*********** REPLY PARTITION ***********
On 10/17/97, at 8:23 PM, blane10(AT)juno.com wrote:
>Val,
>
> Thank you for sharing the very good info about Flumadine. I get
>a flu shot every year like clockwork. I started getting them, on the
>advice of the MDA, in the '70s. They even used to pay for them! Good
>luck getting them to help pay for anything now!
>
> I wisely didn't get into the discussion with Andrea. Diplomacy
>was never my strong point. She made me quite angry and upset. You all
>did great dealing with her.
>
> As for your question as to whether or not I would preferred to be
>cured, I have mixed feelings. Most of the time I feel like I wouldn't
>take the cure because I've finally found a certain degree of comfort and
>peace with my disabled self after my entire life (41 years) as a disabled
>person. Frankly, I wouldn't know how to be an able-bodied person. I've
>spent my whole life learning how to survive and function as a disabled
>person, I'd be like a fish out of water.
>
>Blane
>:-)
>
>On Thu, 16 Oct 1997 19:33:12 -0500 brew-parrish(AT)juno.com (Valerie
>Brew-Parrish) writes:
>>Hi Carol,
>>Yep! It does work! I worked at a health service at a university.
>>Students were coming in by the droves with flu, colds, etc. I felt
>>like donning a mask as I am still susceptible to nasty germs and I get
>>about four colds a yr. which isn't too bad really. Anyway, I asked the
>>doctors how they stayed so healthy. The answer stunned me. They said
>>they were swallowing their Amantadine! I asked what it was and they
>>said it was an anti-viral medication. I asked why I had never been
>>given Amantadine. The reason is, by the time a patient gets to the
>>docs office it's too late for the Amantadine(Symmetril) to work. It
>>has to be taken within 48 hrs. of symptoms. Well, I thought this
>>prescription should be in my medicine cabinet! I called my doctor and
>>she agreed. I did some research and discovered Amantadine has been
>>around for yrs. Since World War II. Then, Accent on Living had an
>>article about how Amantadine was used for pps. A few yrs. ago,
>>Amantadine was improved. Now it's Flumadine. It doesn't tear my
>>stomach up as bad as the Amantadine. It I feel a cold or if Tara or
>>Rick come down with a virus, I start taking the Flumadine. I have been
>>saved from many colds this way although it doesn't work all the time.
>>I think you should talk to your doctor about it.
>>I have been thinking about you Carol. I thought your explanation on
>>what is "normal" in your response to Andrea was eloquently stated. You
>>hit it on the head! I feel bad that Andrea is so destroyed over her
>>daughter's accident that she refuses to listen to the people who can
>>help her the most. The pain is eating her alive and I pity her more
>>than her little girl. I don't believe Mandy's life is ruined. So many
>>of us were Little Mandy's. The woman hasn't a clue how offensive her
>>remarks were to us and how hard we all tried to help her. I re-read
>>all of the comments and considering how she implied that adults with
>>SCI were responsible for their conditions, and we are all thrilled
>>with our disabilities, it's amazing we were all so tactful. She made
>>me feel like the Borg(any trekkies out there?) of Star Trek saying we
>>were half human/half machine. I hope she takes your advice and gets
>>some counseling. I also hope she gets her daughter out of that
>>hospital setting. Non-disabled people just don't "get it" most of the
>>time. My daughter calls herself a "half gimp." Even though she has no
>>disability, she thinks like a gimp. She understands our unique humor
>>and gets infuriated when people think we had her so she can take care
>>of us! Tara has a deaf friend(Tara signs proficiently) at school. The
>>teacher will look at Tara and LOUDLY ENUNCIATE each word to my
>>daughter so she can sign back to Christina what is being said.
>>Yesterday, he brought over a note to Christina written IN HUGE
>>LETTERS! Christina signed to Tara "the-------must think I am blind
>>too"! Tara and her friend burst into peels of laughter. We roar when
>>non-disabled people scream at my husband like he's deaf. Life can be
>>amusing when you have a disability as well as frustrating. Andrea made
>>me search in my soul when she chided us for being so grateful for our
>>disabilities. I am not grateful for my disability and I wouldn't wish
>>it on anyone. I have dark nights of the soul but they are not always
>>disability related. I miss my mom who died before Tara was born. My
>>mom accepted my disability and loved me for whom I am. I worry about
>>paying my mortgage and other bills. I honestly don't dream of being
>>able-bodied. My disability is who I am. If I am cured someday--fine.
>>If not, that's o.k too. Cyndi Jones,(polio survivor) editor of
>>Mainstream, Carol Gill,(polio survivor and vent-user & psychologist)
>>and many other people in the disability community have said even if a
>>cure was available they would stay disabled. What would you do Carol?
>>What do the others on this list think? Would you opt for cure or stay
>>disabled? Many deaf people adamantly refuse cohlear implants because
>>they truly want to be deaf. About the only thing I feel that my
>>disability has cheated me out of is playing the guitar. I just can't
>>teach my feet to strum the strings although I know someone who does
>>play guitar with his feet. I would have liked to ride a two wheel
>>bike. Stupid maybe. Rick would like to be able to "see" so he could
>>drive...every blind person's fantasy. Well, I certainly have been
>>verbose tonight. So, goodnight Carol & everyone else; sweet dreams!
>>Val
>
>
Kevin M. Rudolph E-Mail: turbokev(AT)iglou.com
Kentucky Colonel WWW: http://members.iglou.com/turbokev
Louisville, Kentucky 40214 The Bluegrass State