrity with m.s.,
unless maybe the matter at hand was bank accounts or stock portfolios,
hee hee.
rose
Eagle Way2
"Aw shucks", she said, looking shyly downward, twisting toe in sand.... ;-]
Thanks, Robert
Judith
Laura....
drug that a lot of folks with MS are taking . She knew I injected
something - even used the autoinjector in front of her so she could be at
ease that her wittle girl was not getting hurt by these shots. (they still
call me their baby girl.. I'm 41..) Any way she thought I should try this
new drug that folks are having much success with..
<Snicker> It was Beta...
--
Laura
"rose dawn scott" <rosedaw...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:cac53056.03080...@posting.google.com...
Glen Appleby
alt.support.mult-sclerosis,rosedaw...@yahoo.com (rose dawn
scott) wrote:
>what i find a lot more common is, every time anyone
>hears something on the news, or a talk show, they interpret is both
>'new' and 'a cure' and can't wait to tell me about it. bee venom,
>mollusk neurotoxin, diets, supplements -- all of it! last month one of
>my sisters told me she'd heard 'they' had found an m.s. 'cure' -- i
>reacted a bit skeptically, and she assured me that it was true. 'they
>found this new stuff, called beta-interferon...' ROTFL. no joke!! but
>people like that mean well, even if they get a little bothersome at
>times, so it's all good.
I agree.
My parents do this a lot. When I was walking (or, near the end,
trying to), one of them would suggest a cane (before I was ready
for one) a walker and crutches.
My mother would do it because she is heavily inot
micro-management of everybodys' lives. My father would do it
just because he wanted to make it better for me.
I so hated to tell them "no", because they were trying to help.
Hey, they were the ones who turned me onto the salesman from whom
I bought the SEWER. Maybe that'll appease them ... for a while.
Fred
worst symptom. ME may explain the problems.
Fred.
rosedaw...@yahoo.com (rose dawn scott) wrote in
news:cac53056.03080...@posting.google.com:
Keith Snyder
said:
> bee venom
I cracked the Neurology Department up during my last visit, when I asked
(straight-faced) when the joint Antegren/bee sting trials would be starting.
Near as I can tell, the answer was, "Oh yeah. Real soon now."
Keith
Silver
I just read your response to the original "Montel Williams" post and I'm
glad you said what you did. I think sometimes people tend to be too
judgmental of others especially if they happen to be celebrities.
You know it's hard to accept a dx's that can and does, in most cases,
change a person's life so dramatically and the medical profession isn't
able to tell you *anything* about it except what *might be* able to
slow the progression of it but they aren't even certain about that not
to mention the possible side effects of those drugs. It's a pretty
frightening scenario no matter who you are. But at least *we* are able
to find our own coping mechanism in private.
Everything a celebrity does or doesn't do or feels or doesn't feel *must
be* done in public for all to see and then judged. I kind of feel sorry
for them.
Silver
Eagle Way2
you said what you did.<
Silver!
How wonderful to 'see' you again! (Of course I'm not on that much any more).
I thought I'd seen your name a couple of times, but wasn't certain.
In any event, thanks for the response! It just becomes tiresome (for me, at
least) to see people constantly 'bashing' celebrities for saying the same
things and having the same feelings as many on this group - who are treated
with far more compassion.
EVERYone has a right to feel whatever they feel about this or any disease!!!
Maybe they're right. Maybe they're in denial. Maybe not.
What possible difference does it make? The folks here are, for the most part,
intelligent, caring individuals. Why does compassion often go out the window
when discussing a "celebrity" who is suffering JUST as much as we are?
Isn't it obvious that these folks do not have the freedom that we do to
'publicly purge themselves of their fears? How many times have we encountered
'newbies' on this group who are nearly paralyzed with grief and fear? I'm glad
that someone can give them hope -- however fleeting or permanent it may be.
So WHAT if Montel or Teri Garr or whoever paint their own pictures of this
disease and how it affects THEM? Good lord, we have all given out our own
*exceedingly* different stories, remedies, beliefs, fears, etc. It seems as
though respect is reserved only for the Pryors and Funicellos
Personally, I'm a "Teri" sort. I use humor, both to educate and to DEAL with
my own case. It may not be right for some, but who in the bloody blue blazes
has a right to tell me (or ANYone) how I/we should react?
People would be happier to see wheelchairs, etc. RIDICULOUS!! So, they are
public people. Regardless, this disease, is entirely *personal* in it's myriad
individual presentations. It always seems to be the people who are
experiencing personal anger/negativity who complain about this. Those with
MS-uneducated relatives or friends and their far ranging gamut of ludicrous
opinions in their lives.
I just say: Educate your families - birth or extended. If they resist, then
leave them out of your personal equations! Disagree with the celebs if you
must, but RESPECT the rights of all to deal with their own cases of MS in their
own way.
Does anyone here have any idea just how many people (lurkers and other) they/we
might be affecting by relating publicly OUR very personal representations,
opinions, feelings, treatment options, symptoms...ad nauseum... each time we
hit the "send" button? I daresay it's in the hundreds at the very least!! NOT
counting the archives, Google, etc.
>>and the medical profession isn't able to tell you *anything* about it except
what *might be* able to slow the progression of it but they aren't even certain
about that not to mention the possible side effects of those drugs.<<
---Right, Silver! And, that's only *after one has possibly gone to dozens of
doctors over many years to even GET a diagnosis for the many and varied
disabling symptoms plaguing us. Made to feel as though we are "crazy",
"faking" or (God forbid we are mature women) who are just "over-reacting", "too
emotional", menopausal, in need of a psychiatrist or one of the other medically
negative responses - because THEY/MDs can't admit they don't know a damned
thing about this disease.
Well, there's one thing I KNOW won't help any of us - and that's a negative
outlook on life and the hands we are dealt. I remember discovering that there
really IS a medical "code"/ used by many physicians in this country - any
country? I actually saw it on one of my own charts years ago. It's the
"4-Fs", often used to describe more than half of this group. "Fat, Fair,
Female, and over Forty/Fifty". To the doctors who subscribe to this
pathetically disguised discrimination, I respond:
Dear Doc,
~Fat - "Well, you jerk...it was YOU who gave me 6 "16 day trial" doses of
Prednisone in 3 years. I'd like to see how much weight *you would have gained!
This is not easily lost weight, either...but I've managed to lose most of it
after 13 years of trying! No thanks to you neglecting to tell me about that
little side effect!!"
~Fair - "What? My skin color?, my hair?, my predisposition to stamping
out evil and injustice throughout the world??? ;-D
~Female - "Yup! Proud to say it, too! What's your point?"
~Over 40/50 - "YOU should be so lucky as to have gained as much wisdom
through adversity as I !!!"
Well, oops! There she goes, off on another tangent. But, I am/she is after
all -- "Four F"!!! Poor dear! What can you expect? LOL...
Silver, it really IS good to see you again. I have always respected your
opinions! I hope you are doing well!
Very best wishes to you, dear lady
Judith
cc: NG