I am constantly meeting people who have symptoms of biotoxin illness, Lyme, mold.
I share with them stuff that I have learned. How they can help themselves. What I get back is "well, I have a really good doctor" and then they don't do a freaking thing to help themselves.
Why do I even bother? It's like people are comfortable with their illness and are content to live their lives being sick. I just don't get it.
Why are people like sheep? The CDC says...
It's so damn frustrating.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Many have not been taught how to think critically. Many just take what their doctor tells them - or what a network newscaster - or even the pharmaceutical advertisers tell them.
If they have a good doctor, great. But, even with the best doctor, most only get a 10 minute appointment. That's not much time for continued education.
Mass market media is not doing its job regarding posing critical questions and a good sampling of all the aspects of health or offering a wide range of professionals who "consult" on their newscasts.
Many just don't think because they've not been taught there is more to think about. Big sigh.
Still, for all those who want to learn more, I just want to say I'm so grateful to the world wide web as a key tool for continued education, even if there is a lot of censorship by the FDA (which seems to be getting worse but I hope still has a chance to get better).
Generally, people put things into categories that make it simple. And there is really nothing simple about failing health (and certainly not about lyme). Some may be too ill or too tired to be able to concentrate, actually.
Again, though, here's to those who are working hard to help us all become better educated. -
[ 03-22-2013, 05:23 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
Posted by didogs (Member # 40101) on :
Very frustrating indeed-I hear ya!!
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Same with GMO in our foods... no one seems to be worried about it. Now they're creating frankenfish*.. oh, that should go well!
*genetically modified salmon*
Posted by girl (Member # 18022) on :
And the WHEAT... the wheat just drives me crazy!
and the carbs, people with diabetes who just rely on their medication and won't change their diet... that irks me! LOL
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
I know.. they're out eating pie. (or cake)
Posted by Tricky Tickey (Member # 26546) on :
I know what you mean! I've had 2 mothers who confided in me with their children's mysterious illness. One sent me a pic of the child's bulls eye rash (from a mosquito bite). Tested the kid, of course negative, then tested positive for West Nile (or so the doc told them). She said 'thank you for the help' and that was it. I don't believe it was West Nile one bit: bulls eye is definitive, yet she knows she has a good doctor who knows about these things, even though I presented the facts.
Another mother gave me ALL symptoms her son had, been to the biggest hospital in the state. They told her nothing was wrong with him, though he gets recurring fevers, joint knee pain, headaches.....all symptoms started after tick bites! Gave her a copy of Under Our Skin, all the info. doctor referral, the works. Yet she believes nothing is wrong. The best hospital in the state told her so. Frustrating? You bet!
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
I've tried and tried. After awhile I gave up
Posted by lpkayak (Member # 5230) on :
yep. been there...done that like most of us. i get my little talk down to a few sentences..."sounds like you might be dealing with lyme...here's a few good resources (not idsa sites)...call me if you want more info"
some call right away-some never. some in 5 months...or 5 years. you never know.
but dont stress over it cuz stress is bad for u.
Posted by poppy (Member # 5355) on :
Educating yourself about medical things is not easy. And most people do not have any kind of educational background to take it on. That is why it is easier to just rely on the doc. Why have a dog and do the barking yourself?
They also say that the schools are using more multiple choice testing which does not develop critical thinking skills.
Posted by Robin123 (Member # 9197) on :
I find it's a bell curve - a few people get it right away 'cause they're looking for answers, then the majority listen, but do they hear? and then a few fight the info.
Maybe it takes several times for some to hear something. So I figure that my educating efforts are one of those times along the way, and maybe by the 10th time they hear the info,
maybe from a close friend, or a famous person they admire gets sick with Lyme and co's, then they start to pay attention.
So I still consider that there's value in the effort to educate even if the person isn't welcoming the news with open arms at the time.
Posted by Bitten in Bergen (Member # 34067) on :
Oh please, don't get me started. If every person that I mentioned helpful medical insights to actually took my advice, there would be so many happy, healthier people.
It's so true - people just have to find their own path (e.g. be desperate enough to think outside the box).
Even my own husband falls into this category, and he is the sickest of us all! He fights me every step of the way.
And I give him the speech, "don't you want to get better? If you do, you have to take an active role in your health and treatment!"
Then again, his (suspected) bartonella is making his personality so negative and hurtful that I can hardly speak to him any more.
At least I can try to help myself and my 2 children get better.
I can't be a saint any more. But I wish so much that I people would listen.
So much needless suffering and denial.
Posted by lymie_in_md (Member # 14197) on :
Look at this issue differently. A person in this society is conditioned to be who they are including all of us. Conditioned by media and media conditions enough people to be the norm. This conditioning is enormous, worse than an alcohol or cigarette addiction in my opinion. To battle this conditioning means stepping out of the box. However, this thinking is like a cage with a wide open door. So instead of looking at them staying in the cage. Say to yourself, I have the courage to get out of the cage and give yourself some kudos. And also think how many folks stay in their cages to those who get out of them. In my mind, the cage is a metaphor for the mental structuring of the mind -- very much like an addiction where an addiction is a different cage. Folks who go beyond the cage do much better, I feel I have and I'm sure you all will too.
So looking at it all as a single emotion, should we really feel angry, and be sure to avoid feeling sad -- it's not your choice or should instead feel empowered and happy with our own choices. Our own choices show great will power to view the world in our own making -- that's been my view in my choices.
So step back for 10 or 20 minutes and appreciate where you are! and where you want to go, there are many cages in this disease we all need to walk out of. Posted by RC1 (Member # 31923) on :
Thanks for your comments everyone. At the time when I wrote this I was just feeling a little down and ****ed off.
Not that I would want to trade with any of these people and their bogus diagnosis's but their ignorance is bliss in a way. They just look at it as it's not their job (it's their doctors).
In a way I wish I was still naive to the way our world works too. It's like to know what we know is like a burden, to know the truth, that it's all about egos, money status and all of the things that can make the powers that be make bad choices for the rest of us.
It was much easier to go about my merry little way in life, assuming that our government, health care, corporations and so forth, had our best interest first and foremost.
I agree about the conditioning, but I also realize life is a little brighter when you think that people (in power) are looking out for you.
I'm not very good at expressing myself about things I can't really put my finger on, but I hope you guys get what I am trying to say.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
I heard ya, RC! Posted by lymie_in_md (Member # 14197) on :
RC1 -- you expressed it very well, but when you think of it. You have willpower, willpower is the power to venture into the unknown, isn't it? It is also the power to know the truth. There was a movie called "Stepford Wives" awhile back ago. Wouldn't the powers in control want to condition us into what they want us to be?
To summarize:
> Be exstatic your out of the cage > Be enthused you can learn new ways to look at life > Be enthralled by the mystery of our existence as we challenge ourselves into solving the lyme puzzle > Be thankful for the spirit that drives you to be more
Imagine the disease as excess baggage, actually pause and meditate on it. Use this will power to unload it. You can already see those who don't leave the cage, don't get rid of the disease.
Best of luck mastering life beyond the cage. Posted by cozynana (Member # 34270) on :
RC1, ran into one of these guys last week. I shared info about Lyme and he said he would call back because he couldn't talk. He didn't call,
I ran into him the other day. He said he was sorry he had not called. I told him it was OK.
It is his deal. You are right, you can lead them to water, but you can't make them drink.
Oh well, I tried. Not losing sleep over it any more.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
quote:Originally posted by lymie_in_md:
Imagine the disease as excess baggage, actually pause and meditate on it. Use this will power to unload it. You can already see those who don't leave the cage, don't get rid of the disease.
- Very true!
Posted by beaches (Member # 38251) on :
I think many people were conditioned by their parents when it comes to doctors, teachers, priests, etc. Folks were raised not to question anything these people (especially doctors) said.
Thank goodness I wasn't raised that way! Never was in any cage and never will be. And that goes for my kids. It's been a blessing to be a "free thinker." I wish more people were.
Posted by Razzle (Member # 30398) on :
quote:Originally posted by beaches: I think many people were conditioned by their parents when it comes to doctors, teachers, priests, etc. Folks were raised not to question anything these people (especially doctors) said.
Thank goodness I wasn't raised that way! Never was in any cage and never will be. And that goes for my kids. It's been a blessing to be a "free thinker." I wish more people were.
Me too, Beaches! Yes, it is frustrating to tell people things that you know will help them, only to have them ignore it.
But I agree it is great to be an outside-the-box thinker. I wish more DOCTORS were this way, too!
Posted by lymie_in_md (Member # 14197) on :
lostlyme -- I think that is perfect for this topic. In the past you might get away with being in the cage. With the environmental changes either in spraying, emf noise, quality of food or the attack by the media on our psyche. Can we afford the comfort of a caged and conditioned world when our health is at risk. In essense the caged area is being poisoned by external forces making it more difficult to either get or be well.
Posted by lost11 (Member # 34607) on :
How could you expect to lead anyone on a path with Lyme disease? The disease and its co-infections do not affect one single person the same way. What may work for you may not be the right choice for someone else. A focus on your own healing is all that should matter. :-)
Posted by Rivendell (Member # 19922) on :
It is very hard for people to believe that the medical community does not know how to diagnose and treat lyme. That you have to go "underground" to get help. It makes us sound like nut cases.
A person has to be severly ill to want help, and they still may not believe that lyme is behind it. Look at Michael J. Fox. He had lyme before developing Parkinsons, but doesn't believe there is a connection. Fully trusts his doctor.
Until the Infectious Disease Society clears up its mess and the average docctor has true lyme awareness, this won't change.
Also, people have become very "simple-minded". Putting things in nice, neat catagories. People have lost their depth. Maybe as a reaction to such a complex and unpredictable world. Keeping things simple helps them to feel more secure.
But it is hard when trying to get emotional support from family and friends.
Posted by RC1 (Member # 31923) on :
Rivendell you nailed it. That I what I was trying to say. I totally feel like a nut case with my stories of mold, 3 years of antibiotics, all these crazy infections, no sugar, no gluten...blah blah.
Are we better off to protect ourselves and keep quiet, or be brave and risk being perceived as nut jobs by sharing what we know to be true?
Posted by lost11 (Member # 34607) on :
RC1 are you cured? I have enjoyed reading some of your posts, but am very confused over many of your posts as it seems one month you are about 100 % well and then it seems you are not doing so well? I find that confusing. I only wish you wellness but which is it?
Posted by RC1 (Member # 31923) on :
Cured? I wish there was a cure. Remission? Very close. I am having days when I feel 100% my doc is waiting until I'm 2 months symptom free before going of abx.
Posted by lost11 (Member # 34607) on :
There are people who are cured. Those that get on abx after a bite right away, those who have early disseminated and even those with late stage Lyme. Believe in a cure it does exist. I guess I was confused by your post since you mentioned you were about to post it as a success story. That will ne nice when you do. :-)
Posted by Rivendell (Member # 19922) on :
RC1, it is probably better not to talk about Lyme much to the average person, unless they are really interested, and come here and the local support group for understanding.
Kind of like war veterans do. They know civilians can't understand what they've been through so they avoid discussing it with us.
The problem is with this illness, you might not be able to be sociable or talk on the phone, or you may be severely depressed or your behaviours may change - all the things that lyme does, so people want an explanation.
But how to explain? I think telling them to watch Dr. Phill's show on chronic lyme disease is a good place to start. (Have people watch the uncensored version - I hear it is better.)
I wish he would joing the campaign to help us, but I appreciate the show he did.
RC1, your improvement gives me hope. I'm happy for you.
Posted by RC1 (Member # 31923) on :
Thanks Rivendell, you're right, we are veterans too, of a different kind of war. Probably best not to talk about it.
You are very good at expressing yourself. Thanks for your insight.
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