I don't know if anyone else feels the same about TM as I do. When TM hit me,
I wasn't really sad, angry
or anything. I just felt that it was something else that I had to accomplish
in my life. People told me that I
might not be able to walk again, but then people have also told me that I
would never make it through college
or that my marriage would never work (I was married when I was 16). I've
always just tried hard to beat
the odd's, and TM was just another one of those life tests. Getting TM has
even made me more aware
of the things around me. My relationship with my wife is at the best it has
ever been, and I spend more time
listening and playing with my daughter than I ever had. Sure TM has taken
some things away from me,
but the experience has brought me some things too.
Just a thought,
- Rudy.
-----Original Message-----
From: John Godfrey <djgodfrey(AT)worldnet.att.net>
To: Lindstrom, Ann <Ann.Lindstrom(AT)octel.com>
Cc: WREZN8R <WREZN8R(AT)aol.com>; 'D.C. Jones' <jones(AT)tdl.com>;
FHargr3092(AT)aol.com <FHargr3092(AT)aol.com>; swimmerh(AT)pacbell.net
<swimmerh(AT)pacbell.net>; tmic-list(AT)eskimo.com <tmic-list(AT)eskimo.com>
Date: Friday, March 20, 1998 1:19 PM
Subject: Re: TM & I
>Lindstrom, Ann wrote:
>>
>> Dave - I agree. I can still walk, but also went through definite
>> grieving about the loss of the healthy person I used to be. When I hear
>> some one talking about a good place to hike, or a great place to dance,
>> I still feel momentary pain realizing that I can no longer enjoy some of
>> the great pleasures of former years.
>>
>> Chisti - Before I was finally diagnosed with myelitis, the doctors were
>> fairly convinced that I had metastized breast cancer. The prospects
>> were very dim. I needed people you could stand to hear my pain, and not
>> try to cheer me up.
>>
>> Another lesson learned from fighting breast cancer....while a positive
>> attitude is important, we tend to go over board to the extent that the
>> patient can start to think that his illness is his fault because he is
>> not positive enough. Some thing to think about.
>>
>> If your brother can not pull out of the anger/depression after awhile,
>> you may need to consider psychiatric help. Seeing someone for a while
>> and anti-depressants did me a world of good.
>>
>> I do believe that the people who love and care for us often have a
>> harder row to hoe than the patient. I am forever grateful and amazed at
>> my husband's stamina and grace during all my problems. Hang in there -
>> Ann
>> > ----------
>> > From: D.C. Jones[SMTP:jones(AT)tdl.com]
>> > Sent: Friday, March 20, 1998 11:34 AM
>> > To: WREZN8R
>> > Cc: FHargr3092(AT)aol.com swimmerh(AT)pacbell.net tmic-list(AT)eskimo.com
>> > Subject: Re: TM & I
>> >
>> > Christi:
>> >
>> > Something need to understand about Greg. Greg is in mourning, someone
>> > has died, that someone is Greg. He needs time to feel bad, it is
>> > normal
>> > to feel really awful, depressed and angry. Six weeks is nothing at
>> > all,
>> > nothing!! It can take six years before he feels anything close to
>> > what
>> > he was before. Do not expect him, ask or wonder out load as to why he
>> > doesn't adopt a more up countenance. He obviously knows you don't
>> > understand and if you feel you do and voice it to him he will get
>> > angry.
>> > Let him be angry, let him feel bad all he needs is someone to listen
>> > when he is ready to talk. You can not force him to open up, it's his
>> > problem and he knows it. He has to have time and that is that.
>> >
>> > Davej
>> >
>I agree, we all have to go at our own pace. I really resented everyone
>telling me how to fell and how to act about this whole mess. I
>eventually came to the same conculsion on my own. It somehow sounds
>better when we say it ourselves and we aren't quite as defensive
>about it. As hard as it for us to go through this I think in some
>ways it's harder on our loved ones because they feel totally helpless.
>
>Diana
>