Some times reaching out helps take your mind off your pain.

[alfredo]

A diversion is a good thing. I have had serious Arthritis and Crohn's disease for some time. Attitude has been my strongest medicine.

I have been volunteering outside the home. It takes my mind off my pain and it has widened by circle of friends. As old friends move away or die, new friends enter the picture. A person with friends is a much happier person.

This forum (DU) and the internet in general has been great. It has given me so much.

When I first started Folding@Home I was obsessed with my progress. I soon found that it was a good divergence, it took me outside of myself. It made me feel good that I was fighting the good fight. It gave me a reason to get up, fire up my computer.

Over the years the obsession has passed, but I still feel good about the little bit I do for my fellow man. I know if and when the data collected from the Folding@Home project finds a cure for many diseases it will probably be too late for me, but that is not the point. The point is doing something for someone else. Sure letting a client run in the background isn't much, but it is something. If you are homebound, your options to help are limited.

There are many distributed computing projects out there. Each one is a worthy endeavor, and each one you can do on your computer. It won't put you in the league of Mother Teresa, but you do what you can.

Check these out:

http://boinc.berkeley.edu/ This one gives you a range of projects. I was with the Weather Prediction net before I settled on Folding@Home. I did Seti@home for a bit, but decided my time was better spent with something more down to earth.

DU has a team for Folding@Home. Here's a link to the discussion.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1523134

You can get active in Amnesty International. http://www.amnesty.org/ Or find something locally you can do to help others.

The point I am making is: get up, get out, and do something. Don't let the illness control your life. Get involved.

[REP]

1. On a Much Smaller, Localized Scale...

I whine and bitch a lot here, but in real life, I try to keep it to myself. Everyone's got problems.

The last couple of weeks, though, have been a little rough - my Crohn's, which is really quite mild, got fugly and I found out my kidney function had taken a decline - again, not a big deal but a little depressing.

Then my healthy-as-a-horse Loved One - who hardly even gets a cold - had to get a tetanus shot and in the course of doing that was found to have very high blood pressure. Well, the deal is I have so many things wrong with me that no one I love is supposed to get anything seriously wrong with them, so that pissed me off. My Loved One can do a lot of things, but he can't cook or even shop for food well, so I'm in charge of that. Planning out what he can eat that won't kill him that he might like plus finding out if there are vitamins that effective against hypertension (turns out, there was a large double-blind study that found that yes, there are) and getting all that ready kept me from worrying about him and distracted me from my navel for a few moments!

[alfredo]

2. My wife is a chronic too. She's one of those who have beat the

numbers and is living well. Caring for her takes me out of myself. My garden, online activism, and on the street activism has been what keeps me from living in a perpetual pity party.

Today I am having a bad Arthritis day. but that hasn't dampened my enjoyment of the World Cup. Go England! Go Brazil!!

[nashville_brook]

3. would have been nice if my husband had "cared for" me

we might still be married. the only thing that exists for him is himself. he never tried to understand my illness -- he never believed i was sick or that i shouldn't be able to deal with pain -- as in "just deal with it." suck it up.

yeah, i agree, caring for others does take your mind off the pain. the whole time i was in the hospital i continued to care for him, emotionally and otherwise.

so, i started caring for a friend's child -- mentoring. he has aspergers. i'd pick him up from school and we'd run around and talk. or we'd hang out at the house and bake or garden. when i decided to stand up for myself in the divorce, the kids mom (my supposed best friend for 20 years) wrote me a nasty email, saying i was "playing the victim" and that i had had a "freeride" not having to work for a year or so.

i've seen this thread for a while i wanted to comment. i wanted to say something positive, but it seems like every person i've ever cared for has either abandoned me or stabbed me in the back.

so, i care for my dogs now.

[REP]

4. My SO Has Volunteered to Give Me One of His Kidneys Should I Need It

I'm in Stage 2/3 kidney failure. I have FSGS, which has a dismal prognosis and I am B-, which is the WORST blood type for transplant. Because of my other problems, my prognosis on dialysis isn't great. He has sworn that no matter what happens, he will always be there for me and if he can, he will donate a kidney to me.

So the least I can do is make him a few meals! Plus I adore him - he's absolutely wonderful in every way. Taking care of him isn't a burden or a chore, but I was so worried about him. Screw getting a kidney - I just want HIM! Good news is that already his blood pressure is coming down, and it's only been a couple of weeks.

[WestHoustonDem]

5. Glad to hear you're doing a little better REP - keep up the

good work. You're lucky to have such wonderful support from your SO.

[REP]

7. Well, Eating Is Still Kinda Pointless

The pain level is way down, but the malsorption/etc is in high gear. I eat something; it reappears in 2-3 hours, largely untouched by the digestive process ... or it's just bile, and I'm sure you can imagine the world of fissures I'm enjoying. Along with people saying, "I wish I could get Crohn's so I could lose weight so quickly!" Erm, sure you do...

Well, at least it's much easier to stick to the renal restrictions ... !

But the Loved One has lost his taste for MacDonald's, which is a small miracle!

[WestHoustonDem]

8. That sucks REP, people just don't get it.

People who have never been deathly ill will just not get it. I hope things turn around for you soon.

I don't have an SO, but I have a teenager who's addicted to MacD's. *sigh*

My dad just had a bout with "antibiotic induced colitis" and it really pissed me off because I saw the symptoms and told his doctor months ago, but to no avail. He's down to about 100 lbs because they ignored my warning. I'm so angry I could spit! :rant:

[nashville_brook]

6. reading this makes me smile

sometimes just reading about positive stuff is a good thing. :)