This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_004D_01BD85B7.45DF1880 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I have been reading your messages with great interest since I joined = this group 3 days ago. Perhaps it is too early in my association to = send you a message before I really get a feel for the appropriate types = of responses. However, I've had a change in my attitude and I would = like to talk about it. =20 I am 51 yrs. old, a high school English teacher, married for 25 yrs. = with two sons. I was diagnosed in April of '96 and spent the next three = months unable to speak the "P" word. I was in such shock and such = denial, I could not even bear to think about the implications of this = diagnosis. Sometime in August I was able to tell my boys who were 21 = and 16. They cried and I cried - it was quite a family howl actually. = =20 Then I found a neurologist who not only explained everything to me = quietly and patiently, she also spent time with me in her office letting = me hold her hand and cry. I really needed a counsellor, someone who = could help me through the vast wasteland of grief over the loss of my = health. However there was no one, truly. I found a psychiatrist who = refused to touch me, even to shake hands. I found a grief counsellor = who reasoned away all emotions. I went to a psychotherapist whose = shattering insight into my suffering was that I used the word "trash" = twice in my litany of problems. So I spent a long time sinking into = depression and believing that I had brought a great calamity to my = precious family, had no self worth whatever, and had absolutely no hope = for any kind of a fulfilling future. I accepted that there was no one = outside my family and my growing circle of loyal friends who could give = me any objectivity or direction at all. =20 I have lived the last two years of my life with a rock in my = stomach, never being really happy. Getting by, doing a terrific job = teaching, finding a lot of success there, but coming home to a home = where in spite of the support, still burying myself under the burden of = Parrkinson's and whatever I was figuring was the Parkinson's "identity". I started taking medication: requip, effexor for the depression, = amytriptaline for sleeping. And just went on. Things started to change when I picked up a book by Bernie Siegle, = Love Medicine and Miracles. He's received a lot of criticism for this = due to one of his tennants being: we attract the diseases we get. = Whether or not I buy this philosophy, it is still interesting to = consider. But his other main message was to love yourself. And this he = went on with at great lengths. Then, I thought that since I was grieving a great loss in my life, I = should look into the work of Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, On Death and Dying. = Much of her ground breaking points have found their way into the main = stream culture. But it was still absorbing. And everyone, all self help gurus, relate back to the original = oracle of the concept that we do, under all circumstances, control our = attitude - Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning. This was a = difficult read. He exaggerates nothing about the holocaust. In plain = unembellished english he defines the power of the human spirit to = transcend and transform any situation which is beyond our control. Recently I've stumbled upon Joan Bolen's Close to the Bone. A = psychiatrist, she links the decent of the process of accepting chronic = illness to mythology. In this way she gives me a visual image to see = the whole picture and not just the immediate pain, of what I am = experiencing. While in the office of my doctor the other day, I asked her to show = me a picture of exacly where in my brain this dysfunction was occuring. = She showed me a photo of a skull cut away just above the eyes and = pointed to the mid brain with her pencil. For the first time in 2 yrs, = I felt a dissociation from the disease. A separateness between this = horrible "thing" and me. I'm beginning to believe that this disease is = not me, that I still have worth, the right to dream, to hope, a future. = Perhaps I was primed for this moment, with all the self help I'd been = trying to do. I don't know, I feel good about myself. I hope it lasts. And one more thing. She suggested that I start taking an anti = oxidant called CoEnzyme Q10. Not available through prescription in = Canada, but you can buy it in Canada over the counter at health food = stores. (!) It is available through prescription in the States. There = is no way that this capsule is creating the positive change in attitude = that I'm experiencing. But it's definitely not hurting. The rock in my stomach is not completely gone. But from time to time = lately, I've felt it going. Barb ------=_NextPart_000_004D_01BD85B7.45DF1880 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD W3 HTML//EN"> <HTML> <HEAD> <META content=3Dtext/html;charset=3Diso-8859-1 = http-equiv=3DContent-Type> <META content=3D'"MSHTML 4.72.2106.6"' name=3DGENERATOR> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2> I have been = reading your=20 messages with great interest since I joined this group 3 days ago. = Perhaps=20 it is too early in my association to send you a message before I really = get a=20 feel for the appropriate types of responses. However, I've had a = change in=20 my attitude and I would like to talk about it. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2> I am 51 yrs. old, = a high=20 school English teacher, married for 25 yrs. with two sons. I was = diagnosed=20 in April of '96 and spent </FONT><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2>the next = three=20 months unable to speak the "P" word. I was in such shock = and=20 such denial, I could not even bear to think about the implications of = this=20 diagnosis. Sometime in August I was able to tell my boys who were = 21 and=20 16. They cried and I cried - it was quite a family howl=20 actually. &nbs= p; =20 </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2> Then I found a = neurologist=20 who not only explained everything to me quietly and patiently, she also = spent=20 time with me in her office letting me hold her hand and cry. I really = needed a=20 counsellor, someone who could help me through the vast wasteland of = grief over=20 the loss of my health. However there was no one, truly. I = found a=20 psychiatrist who refused to touch me, even to shake hands. I found = a grief=20 counsellor who reasoned away all emotions. I went to a psychotherapist = whose=20 shattering insight into my suffering was that I used the word = "trash"=20 twice in my litany of problems. So I spent a long time sinking = into=20 depression and believing that I had brought a great calamity to my = precious=20 family, had no self worth whatever, and had absolutely no hope for any = kind of a=20 fulfilling future. I accepted that there was no one outside my family = and my=20 growing circle of loyal friends who could give me any objectivity or = direction=20 at all. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2> I have lived the = last two=20 years of my life with a rock in my stomach, never being really = happy. =20 Getting by, doing a terrific job teaching, finding a lot of success = there, but=20 coming home to a home where in spite of the support, still burying = myself under=20 the burden of Parrkinson's and whatever I was figuring was the = Parkinson's=20 "identity".</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2> I started taking = medication:=20 requip, effexor for the depression, amytriptaline for sleeping. = And just=20 went on.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2> Things started to = change when=20 I picked up a book by Bernie Siegle, Love Medicine and Miracles. = He's=20 received a lot of criticism for this due to one of his tennants being: = we=20 attract the diseases we get. Whether or not I buy this philosophy, = it is=20 still interesting to consider. But his other main message was to = love=20 yourself. And this he went on with at great lengths.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2> Then, I thought = that since I=20 was grieving a great loss in my life, I should look into the work of = Elizabeth=20 Kubler-Ross, On Death and Dying. Much of her ground breaking = points have=20 found their way into the main stream culture. But it was still=20 absorbing.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2> And everyone, all = self help=20 gurus, relate back to the original oracle of the concept that we do, = under all=20 circumstances, control our attitude - Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for=20 Meaning. This was a difficult read. He exaggerates nothing about = the=20 holocaust. In plain unembellished english he defines the power of = the=20 human spirit to transcend and transform any situation which is beyond = our=20 control.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2> Recently I've = stumbled upon=20 Joan Bolen's Close to the Bone. A psychiatrist, she links the = decent of=20 the process of accepting chronic illness to mythology. In this way = she=20 gives me a visual image to see the whole picture and not just the = immediate=20 pain, of what I am experiencing.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2> While in the = office of my=20 doctor the other day, I asked her to show me a picture of exacly = where in=20 my brain this dysfunction was occuring. She showed me a photo of a = skull=20 cut away just above the eyes and pointed to the mid brain with her = pencil. For the first time in 2 yrs, I felt a dissociation from = the=20 disease. A separateness between this horrible "thing" = and=20 me. I'm beginning to believe that this disease is not me, that I = still=20 have worth, the right to dream, to hope, a future. Perhaps I was = primed=20 for this moment, with all the self help I'd been trying to do. I = don't=20 know, I feel good about myself. I hope it lasts.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2> And one more = thing. She=20 suggested that I start taking an anti oxidant called CoEnzyme Q10. = Not=20 available through prescription in Canada, but you can buy it in Canada = over the=20 counter at health food stores. (!) It is available through prescription = in the=20 States. There is no way that this capsule is creating the positive = change=20 in attitude that I'm experiencing. But it's definitely not=20 hurting.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>The rock in my stomach is not completely gone. = But from=20 time to time lately, I've felt it going. =20 Barb</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_004D_01BD85B7.45DF1880--