Guest guest Posted April 19, 2002 Report Share Posted April 19, 2002 Simon, what you're describing is very human and easy to empathize with, struggling with embarrassment over one's appearance and (excuse the pun) performance anxiety. To reshift the emphasis: as a big fan of music and live performances, as a person sitting in the audience, all my attention is focused on the music that is being created, appreciating the live performance as a link between performer and listener, to experience the music as close as possible as the performers do, at the moment of creation, to enhance my experience of the music. Dizzy Gillespie and Louie Armstrong's face changes during performance are career signatures. Imagine if either focused on the big cheeks or sweat in isolation? I suspect you know more than I do about beta blockers and other medications that cut back on stage fright and flushing, to free you from self-concern and allow you to enjoy your face and body as the audience does: as an instrument of musical expression. You describe exhaustion, dealing with the guilt of not working to your potential, and not doing what you " should. " Those words sound reminiscent of a clinical depression. I can't know if that applies to you, but as a general comment, clinical depression will make every problem feel huge and insurmountable, and depression makes it so difficult to redirect one's attentions off oneself and onto the task at hand. These are symptoms of a disease and -- unlike rosacea -- depression can absolutely be treated successfully. I hope that is of some help to you, but if it's not please ignore it - - cyberspace being what it is, none of us can really know. But perhaps it'll be helpful to someone else. What instrument do you play, and in what capacity? Marjorie Marjorie Lazoff, MD > It seems to me that not many people on this board talk about the > emotional and psychological issues about rosacea, just medicinal > issues - so I will... > > Does anyone elso feel that having rosacea makes them particularly > tired - that day to day activities take more out of you than most > other people? I gave a concert last night (I'm a musician). I knew > I would flush at some stage, and of curse, by the second half I was > crimson! The nervousness that I felt wasn't about the music, but > about whether I would flush badly and how I would cope with it. > Then, when I did flush, I had to cope with all the thoughts about > what people were thinking looking at me, whether they would say > anything, etc. I find this exhausting - today, I can hardly operate > at all because I'm so tired - and I feel guilty because I'm not > working as hard as I should be, and getting done what I should. Does > anyone else identify with this - I do hope it's not just me!! > > Simon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 19, 2002 Report Share Posted April 19, 2002 Simon, what you're describing is very human and easy to empathize with, struggling with embarrassment over one's appearance and (excuse the pun) performance anxiety. To reshift the emphasis: as a big fan of music and live performances, as a person sitting in the audience, all my attention is focused on the music that is being created, appreciating the live performance as a link between performer and listener, to experience the music as close as possible as the performers do, at the moment of creation, to enhance my experience of the music. Dizzy Gillespie and Louie Armstrong's face changes during performance are career signatures. Imagine if either focused on the big cheeks or sweat in isolation? I suspect you know more than I do about beta blockers and other medications that cut back on stage fright and flushing, to free you from self-concern and allow you to enjoy your face and body as the audience does: as an instrument of musical expression. You describe exhaustion, dealing with the guilt of not working to your potential, and not doing what you " should. " Those words sound reminiscent of a clinical depression. I can't know if that applies to you, but as a general comment, clinical depression will make every problem feel huge and insurmountable, and depression makes it so difficult to redirect one's attentions off oneself and onto the task at hand. These are symptoms of a disease and -- unlike rosacea -- depression can absolutely be treated successfully. I hope that is of some help to you, but if it's not please ignore it - - cyberspace being what it is, none of us can really know. But perhaps it'll be helpful to someone else. What instrument do you play, and in what capacity? Marjorie Marjorie Lazoff, MD > It seems to me that not many people on this board talk about the > emotional and psychological issues about rosacea, just medicinal > issues - so I will... > > Does anyone elso feel that having rosacea makes them particularly > tired - that day to day activities take more out of you than most > other people? I gave a concert last night (I'm a musician). I knew > I would flush at some stage, and of curse, by the second half I was > crimson! The nervousness that I felt wasn't about the music, but > about whether I would flush badly and how I would cope with it. > Then, when I did flush, I had to cope with all the thoughts about > what people were thinking looking at me, whether they would say > anything, etc. I find this exhausting - today, I can hardly operate > at all because I'm so tired - and I feel guilty because I'm not > working as hard as I should be, and getting done what I should. Does > anyone else identify with this - I do hope it's not just me!! > > Simon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 19, 2002 Report Share Posted April 19, 2002 Simon, what you're describing is very human and easy to empathize with, struggling with embarrassment over one's appearance and (excuse the pun) performance anxiety. To reshift the emphasis: as a big fan of music and live performances, as a person sitting in the audience, all my attention is focused on the music that is being created, appreciating the live performance as a link between performer and listener, to experience the music as close as possible as the performers do, at the moment of creation, to enhance my experience of the music. Dizzy Gillespie and Louie Armstrong's face changes during performance are career signatures. Imagine if either focused on the big cheeks or sweat in isolation? I suspect you know more than I do about beta blockers and other medications that cut back on stage fright and flushing, to free you from self-concern and allow you to enjoy your face and body as the audience does: as an instrument of musical expression. You describe exhaustion, dealing with the guilt of not working to your potential, and not doing what you " should. " Those words sound reminiscent of a clinical depression. I can't know if that applies to you, but as a general comment, clinical depression will make every problem feel huge and insurmountable, and depression makes it so difficult to redirect one's attentions off oneself and onto the task at hand. These are symptoms of a disease and -- unlike rosacea -- depression can absolutely be treated successfully. I hope that is of some help to you, but if it's not please ignore it - - cyberspace being what it is, none of us can really know. But perhaps it'll be helpful to someone else. What instrument do you play, and in what capacity? Marjorie Marjorie Lazoff, MD > It seems to me that not many people on this board talk about the > emotional and psychological issues about rosacea, just medicinal > issues - so I will... > > Does anyone elso feel that having rosacea makes them particularly > tired - that day to day activities take more out of you than most > other people? I gave a concert last night (I'm a musician). I knew > I would flush at some stage, and of curse, by the second half I was > crimson! The nervousness that I felt wasn't about the music, but > about whether I would flush badly and how I would cope with it. > Then, when I did flush, I had to cope with all the thoughts about > what people were thinking looking at me, whether they would say > anything, etc. I find this exhausting - today, I can hardly operate > at all because I'm so tired - and I feel guilty because I'm not > working as hard as I should be, and getting done what I should. Does > anyone else identify with this - I do hope it's not just me!! > > Simon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 19, 2002 Report Share Posted April 19, 2002 No, Simon --- it's not just you. I have spells of *crashing* fatigue after a particularly bad rosacea episode. It goes like this: flush, breakout of patches of pustules (raised, red and itchy), followed by overwhelming fatigue and exhaustion --- all within the space of about two or three hours. This part of my overall symptom profile (which also includes migraines and some digestive problems) bothers me most, as it seriously impairs my ability to function from time to time. I had a comprehensive allergy testing session done last week, and the results were sort of a good-news-bad-news thing: the good news is that we know what you're allergic to, but the bad news is that it's most grains and legumes (wheat and gluten being particularly bad), potatoes, tomatoes, and sugar. And I already knew I had problems with dairy products derived from cows' milk. Yikes. I'm trying a sort of " jungle girl " diet, eliminating all those potential allergens identified by the allergy testing (which I've been eating all my life, of course), and substituting even more fruits and vegetables (minus the baddies) and high-protein foods (especially fish). So far, so good --- less inflammation, no flushing or fatigue. Pat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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