You know...in my head I know there are people worse off.  One
of them is my step mother. She fairly young, not even 60 but
has had diabetes since she was a child.  Now she is in kidney
failure and on dialysis, she has had so many strokes she can
no longer walk or even feed herself.  Her body has taken on
a life of it's own but you can see her still there, behind her eyes.
I can't imagine what it's like.  Every time I call my Dad I get
embarrassed about my self pity....but I still have it.  It's different
when you are dealing with it.  Knowing someone is worse off
is a mental exercise but what we all are going through is emotional
as well as physical...so I am not surprised it often wins out.
Every time someone tells me it could be worse when I am in
that mode I want to snap back "yeah well it could be a hell of
a lot better too!"  :-)  Course I don't cuss I know they mean well..
but one day....  <g>

AG

On Thu, 12 Aug 2004 09:11:18 -0500, elmoemerson@webtv.net, in message
ID <15793-411B7A86-174@storefull-3255.bay.webtv.net>, in the newsgroup
alt.support.hepatitis-c wrote:

Just to add a little to what Elmo says.  I've found that getting
outside of my head has been a very useful tool on tx.  For me,
sometimes it has been as simple as spending a couple of hours in the
cinema.  It doesn't even have to be a good film.  Mind you, I live
close to a cinema - maybe you don't.  Helping others helps to take my
mind off my own crap.  I went down the homeless hostel the other day
and just spent an hour chatting with a couple of guys who have no
home.  Totally forgot I was on tx for an hour.  It's very easy to
become self-obsessed on this stuff IMO and I've fallen for that one
quite a bit.

How does it go now?
I was angry that I had no shoes, till I met a man who had no feet.

OK, so it's not a philosophy that will cure all ills but I find it's a
brilliant patch up job.

No Elmo, I don't think you are being a smart a.s at all. It certainly is not
a walk in the park.
I have heard a lot of good advice here lately, from all of you and I want
you folks to know that I appreciate it greatly.
I've kinda lost my taste for music there Elmo, but I will keep it in mind. I
guess I have taken for granted the fact that I am in Hawaii. Hell, I don't
even surf. But I do own a boogie board, and if I start to feel a little
better, I'll try to find someone to go with me down to the lagoons. I can
swim well, but with this bad hip, it is troublesome getting into and out of
the water. One of my neighbors is fixing me up with a little pacololo,(the
native word for crazy smoke), and I'm hoping that combined with a liberal
daily dose of Stargate SG-1, will give me a little out of the head
experience that I need.
My stackable washing machine/dryer just went out to lunch on me this week,
and I just now made arrangements for a replacement, I'm waiting for the
delivery truck to show up any minute,(there goes this months s.s. check)
While I'm waiting I think I'll just go out on the lanai and finish reading
my latest Dan Brown novel. Dan Brown and Clive Cussler are my favorite
action/adventure authors. Today is definitely looking a little brighter.
I hope that there is direct relationship between the misery I feel after the
injections, and the number of little virus buggies that are being killed.
What a difference a day makes :)
                                John

I'd highly recommend baking it into some edible form (brownies,
cookies).  It's a completely different experience (if you don't already
know that) and for me, much more effective for treating these symptoms.

Booger,
I truly love Stargate SG-1, and have been a fan even before it came to the
Sci-Fi channel. It used to be on Showtime. I am having a hard time with the
new Stargate Atlantis though.It's kind of sucky. I don't think it will last
too long. Yes I do like Enterprise, but they have it on in a lousy time
slot. I'm afraid that also may be destined for an early death, not for the
quality of the show. It's good. The time slot sucks. By the way are you at
all familiar with the English Sci-Fi program Red Dwarf. I don't think its on
anymore, but it was ingenious. Very funny.
When you say that you'll be with me in a few weeks, does that mean you will
be starting treatment for HepC? If so, your being here and doing this kind
of support and research is a good thing. I'm hoping the third shot won't be
as bad as the first two, but whatever the case is I want to clear myself of
this dreaded disease badly enough to put up with the side effects come what
may. You know one funny thing is that my spell checker has no problem at all
with your handle,(Booger). What the heck is that all about :)

                           John

yadda,yadda, some stuff deleted...

Yeah, I read that fairy tale too ;-)

Don't be surprised if week 2 is worse than week one, and then week 4
isn't too bad at all and then week 7 is like week 2 and then by week 14 it's
crappy again.  I was expecting a gradual decline after week 1 but it doesn't
work that way.  The good news is it's temporary.

AG

hang in there john!

jim