Networks/Friends

[Guest guest]

I had only one person in the town where I live who ever checked on me, a man whom I had known since he was a child. Now we are both sick and housebound, with no hope of recovery.

Neither of us can sleep at night, and it is usually 6 am before we sleep. We don't get up until 3 pm, When we get up, we take meds and begin feeling the unpleasant side effects. We spend our lives as couch potatoes. About 5 pm he phoned me daily to make sure I was alive. I have a cat, and I worry about dying and having her starve to death before anybody finds me.

His father is a minister in a huge church, and he has that network if he needs it. He also has a roommate. I don't have anybody, and I really relied on him. He was my only contact, and he knew that. He had no income so money to him once a week. Driving to his home forced me to get out of the house.

During the evening we would talk briefly five or six times. But he began drinking heavily and insulting me when he phoned, saying unkind things to me. It hurt, but I ignored it and continued to be supportive. It got worse, though. One night he called, said something incredibly mean, ended our relationship and hung up on me. I had not said one word during the call. I hoped he might remember when he sobered up, call and apologize. He didn't. I have never heard from him again. I can't let myself be treated like that, but losing contact with him has been so very lonely for me.

I rarely leave my house, and I am out of bed for only about four hours a day. I have Lyme Disease, but I cannot take antibiotics because of allergies and Multiple Chemical Sensitivities. I also have CFS, FM, heavy metal and organic pesticide poisoning. The tests for the pesticide poisoning were very expensive, and the doctor said I have six in my body at levels so high he did not know how I had survived. One of them was 1200% above the lab high.

Reading the posts, I see that I am certainly not the only one who is very ill and having a hard time. I think most of the other members of the group do have a network.

Sometimes the people around us make our lives more difficult, whether they mean to or not.

For me, summer makes things worse. It has been 105F in the shade on my porch almost every day. The humidity makes it so much worse. I actually feel as if I am going to black out. Josie

[Guest guest]

I am so very sorry that you also are having it so very hard. It does seem like many on the list have troubles way beyond what most folks could handle. I sure give all of you a LOT of credit for keeping on with the very hard struggles you face daily.

Just to let you know, that ministers may not have as many contacts as one would expect if they get ill -- my Dad had Alzheimer's and very few visited him and my Mother, despite his having been 'important' too.

And also, if he is an alcoholic, many may avoid him.

It's VERY strange.

I wonder if they ever got trained with how to deal with bad things that might happen also to you -- that's the only reason I could come up with, when my Dad was left nearly alone.

From: PickPinkFlowers

Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2008 5:52 PM

Subject: Networks/Friends

I had only one person in the town where I live who ever checked on me, a man whom I had known since he was a child. Now we are both sick and housebound, with no hope of recovery.

Neither of us can sleep at night, and it is usually 6 am before we sleep. We don't get up until 3 pm, When we get up, we take meds and begin feeling the unpleasant side effects. We spend our lives as couch potatoes. About 5 pm he phoned me daily to make sure I was alive. I have a cat, and I worry about dying and having her starve to death before anybody finds me.

His father is a minister in a huge church, and he has that network if he needs it. He also has a roommate. I don't have anybody, and I really relied on him. He was my only contact, and he knew that. He had no income so money to him once a week. Driving to his home forced me to get out of the house.

During the evening we would talk briefly five or six times. But he began drinking heavily and insulting me when he phoned, saying unkind things to me. It hurt, but I ignored it and continued to be supportive. It got worse, though. One night he called, said something incredibly mean, ended our relationship and hung up on me. I had not said one word during the call. I hoped he might remember when he sobered up, call and apologize. He didn't. I have never heard from him again. I can't let myself be treated like that, but losing contact with him has been so very lonely for me.

I rarely leave my house, and I am out of bed for only about four hours a day. I have Lyme Disease, but I cannot take antibiotics because of allergies and Multiple Chemical Sensitivities. I also have CFS, FM, heavy metal and organic pesticide poisoning. The tests for the pesticide poisoning were very expensive, and the doctor said I have six in my body at levels so high he did not know how I had survived. One of them was 1200% above the lab high.

Reading the posts, I see that I am certainly not the only one who is very ill and having a hard time. I think most of the other members of the group do have a network.

Sometimes the people around us make our lives more difficult, whether they mean to or not.

For me, summer makes things worse. It has been 105F in the shade on my porch almost every day. The humidity makes it so much worse. I actually feel as if I am going to black out. Josie

[Guest guest]

I am so very sorry that you also are having it so very hard. It does seem like many on the list have troubles way beyond what most folks could handle. I sure give all of you a LOT of credit for keeping on with the very hard struggles you face daily.

Just to let you know, that ministers may not have as many contacts as one would expect if they get ill -- my Dad had Alzheimer's and very few visited him and my Mother, despite his having been 'important' too.

And also, if he is an alcoholic, many may avoid him.

It's VERY strange.

I wonder if they ever got trained with how to deal with bad things that might happen also to you -- that's the only reason I could come up with, when my Dad was left nearly alone.

From: PickPinkFlowers

Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2008 5:52 PM

Subject: Networks/Friends

I had only one person in the town where I live who ever checked on me, a man whom I had known since he was a child. Now we are both sick and housebound, with no hope of recovery.

Neither of us can sleep at night, and it is usually 6 am before we sleep. We don't get up until 3 pm, When we get up, we take meds and begin feeling the unpleasant side effects. We spend our lives as couch potatoes. About 5 pm he phoned me daily to make sure I was alive. I have a cat, and I worry about dying and having her starve to death before anybody finds me.

His father is a minister in a huge church, and he has that network if he needs it. He also has a roommate. I don't have anybody, and I really relied on him. He was my only contact, and he knew that. He had no income so money to him once a week. Driving to his home forced me to get out of the house.

During the evening we would talk briefly five or six times. But he began drinking heavily and insulting me when he phoned, saying unkind things to me. It hurt, but I ignored it and continued to be supportive. It got worse, though. One night he called, said something incredibly mean, ended our relationship and hung up on me. I had not said one word during the call. I hoped he might remember when he sobered up, call and apologize. He didn't. I have never heard from him again. I can't let myself be treated like that, but losing contact with him has been so very lonely for me.

I rarely leave my house, and I am out of bed for only about four hours a day. I have Lyme Disease, but I cannot take antibiotics because of allergies and Multiple Chemical Sensitivities. I also have CFS, FM, heavy metal and organic pesticide poisoning. The tests for the pesticide poisoning were very expensive, and the doctor said I have six in my body at levels so high he did not know how I had survived. One of them was 1200% above the lab high.

Reading the posts, I see that I am certainly not the only one who is very ill and having a hard time. I think most of the other members of the group do have a network.

Sometimes the people around us make our lives more difficult, whether they mean to or not.

For me, summer makes things worse. It has been 105F in the shade on my porch almost every day. The humidity makes it so much worse. I actually feel as if I am going to black out. Josie

[Guest guest]

I am so very sorry that you also are having it so very hard. It does seem like many on the list have troubles way beyond what most folks could handle. I sure give all of you a LOT of credit for keeping on with the very hard struggles you face daily.

Just to let you know, that ministers may not have as many contacts as one would expect if they get ill -- my Dad had Alzheimer's and very few visited him and my Mother, despite his having been 'important' too.

And also, if he is an alcoholic, many may avoid him.

It's VERY strange.

I wonder if they ever got trained with how to deal with bad things that might happen also to you -- that's the only reason I could come up with, when my Dad was left nearly alone.

From: PickPinkFlowers

Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2008 5:52 PM

Subject: Networks/Friends

I had only one person in the town where I live who ever checked on me, a man whom I had known since he was a child. Now we are both sick and housebound, with no hope of recovery.

Neither of us can sleep at night, and it is usually 6 am before we sleep. We don't get up until 3 pm, When we get up, we take meds and begin feeling the unpleasant side effects. We spend our lives as couch potatoes. About 5 pm he phoned me daily to make sure I was alive. I have a cat, and I worry about dying and having her starve to death before anybody finds me.

His father is a minister in a huge church, and he has that network if he needs it. He also has a roommate. I don't have anybody, and I really relied on him. He was my only contact, and he knew that. He had no income so money to him once a week. Driving to his home forced me to get out of the house.

During the evening we would talk briefly five or six times. But he began drinking heavily and insulting me when he phoned, saying unkind things to me. It hurt, but I ignored it and continued to be supportive. It got worse, though. One night he called, said something incredibly mean, ended our relationship and hung up on me. I had not said one word during the call. I hoped he might remember when he sobered up, call and apologize. He didn't. I have never heard from him again. I can't let myself be treated like that, but losing contact with him has been so very lonely for me.

I rarely leave my house, and I am out of bed for only about four hours a day. I have Lyme Disease, but I cannot take antibiotics because of allergies and Multiple Chemical Sensitivities. I also have CFS, FM, heavy metal and organic pesticide poisoning. The tests for the pesticide poisoning were very expensive, and the doctor said I have six in my body at levels so high he did not know how I had survived. One of them was 1200% above the lab high.

Reading the posts, I see that I am certainly not the only one who is very ill and having a hard time. I think most of the other members of the group do have a network.

Sometimes the people around us make our lives more difficult, whether they mean to or not.

For me, summer makes things worse. It has been 105F in the shade on my porch almost every day. The humidity makes it so much worse. I actually feel as if I am going to black out. Josie