Re:ATHNOSTIC'S

[Guest guest]

Doug,

I had similar problems in 1963 - almost dropped out of high school. I

couldn't keep up with running in the required soccer teams during phys ed (we

called it gym class back then) My chest tightened up like a drum. The teacher

(a woman) was gung ho on the " physical fitness " that was promoted by the

then-president of the US - regardless. Unfortunately, asthma was then regarded

as an emotional disease rather than biological. She also yelled at me and

belittled me. It tainted me forever and the worst part was that they never knew

for sure what caused the severe reactions that year. I struggled so hard to

breathe (it seemed like my throat or something was becoming sort've paralyzed)

that I vomited. It was terrifying. My parents weren't much help as they were

told by the doctor that these were " emotional " problems. In fact, they were

angry with me. My mother did comment that there seemed to be an unusual mold on

the ground that year.

Interestingly, in 2006, when I saw a good pulmo, she said she was

diagnosing me with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergilliosis (sp?). (looks like

asparagus to me <wink> <grin>). It's a type of mold that's everywhere. That

teen-aged experience did something to me long term - maybe biological and maybe

partly psychological. I do not trust doctors although there are certainly some

I trust far more than others, and I'm deathly afraid of illness as I know the

help really isn't there.

Putting the 1960s into context, and this is not meant to be a political

statement at all, there was a war going on in Vietnam and young men were wanted

by the US military to fight the war. The belief at the time was pretty much

like WWII - rough and tough and any guy with a disease was viewed as a " sissy. "

Of course that was totally WRONG and an outrage. I remember seeing a similar

incident in the guy's gym class when I was in high school in the midwest. The

teen-aged boy was extremely bright, maybe ever so slightly eccentric, and the

teacher, something of a marine seargeant bulldog was screaming at him and

hitting him with a paddle to get down and exercise with the other boys. He was

terrified - it seems he had a plate in his brain, surgically implanted for some

sort of brain/medical disorder. He had been told not to do certain physical

things and he screamed out at the coach, crying that he couldn't do the

activity. The coach just kept on yelling. The boy

ran off to the principal's office. I guess he was ultimately allowed out of

the class or at least that exercise that was dangerous for him. Again, those

things should never happen.

By-the-way, I've been a teacher too - one year in junior high - teaching

English. I know that kids will use any excuse but I also know that **I** know

more now too and would do some things differently.

In adulthood I had classic asthma and didn't realize it - remember going

to professional meetings and gulping and gasping for air in the evenings.

Finally decided to start pushing asthma with doctors - hard - and got better

treatments. The treatments wear off eventually and I've had to go on to new

meds - the latest is Xolair. Funny, I was watching Malcoln in the Middle

recently on tv and realized that the boy in the wheelchair sounded and acted a

lot like I did - he plays the part of a chronic uncontrolled asthmatic, I

believe. Maybe tv shows where asthma is taken seriously would help to educate

the public. Any movie/tv producers out there?

My four cents for now! <grin>

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