Tuesday, February 13, 2007

No Means No!

Back in 2000, I was diagnosed with MS. If you know me in real life, you know that that is something you would never guess. Since my diagnosis, I’ve been on a medication of subcutaneous injections (that means just under the fat layer). I take it once daily. In all this time, I’ve remained stable. Yay!

Shortly after I was diagnosed, I found this local support group and started going to that. It only met once a month - on a weeknight at 7pm. Every meeting seemed to be the same as the one before it and it’s difficult being the “wellest” person in a group. They’d all be talking about problems with incontinence or aversion to heat or sexual difficulties…. I pee and poop normally, I love tanning beds and hot tubs and my sex drive went the opposite direction of “downhill”. LOL.

After Buddy started school, that time frame became more and more difficult. Plus, the Evil Twin works a four 10 hour week. He is at work from 9 am to 7 pm Monday thru Thursday. He’s normally not home until 7:30 or so. Then, I get his dinner ready, the kids need baths and to get in bed.

One of the regulars in the group has called me continuously for years asking if I’d be present at this meeting or that meeting. I’d make different excuses and even say that my schedule at that time was just too chaotic for me to get away. I understand that there are very few people who attend the meeting, so they’re probably just trying to drum up more members.

But, today, I finally just told her that unless my schedule changed, attending a weeknight meeting at 7 pm wasn’t in the cards for me. She asked if I could bring the kids. Sure, I could, but Buddy (at 9) would be bored to tears and I doubt the baby would behave. Plus, Buddy has to get in bed for school on Friday and furthermore, there has been discussions of impotence and the like in the group - I mean, that’s part of MS, those type of problems exists, but I don’t want my 9 year old to ask about impotence.

I guess I was just feeling frustrated that after months of making excuses, I finally had to think “Why don’t they get the hint?” It’s not that I don’t like them - it’s just a scheduling conflict for me!

Anyway, this was going to be more interesting, but I am completely exhausted - but didn’t want to wait because then all my thoughts about it would “poof”, so here it is.

1 comment:

  1. When I started reading back through your posts and I read about your neurological examinations and subcutaneous injections, I wondered if MS was what you were diagnosed with.

    So I went to the start (now there is some thinking) and began to read in order.

    My best friend's wife was diagnosed with MS about a month before they got married. Over the years she has gone through different treatments, had her fillings removed and it's been a real up and down ride for her and her husband and daughter.

    Her condition has stabilized over the last couple of years and this March she will be celebrating her twentieth wedding anniversry.

    Through all of this she had always been the same dizzy blonde I first met and still love like my sister.

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