getting it

[Guest guest]

> I have been doing the exact same thing. Fortunately, the therapist

> I'm seeing (who also happens to be a work colleague) has been great

> about doing his own research on RA. He also borrowed a couple of

> books from me on RA that I picked up at & Noble that were

> pretty good. I can't remember the names at the moment, and he still

> has the books, but I know one of them was from the Arthtitis

> Foundation. I really liked it because it had a lot of

> straightforward clinical information, but was also sprinkled with a

> lot of anecdotes written by people who are actually living with RA.

> I thought it gave a really good balance to the book.

>

> I have to say that seeing the therapist really does help for me. It

> gives me a place that I can talk to someone face-to-face without

> feeling like I'm complaining to family members all the time. Of

> course, he's always telling me that I have to get better at asking

> them to help me, but I'm working on it.<g>

>

> There's an awful lot to deal with when you are first dx'd with this

> crummy disease. I'm usually a pretty up-beat person, but it's hard

> to remain that way on your own when you are exhausted, in pain, and

> trying to figure out how to reconfigure your life.

Well, maybe I'll do that, get a couple of books in addition to the

online stuff. I really do hope that she does some research on her own,

tho, that will help me trust that she's going to 'get it.'

I'm the same, I used to be up beat but it's so hard now. I *do* complain

to family and friends all the time, luckily they're pretty good about

it But this feels like a midlife crisis that I can't escape. Dunno

what she's actually going to be able to say about it, seeing as how it's

not going away, but maybe i'll help...