Training is available for Dealing with SD Flareups

[Guest guest]

,

Just a comment regarding treatment for SD flares.

While being hospitalized at a leading Boston hospital

on referral from the NIH for Infectious Diseases by

their Chief of Staff, shortly after my first SD dx,

they had a special therapy workshop for learning how

to adjust and desensitize ourselves to others social

behavior interpreted as being 'aggressive'.

A staff psychiatrist held group sessions where he

occasionally interrupted the group's ongoing

conversation about any topic they wished to choose

with remarks like: " Well, what makes you think that

anyone cares about that? " , or body language that gave

the impression that he was bored with our comments.

There was no coddling or mental soothing at all,

really just the opposite. At first I was rather

irritated with his behavior and went into flareups

easily. But after going through this process for

several weeks, I gradually immunized myself better, so

as not to react physically to his 'uncaring behavior'.

Later on, in sdale AZ I went to an assertiveness

training course that also taught me the difference in

dealing with others that did not always agree with me

by not reacting angrily or becoming emotionally upset.

They taught me that assertiveness was a way of dealing

with sensitive situations by not becoming aggressive

nor just letting others walk all over one's emotions

either.

In addition, as Brett and apparently also Danni have

noted (as well as myself), attending college,

university, or community college course also seems to

be beneficial. Now from my experience the school

classroom is hardly a place to find everyone agreeing

with you. Actually, quite the opposite.

So from my experiences, I'm not quite so sure that not

having some lively debate on all sorts of topics is

necessarily a bad experience in the long run. As a

matter of fact it might actually help SD patients

better adapt and integrate back into the real world

society in which we all must deal with sooner or

latter.

Of course, there must be certain acute situations

where some soft emotional support is necessary. But

I'm not so sure that too much coddling can make it

more difficult to adjust as well. It's a fine line to

know where to draw it. Anger containment is not the

answer either.

I'm no expert in this field, but I'd really like to

hear from some mental health authority as to what kind

of sensitivity training I was given in Boston. And

secondly, whether bit of debating on just about any

subject (save for brutal personal attacks) would not

be of some benefit for controlling SD flare ups in the

long run?

--- mellymelt wrote:

> I am Louise Boerner, aka Pattymelt,

> melt, ,

> I sit on the board of directors of this foundation

> as fundraising director, conference coordinator and

> assistant to the president. My Still's disease was

> diagnosed at the age of 19 as Adult Onset Systemic

> Juvenile Rheumetoid Arthritis by Dr. J. Nolan

> in North San Diego County, San Diego, California,

> USA.

> I was first treated with 60 mg. of Prednisone daily

> for the many and most all classic, extreme symptoms

> of Still's including spiking fevers to 105 degrees,

> multiple joint involvement, spleen, weight loss,

> etc. Next treatment medication trial was months of

> gold salt injections and when failed, a rarely

> discussed but TOTALLY SUCSESSFUL drug for me

> D-Penacillamine. There was NO MTX yet! But this

> drug was one of the early disease modifying drugs

> and did work for me and led me into remission and I

> was disabled and paid for by my social system and I

> am a success story and continue to be while living

> with Still's disease. I am not bitter because that

> would eat me alive because bitterness and anger are

> what this disease feeds upon. That is not to say I

> don't and haven't gotten angry but I try not to

> remain that way. Anger hurts me, anger hurts those

> I care about and I have read enough of it here

> tonight.

> My personal recommendations are that that which does

> not benefit the group as a whole, or does harm, once

> again should be taken OFF LIST or as in our rules

> and regulations BANNED.

> Louise Boerner

>

> [Non-text portions of this message have been

> removed]

>

>

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