When well meaning friends and or family come to you with *cures* they have found on the internet and health food stores etc.? A lady I go to church with brought me several pages of material printed off the internet with all kinds of *cures* for my RA.....like don't eat this, eat more of that, take this supplement, or oil etc. How do you respond to people like this and make them understand that you are doing all you can for your body and health? They make me feel like a idiot who doesn't want to feel better. Do you know what I am talking about?? I told her some of those things may help but the traditional treatments gave me my life back MTX, prednisone, mobic, folic acid etc. Her reponse..*How do you know if they will help if you never try them??* Well, duh, it would take until doomsday to try all the things listed on those sheets of paper! I would also be very hungry because it limits lots of food too!
How do you respond to someone like that??
its a bit like when you have your first baby . everyone seems to be the expert . what i found is politely say thankyou for any advice but then stick with what you feel is right . your body is yours alone and you know best how you feel. people think they are caring when they are mr fixits as its the only way some humans know how to help . believe me its because they care.so listen to all advice but use the bits you want to hear.Yep, I also politely say thank you. I have noticed that most of these "cures" are very expensive or part of a pyramid company. I agree with Bonny and Allycat. Most people are well meaning and they are only trying to help. Sometimes it is out of ignorance or they may know of someone who has found some help. I find it happens more at church too. I tell them thank you for caring.
Mary B
For the most part it's not because they care but because they can make money off of your illness.
I finally got fed up with these so called supportive people! I actually had someone tell me recently that the foot massager that she was peddling for 5.00 had cured her RA. I told her exactly what I thought of her and her foot massager.
I can't keep quiet any longer. I met someone at a social function just recently who told me that a type of flour that she orders from Canada and resells for .00 a lb. cured her RA. I very gently told her that if this was the cure for RA then everyone in the world would know about it and it would be on all the websites and in all of the newspapers in the world but I hadn't seen or heard anything about it.
I've heard it all at one time or the other. I finally decided that I had to confront these people. Even one of my relatives told me that vitamins would cure me. I politely told them the reasons why I don't take a fistfull of vitamins. Is stupidity the newest rage? Unless it's a well meaning friend or relative I'm pretty harsh with my comments. Even with friends and relatives I point out the flaws in their suggestions and tell them that I appreciate their concern but........Lindy
I also thank them and tell them I have a plan going with my dr that I am on and I respect your opinion and appreciate your concern but I will listen to what my dr has planned for me.
I have heard all kinds of crazy cures. Bee stings, vinegar, etc. We had a thread on here on time where everyone wrote about the crazy cures people came up with. LOL
I was thinking of people who have known me forever. People from our very small church or friends I have had for years. I am certainly willing to educate people about the disease. I cringe every time I see the picture in the medical terminology book that I use.Hi, there must be some diseases and illnesses out there that allow you to do nothing and they get better. I can't think of any, but people seem to think we can 'throw away our pills' and we will get better (over this stuff) . NO it just doesn't work that way, if we don't take our meds our joints will get worse, much worse! Is that too long?
My sister in law said that to me and I said, "Suzy, ya know what I'd love to dump these pills down the toilet, but if I did that I wouldn't be able to WALK", then I think she 'got it'!!
I don't know what people think, we are stupid? me
When I was in California last week helping my daughter after her ankle surgery I was able to do a little more education. I think it is especially true in California ( I grew up in So. Cal) that vitamins, sunshine and fresh veggies are the way to go. The more organic the better.I agree it really gets me upset sometimes. I have a lady who actually gets mad at me as well trying to sell her stupid supplements from Montreal that will completely cure my RA and Crohns. Very expensive (and not covered by heathcare) and she won't leave me alone. I used to work with her and she calls me at work still all the time. She thinks doctors are the devil and only want my money (and I live in Canada with free healthcare so it's not my money they are getting!) I have tried explaining my reasons for not taking this and she actually gets MAD about not wanting to help myself and will hang up on me!
It really upsets me too it's one of those things that can get me really worked up. Nobody really understands this disease and for some reason ignorant people get it into their heads that I am stupid when it comes to my own disease and I want to feel bad all the time (of which i am not much of a complainer at ALL) and I want to poison myself with strong medications. Doesn't everybody want that? grrr
Some people can be so thoughtless and ignorant when it comes to RA. I used to think that it was just because they lacked understanding about the disease, but now I realize that some people will never understand no matter how many times you try and explain it to them. So now when these kind of conversations start, I just get up and walk away. I don't need anyone trying to tell me how I should "fix" my RA.A friends's mother was in town and I met her for the first time. Of course, when you use a cane, walker and/or scooter, some people just feel like it's their right to know what is wrong with you.
Well, we had a nice conversation, during the course of which, she said, "Have you tried aspirin?" She really asked me that. A lot of people are completely clueless!
Nini
I love this forum...that is exactly how I feel! If, a bottle of juice or a pill or doing without corn flakes would make me better, make the pain, stiffness and mostly the fatique go away..who in their right mind wouldn't do it! But, yeh, I have to poison by body with drugs just to get through the day.....but I can now get through it..I can walk, I can hold a paint brush and once again paint, I can cook my husband supper (most days!) People are completely misinformed about RA, they think it is a stiff little finger joint...my MIL bugs the fire out of me when she calls and asks how I am and I tell her I am feeling lousy she will say *Is your Arthur, bothering you again?? Like it ever goes away!!! Grrrrrr.............I appreciate you all so much and for making me feel like I am not alone but have friends who understand just how I feel.....