[Blessings2You]

I'm with tkrik--how much time do you have?

MOST of the time I really try to focus on the positive and not dwell on the downside. That said--I think it's a good idea to have a thread like this once in a while where we can come and dump the trash. Sometimes you just HAVE to dump it! There are days when it all builds up and you feel like you're going to implode.

And my family suffers enough from what I DO share with them. Not because they're sick of it, but because there's nothing more they can do than what they're already doing. They already feel bad. Reminding them every single day how lousy I feel isn't helpful.

What my family/friends do tend to forget is that it's not always "just" the MS. Like most of you, especially those of a certain age, I have other stuff going on that's often just as debilitating as the MS. Nothing life-threatening, just more stuff piled on to increase my whining misery.

Like MS isn't enough without arthritis, IBS, chronic infection/rash, sore toes, anxiety, and all the other complaints du jour.

My body doesn't want to do anything, and my brain doesn't either. I'm doing the best I can coping with the ever-lengthening list of things I'll never do, or never do again. I'm trying to adjust to changing the way I do everything (cook, clean, run errands) and then, just when I get used to the "new" way, having to change again.

Currently my whine is that I've been dealing with several weeks of pain. Not blinding, excruciating pain but day after day of having it hurt to sit, hurt to stand, hurt to lie down--never able to find a pain-free position for more than a few minutes--it's getting really old. I'm thankful that I CAN find a few minutes of relative comfort, but it sure is whine-inducing.