I get the oh; you are one of Jerrys kids?
No; Montels.

You are so lucky it isn't something serious.
Oh yes; it could be worse.

You should get some bees since bee stings cure MS!!
I am allergic to bee venom; guess I will never be cured now.

How much time do you have left?
Five minutes or less...bye.

So far the stupidest comments that I've had were from relatives.

One who thinks I'm a hypochondriac. She said that I'm faking it. First time she said anything about it, I think she said "I dont believe her...she's lying".

Another relative, who has a painful chronic condition that's also considered an autoimmune disease (not MS) doesnt seem to believe me either. But, I'm not sure about that. I'm probably the only family member she has that can relate to her pain and fatigue. (I dont even have bad pain or really bad fatigue yet, but when I get some bad flares, I've gotten a bad taste of what the exhaustion feels like)

I know I can definately relate to her neuropathy that she's had in her feet from her disease. I just dont mention my numbness because she'll think I'm competing with her, or trying to one-up her on crappy feelings.

One doctor that I went to see about two years ago (a urologist) kept telling me how sorry he was that I had MS. Kept looking at me like I was going to croak in his office while he was taking my History for a problem I was having at the time. Dude...chill!

my drug addicted sister told me I am "lucky" to have MS. When I tell folks I want to go lay down, they will fluff my pillow for me, but when she complains about being tired, people tell her how lazy she is. Said she would give anything to have such a "convienent" disease

One of my customers came in one day and he said, "My wife said you got diagnosed with MS?" and I said yes. He kind of shrugged and said, "Well, everybody has something, I guess."

I was so hurt! BUT! A couple of days later he came in and we talked, and it turned out he had been trying to get up the nerve to share with me about his own (serious) health concern, and he apologized for being so preoccupied that he said something hurtful.

Around the holidays or any family gathering...

The older family members sit around a table and compare health-complaints and problems ... the discussion goes on and on...

ankle problems, weight problems, going to 3 doctors for 4 different problems...

again it goes on and on...

They all know I have MS and they don't dare to invite me into the conversation because they know what my response would be:

"Ya, I'm doing okay... given that I have a disease that has no cure because a direct cause hasn't been discovered"

Right now, for me, the MS is invisible i.e. my symptoms -- fatigue, cognition...

Oh, I sometimes get the honey-bee sting therapy suggestion. No thanks.

The bee-sting one... "oh, I heard some people got cured for [X, Y or Z] from getting stung" ....

that would count as one of the dumbest things I've heard...

Niko

I was stung multiple times a couple of years before I was dx. I can say with certainty that it did not work for me!

Wow Dej, that's nuts.

Erin...on the hypochondriac subject, I was accused while in limbo by several 'friends' of mine of being hypo. Should have seen their faces when they heard the diagnosis.

I don't speak to them anymore.

'Oh well, look on the bright side...' said my mum.



she's since read up a lot and is convinced I need more vitamins. ok. whatever.

and from my Bowen 'therapist' - 'So you always look like you're just sleepwalking then?'

A PA that still works at my doctor's office all but accused me of being a hypochondriac when I complained of numbness in my right thigh in May of 2006. Because she couldnt find evidence of a broken bone or sprain or obvious injury, she told me there was nothing wrong with me and sent me on my numb little way.

In August of 2006 I had my first episode of optic neuritis, and that's when they told me I might have MS and were very interested to hear that I'd had numbness since very early April or March of that year. (I waited a long time before kvetching to the PA about the numbness)

In January of 2007, I got the diagnosis of MS. I remember taking my mom to the doctor there for something about that time and seeing the PA in the hallway outside the exam room my mom was in. PA asked me how I was. I got a little snippy with her and said "I've got MS, thanks for treating me like I was a <bleepity bleep> hypochondriac".

She just said "sorry", and got out of my way really quick. I hope she's improved her bedside manner since then. Everytime I've had to deal with her she still treats me like I'm Little Miss Fakeity Fake, so I dont think she's going to change.

Thank goodness that doctor's office got another PA who is totally cool (and also works nights at the Emergicare that I've had to go to a few times this year for emergency antibiotics.) She at least trusts me when I say I've got a particular problem, because I've had enough of that particular problem to know when I've got a real problem.

'Oh well, it could be worse...' (no doubt it could)

'Well at least you don't have children...' (?)

She 'Are you having trouble coming to terms with it?'
Me 'No, I'm having trouble with falling OVER and the holes in my brain'

Neuro receptionist 'Well we're all going to die of something, I could get hit by a bus!' (Learn to look left, look right then)
'Learn to live with it' (That helps)
'Live life to the FULL' (hadn't thought of that)
'Get back on your horse, that must be easy enough, just sit there' (very high up on an animal that thinks there's a lion stalking it at all times)