Posted by orchid on June 22, 2006, at 13:06:57
Ok. here is some thing. I have rheumatoid arthritis for the past 11 years, and have had quite a bit of joint pain and suffered a lot because of it.
However, even though I felt down most of the time due to it, I never let that get its way with me, and really somehow managed to block all that pain from upsetting me too much (except when it became totally unbearable, I would cry or ask for help from my husband).
But now, my mother has got it too (yeah, it is kind of genetic in my family). And she is finding it painful. And she tries to explain it to me, and being emotionally weaker than I am, she finds it harder to cope up with her pain, even though, statistically, hers have been a much milder form than mine was (not much swelling, redness etc). And she tries to discuss her medications and how she feels about it with me.
And I just don't want to hear about it. I just totally switch myself off, whenever she tries to talk about anything to do with RA. I know she needs some wise words or perhaps understanding from me, but for some reason, it triggers me too much. And I can't just bear to hear from her about this issue. (She has diabetes too, and I dont' find myself triggered when she talks aobut it).
But I feel I should be able to console her the most, since I have gone through RA, but I just can't bear to even hear her.
Am I being really too selfish? I have to say, that she has offered me lots of comfort before when I used to feel pain.
poster:orchid
thread:660165
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20060615/msgs/660165.html