People are so flippin rude!!!!!
 

So I took my new pet to the vet today - she is a BIG girl - 53 lbs and emaciated, oh, and pregnant, and the vet who has known me my whole life, told me he was surprised @ how different I look!

I was always small before (5'5" and 110-125) so @ 140, people just flip when they see me! Still, I wouldn't comment on anyone's weight - no matter what!

I calmly told him about my MG and my steroids, he apologized and said he meant no disrespect, but I had always been too small before and now I look better - yeah......... right?!?

I do think he (the vet) suffers from a mild form of autism, cuz' he's always been a little off kilter, but it still bothered me.........do you think I'm being too sensitive? I never really cared about my appearance b/4, but now find myself looking in the mirror all the flippin time........stupid, huh?

I mean, in the grand scheme of things, gaining a bit of weight shouldn't be a big deal, it's just the way people respond to me now that bothers me.........

My new "little" girl will provide me with some excercise - she won't go inside - thank goodness and won't go on my back porch, so I'm going to be spending a lot more time outside, plus my sis is bringing over her treadmill for her, so she should be a lot more calm in the near future.........

Anyway - how do you guys handle it? Get a tougher skin? Insult someone? What do you think?

:hug:ERin:hug:

Hi Erin,

I have put on about 14kg(30pounds)since I've been on pred. I use to be the sort of person who could eat anything, and still be thin, mind you I did a lot of exercise to.

I saw a mother of a guy I use to go to school with and she said, "wow you've put on weight, you use to be so thin, you look good"
I was dumbfounded, I didn't know wether to be happy or annoyed. I thought, was I really that thin????? Now I just really don't care anymore, as I've come to the conclusion that at the moment its all beyond my controll. If I could I would be out excercising, but hey this is what life has handed me, so I TRY and deal with it. And when all else fails, and I'm having a bad day, I come here!!

I hear ya!
 

Hey Kate!

I know it is annoying! Really really annoying! My sisters-in-laws have always been really, really big (over 300 lbs) and were always crappy to me and now they want to take trips with me - what a strange, strange world........

They always made catty remarks, or said I was bulimic cuz' I was the same way - could eat whatever I wanted with no problems..........jealousy, plain and simple.........

Some people get a sadistic pleasure watching others suffer - I just don;t understand that @ all........

Coming here always helps though! Everyone is so kind and understands exactly what we are going through.......sadly....sigh

You should see my new girl (pit bull mix)! She is so ugly that she is cute! She is a handful! Mike is talking about a surrogate mom (now he wants a baby) and I nixed that idea - way too old and tired to do that again!!!!! Just getting Dev through school is taking it's toll on me.....poor fella has a few learning disabilities that are making it quite hard for him......Wish I ould do more or make the pain go away...........he is mildly austistic, but comes across as really arrogant, when in reality he can be quite sensitive.......He loves the new dog, btw.....really loves her!

I am still nervous about having a pit bull mix in my home, so if we do find a good home, I've already promised him another BIG dog of his choice - lab hopefully........

MY 4 lb chihuahua attacked her (Lucky) today, and then pom went after her - I had the water bottle ready!!!!! It was fine, but just made me nervous! One bite and it's all over......

Lucky is amazing with people! You should have seen her @ the vet's! She was trying to give everyone kisses - but hated all the cats and big dogs......YIKES!!!!! You can tell she has been around small dogs, cuz' she is patient, but then again I've only have her 30 hours or so.........
People parted like Moses parted the red sea when they saw her - I would have done the same thing! LOL!!!!!!

Take care!
:hug:Erin:hug:

I've met a few pit bulls and crosses in my time, mainly when I worked at the vets. Over here they are considered a "dangerous breed" and must have muzzles and its illegal to breed them, this is in certain states.

I remember one was just like lucky all kissy and cute and she was soooo well behaved, one other just plain scared me, it was nasty vicious and not pleasant to be around. I gguess it has a lot to do with how they are bought up. Over here they are crossed to make "pig dogs" dogs usedd to go out and hunt wild pigs, ahhhh mmmm, no wonder they get bad reputations!! Hope all keeps going well with her( i've added a few more picks)
redtail

Hey there!
 

Yep. They are considered a very dangerous breed here as well......that's why I'm having such a problem trying to find her a good home. I don't want her to be put down simply b/c she is a pit bull, but it still makes me uneasy with my 4 other little tiny dogs here in the house......they have already tried to attack her several times, but she just ignores them for now.....I keep Lucky in my son's room - where she is happy, warm and dry and keep my dogs with me. Plus I keep her on a leash and collar 24/7 and keep a water bottle on hand in case she fixates on something.....

My little pom was attacked and nearly killed by 2 pits years ago - they tore every muscle in her tiny body, so she really hates Lucky, but I just don;t know what to do!

Lucky is so sweet to everyone here - she wants to play and kiss everyone, but I have to remember that she is a pit.........I grew up with Akitas (very aggressive with other dogs but loved my son), dobermans (also aggressive), and german shepards, but always was of the belief that pit bulls should all be put down, since they are trained to fight and kill much bigger animals, but Lucky hasn;t been trained to fight - no scars @ all - so all is well for now.

I did buy a choke collar and kennel yesterday and am contacting a trainer (just in case).........but my vet did say that it is all how the dog is raised.......

I need to find this dog a good home and get Devon a lab or something.......I feel guilty but I just don;t know how safe I can ever really feel with a potentially dangerous animal in my home - you know?

How are you? Are you feeling better? I told you my neuro bumped me back up to 60 mgs a day, right? Good lord I'm going to be manic really soon! I'm already wake up shaking like a leaf....hate that feeling!!!!

He can't figure out how I can go from feeling so awesome to feeling so crappy so quickly, but I guess it's the nature of MG........The plasma exchange was great, but I hve no immune system right now, so I am a little leery about going out now......a few of my docs recommended that I wear a mask when I go out, but I'd rather just stay home for now..........

I'm gonna check out your pics now!!!!!

:hug:Erin:hug:

Hey Erin
You've got a big job looking after lucky but she sounds quite a nice dog but what a handful for you ............
You know some people just say things without thinking of how that may hurt another person not out of nastyness but without thought yep and that would be a lot of men shame on them
anyone knowing you tho would know you have a heart of gold!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OH how could they kill those lovely wild pigs horrid dogs i grew up with a bull terrier Butch the nicess dog in the world ...............
Oh my cat Lucy thinks she is a dog and talks non stop does'nt bark tho
Erin i'm on Preds being increased each week to max of 6 5mg tablets a day
so should be fine Alan:hug:

Thank goodness!!!!!!
 

Oh Alan! I am so happy to hear you your doctor is looking after you! The whole not being able to breathe thing is so flippin scary!

It is great to know that you actually have a dr that CARES and takes care of you - a lot of them really aren;t that great!!!

I've been home all week and have gotten a lot done, but cannot wait to get back to work - I need it in order to feel really good.......fortunately I can get a lot done here @ home , but I do miss having someone to talk to during the day:D

Has your pred made you feel stronger? Does it make you jittery? Mine makes me feel like climbing the walls, but I do love being able to eat and drink again!!!I'm back @ 60 which means I'll start to look funny again and get my "sexy" sideburns, but it will all be OK - I just know it!!!

My little girl is a lot of work, but I do think she'll get meout of the house a lot more - after all she does need to walk a lot, she is just so strong!!!!Me and my strays! I was always raised around pets and just love them so much! My little dogs are really jealous, but I can't get rid of her.......:D She is just so sweet!

How are you doing? Your family? You haven't had any more problems, right? Remember to rest and really try and no do too much. It won't be long before you feel amazing again and can do all of your "normal" stuff!

I saw this poor woman @ the hosp - she had MRSA - a really bad case that had actually "eaten" her spine - Alan, it was awful! She was in so much pain and was shaking so bad from the morphine that it looked like she was a having a seizure......I felt so guilty for being such a whiny baby after seeing her.......Made me realize just how lucky I truly am. She was such a nice lady and her husband was amazing too! She was 2 rooms down and Mike went and checked up on her all the time........

It is beautiful here today - 60 degrees with no clouds in sight! I have the house open and am enjoying it, cuz' tonight it is going to get really cold (30 degrees I think)........

Wish I was in England right now! Mike and I are planning a trip for June or July......can't wait! We loved it there! Everyone was so friendly and it was just beautiful!!!!!!

:hug:Erin:hug:

Hi Alan,

the wild pigs here are a HUGE problem, they are introduced. They totally decimate the bush, thus leaving it not habitable for our other native species like bandicoots kangaroos wallabies numbats.
I certainly don't like the way the hunters go about there business, and the dogs can get badly hurt, its really awful.

Hey Erin, 60mg, oh my goodness.
I'm having an awful day, my mg has gone south, had a bad night last night, and it was hot here yesterday, so I'm putting it down to that.
redtail

HEy there!
 

Eeewww, night sweats, I use to wake up to drenched pjs and sheets, the drs just looked at me like I was some sort of growth on the chair in front of them, til I explained just how bad they were, and then they.................did nothing.

Hey Erin
Its early days for me on the pred's but in my head i feel better i think my Dr is crap so i go in to see him and he says how are you doing yea i'm fine
and what really gets me is that the tears just pour out OH no not again but my Dr was so good and understanding and caring many years ago i was in hospital for a long time their i met the most dignified lady who suffered so much but still had humor..................
had this great idea well i walk to the shop in the village thats 2 miles so i thought hey the next village is only 4+miles got a lift their walking back i'm thinking cross the fields it will be quicker ha ha i'm lost :confused:oh and how muddy it is !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:eek: i got close to a shocked fox who just looked at me then ran as i was talking to him having legs that still work makes it easier and i want a dog Alan :hug:

Hi Redtail
i've forgoten what being hot is like and in a years time i should be in Australia so i have reason to try and get more control of MG also the positive boost helps my daughter is geting married so it will be special.
i have this special picture taken of the Queen standing next to a sow and they both look nice and a few years ago the pig farm were i use to work closed so the other staff left as slowly the pigs went but i had this one pig who had a injured leg so he stayed till the very end and i would bring him food which he liked and play with him .
Alan:)

THat stinks!
 

Yep,.......I bought some more pj's yesterday on ebay - 5 more to be exact - should have enough to last me now - cant make it through the night unless my home is really cold and I have not 1 but 2 fans blowing on me........Needless to say, my family is miserable, but I don't know what to do!!!! I even sleep with the windows open when it is 30 degrees just to get some relief!

You know I used to make fun of my poor aunt cuz' she was always hot, now I know what she was going through - poor thing!!!!

I'm gonna my ask my doc what I can do to help.......I also get crazy, wicked nightmares on streoids - do you? I haven't reached my full on manic phase yet, I jsut keep praying that I don't get that whacko again!!!!! I have NEVER been a shopper, but when I was @ 80, I was buying stuff all the time - it was awful! MY poor hubby didn't know what to do................


Are you feeling better today? How is your mom? Auntie?


:hug:Erin:hug:

Hello Alan!
 

Hi Alan! I am glad to hear you are feeling better! THe pred can make people feel a little whacky @ times, but it does do it's job well.....I'm back @ 60 and am feeling it! I am really hoping to get back down to 20 very, very soon!

It feels sogood to be home! Last night I was able to take care of my fellas - got my hubby's clothes laid out for work, made dinner, took care of Dev, etc, and played with my dogs - it felt AMAZING!!!!!

I always took being healthy for granted b/4 - NEVER again! I have learned to be so thankful for the days when I feel good, cuz' I never know how I'll feel the next day!

:hug:Erin:hug:





the pred's but in my head i feel better i think my Dr is crap so i go in to see him and he says how are you doing yea i'm fine
and what really gets me is that the tears just pour out OH no not again but my Dr was so good and understanding and caring many years ago i was in hospital for a long time their i met the most dignified lady who suffered so much but still had humor..................
had this great idea well i walk to the shop in the village thats 2 miles so i thought hey the next village is only 4+miles got a lift their walking back i'm thinking cross the fields it will be quicker ha ha i'm lost :confused:oh and how muddy it is !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:eek: i got close to a shocked fox who just looked at me then ran as i was talking to him having legs that still work makes it easier and i want a dog Alan :hug:[/QUOTE]

When I had Cushing's (which is high cortisol, same as taking a lot of pred), my husband would comment that sleeping next to me was the same as sleeping next to a blast furnace.

I went through a very cold winter in NY/NJ with just a shell (no liner), unzipped, no scarf, no hat, and hardly wore gloves. If I walked too much or too fast, I used to sweat and wet my hair. I had to stop wearing any hair products as I could completely wet my hair and then when it would dry, it would be in kinda spikes, and I would look like a warped hedge hog. But the doctor said I was fine. People would ask if I was cold in such a thin jacket, but I was just fine. Just fine.

This topic went all over the place!

From dog and pigs to temperature.

But my two cents worth...

Erin...it isn't the 'body weight' that they see - it's the fact that the prednisone puts so much of the weight in the face...and that's what they look at. I didn't see myself as I was when I was on high doses...it was only later looking back of one of the few pictures that was taken of me did the full effect show itself.

Ignore them...you just can't cure stupid.

Rumpled....will you come sleep with me? :) I'm freezing all the time! I'd love to be next to a furnace...who knew that I would miss that time.

Sigh.

Lydia

:DTrue.....so true.....my face has ballooned to at least twice it's size in the last few days...........

My little niece was shocked when she saw me today - but she was very sweet and told me I was "still beautiful".............

Steroids are a necessary evil.....can't live with them, can;t live without them, but my onc is worried about the fact that I've been on a such a high dose for so long now - almost a year.............

I know 09 is going to be great! This is just another bump in the road!!!!!!!:D

Hey everyone! Hope everyone is feeling good.
Erin: I thought it was funny that you said you find yourself always looking in a mirror now, when I'm the opposite. I've been avoiding mirrors for over a year now. I'm at 40mg every second day and still showing the heaviness in my face and belly (although not as much as when I was at 60mg daily).

I agree with the necessary evil comment too - I love how I feel on steroids, but hate how I look. I know appearance shouldn't matter - but at the end of the day that's the sad world we live in.

I too feel the heat! Before steriods I was ALWAYS cold - I was a running joke in my famiily because I would wear huge sweaters in summer. Now I'm constantly stripping off layers. And my big red tomato face shows the heat immediately. The other morning I walked to school (in -5 degree weather) and by the time I got there I had drips of sweat running down my back (yuck i know - sorry).

Anyhoo, hope everyone is smiling today!
~Kathy
PS I saw another of those MG posters today in Berwick-upon-Tweed a tiny seaside town in England (very near our house). I was SO excited.

Ain't it a pain?
 

Yep, I've officially become "vain" I guess........terrible timing! It's just that my family/friends are so flippin shocked by my face size that it makes me really self conscious............I mean, in the grand scheme my face size really doesn't matter so long as I can eat, breathe, etc, and you would think that any reasonable person would just be happy being somewhat healthy - especially after everything I've been through since my diagnosis, but here I am anyway - crazy as hell!

I cannot take the heat at all! I swell up and start to sweat through anything/everything and the night sweats are starting to really tick me off.......again a small thing, but I'm building it up to some major ordeal.........

I see people @ the Cancer Care Centers all the time -really really sick people who are handling life with such grace and dignity, I mean, they are dying and are calm and sweet and I whine about this................hate it!

I think I'm gonna ask my doc to up my Paxil for a while............

Erin

Oh Erin,
I feel for you and wish i could give you a big hug! I know it's hard to complain when there are so many worse things in the world than what we are going through, but that doesn't negate what we are experiencing. The thing I feel most guilty about is that I sometimes almost begrudge others healthiness. Why do I have all these problems that no-one has ever heard of when others are so healthy?

Anyways, just know that you can complain here without feeling bad! AND you are beautiful! I took a sneaky look at some of your facebook pictures and you are stunning- even in the hospital. Once you get your strength back and the azathioprine kicks in you'll be off the 'roids and skinny again!

Take care!
~Kathy

I feel the same way.......
 

I too, feel guilt for wondering why I am sick, and others are totally OK - no justice @ all............Then I see others who are really suffering and feel like crap again!!!!!

It is a crazy, crazy world!My gram was always sick and yet she never complained - ever! I wish I was strong like her. Even after her heart transplant, she was always kind and patient and even started a support group for people here in SA - wish I could be more like her........She truly was amazing!

I went to my sis's house last night - it was fun! My little niece was so proud of me - I love little ones! The food was awesome, and we (Mike and I) were so happy to be out of the house!

I am going to be a bum today - no work @ all! I'm going to ice my face and feet and pray that I grow up and quit complaining! Oh! And I;m going to watch "The Duchess"...........

rock climbing....arr...
 

I felt so bad....all of our kids were rock climbing and my hubby decided to give it a try....he was trying so hard...to get me to climb too....I told him to please stop..because I was afraid that I could even climb half of that wall.....My sweet husband didn't act like he had a clue that I couldn't do that....

:grouphug: Today, has been a LOOOONNNNGGGG day!

Hey cricket,

I use to do a bit of rock climbing and abseiling, and would love to go again. Alas I think I would get up a few metres and my arms would just give in. So now I just reminisce.
Its great you have a great husband!!

Hey Cricket and Redtail,
I too used to rock climb and there are days that I really miss it. I was never very good, but it used to amaze me how my body could hold itself up with such little contact with the earth. The first week of February I'm going away with the school on a resdential trip to an outdoor centre called Kielder, Calvert Trust. It's all equipt to deal with kids with disabilities and in wheelchairs and some of the activities include canoeing and rock climbing. I'm not sure how they manage it - maybe harnesses? Anyways, I'm hoping I'll be brave enough to try. Amazing since a year ago my husband couldn't convince me to climb a flight of stairs on my own. I was always so scared.

Cricket, I'm sure your hubby meant well. I can't imagine what these men must go through watching us struggle with the seemingly simplest of things. Just remind him that you'll try things when you are ready - I'm sure you will sometime. Maybe we should set up a chatroom for them too!

I'm off to explore Fast Castle. Have a nice day everyone.

Wow Kathy,

that sounds like a great place, I think its great that kids with disabilities can now try lots of different things, that once would have been immpossible. Sounds like the sort of place I could go to get some of my confidence back.

Wheres Fast Castle??

Hey Redtail,
Fast castle is in Coldingham just outside of Eyemouth in Scotland. It's not a huge castle but it's nice to get out for a wander when the sun is shining here! There are these little castles everywhere. In our tiny village of Duns there are two. My husband and I joined Historic Scotland Society which gives you free entry to loads of sites across the country. There really is so much to see here - so much history. I love it! There are buildings on the street I live now that were built before my hometown in Canada had even been "discovered" by Europeans!
~Kathy

Hey Kathy!
 

If you get some time, and the inclination, I'd love to see some pics of the castles! We just don't have that history here!

How are you doing?It sounds like you are feeling great! I am so happy to hear that!

Take care!
:hug:Erin:hug: