“…Put a sock in it!”
I’ve been pretty damned whiny the last couple of days because I’ve developed shingles. Which, if you’ve never heard of it, is FUCKING AWFUL. It sounds all happy! SHINGLES! YAY! There’s probably confetti involved! But it’s basically a really horrible version of chicken pox, which can happen to anyone who’s had it; the virus lives on in your body and randomly it may decide to reactivate. Only instead of the red itchy bumps all over, it’s a really angry, blistery rash and searing pain in half my body, fever, nausea, and muscle aches. It’s like the worst sunburn you’ve ever had and the flu at the same time. I am the queen of high pain tolerance – I’ve had dry socket and never even winced when the dentist packed it with that nasty gasoline and cloves shit – and this has had me whimpering and writhing. I had oxycodone left over from the muscle biopsy; I took one last night just so I could get some fucking sleep.
It really fucking sucks. And I’ve NOT been shy about saying so. Because I am goddamned miserable. And while it happens completely at random, one of the things that MAY trigger it, is stress.
Okay, so ALS causes stress. But the actual disease has been the LEAST of my worries the last couple of weeks. I had to put down my cat, Midori, after living with him for 19 years. HALF OF MY LIFE. It was emotionally devastating. I adopted a new kitten, which is a happy stress, but a stress nonetheless. I gave a talk in public which triggered all KINDS of nervous stress. I attended a party full of strangers. There WAS my first Clinic session, too, and the resulting “…goddamnit” of beign assigned a cane and a breathing exercise, but seriously? ALS is the least of my concerns right now. Real life is happening.
And so today, when I posted a tongue-in-cheek: “I’ve figured it out. I have shingles because I’ve been telling people how lucky I am that ALS doesn’t hurt! hahahahhahaawww sad trombone” I didn’t really think a whole lot about it. I had just been enthusing Tuesday afternoon after the ALS talk I gave that it was AMAZING that nothing hurts and how lucky I am. The timing struck me as funny, was all.
But then I was told that I need to cheer up. If I just keep a good mental attitude, I might be able to beat ALS. Just..buck up! ALS won’t kill me if I just think happy thoughts and don’t let it!
Okay. this is important, so I’m putting it on its own line. In bold.
Positive thinking has never accomplished a documented medical result.
NEVER NEVER NEVER. It is not going to cure depression, it is not going to cure a broken leg, it is not going to fucking cure ALS. And I DO have a positive outlook, and I really DO believe things are good and somehow everything is going to be okay, somehow. ALS is not my life. I am not All Disease, All the Time. That’s just not how I work. But having a sunny disposition is NOT going to cure me. I am dying because my motor neurons are burning out. No amount of laughing is going to keep me breathing. No amount of happy thoughts are going to allow me to continue to put my face in a smile shape when my facial muscles stop working.
A positive attitude dictates HOW I have the disease. It does not dictate IF I have the disease.
A cheerful disposition means I don’t lose friends by bringing up ALS and how I’m going to DIE in every conversation and make myself miserable to be around. It means I continue going to work and don’t wallow in self pity while I cease to be able to afford my mortgage because disability is a fraction of my usual pay. It means I keep going as usual. I continue to live my life, as normal, and don’t become a burden to be around, even to myself. It means not every waking moment is filled with terror and “JFC I AM GOING TO DIE WHAT IS THE POINT OF ANY OF THIS SHIT”. It means when someone invites me to visit them in a years’ time, I say “that sounds lovely!” instead of “I don’t think I can, I’ll probably be in a wheelchair by then.” It means “I’ll try” instead of “I can’t.”
And the occasional whining is to be expected. There are aspects of ALS that fucking SUCK. That whole…”you’re gonna die sooner than you thought” is pretty shitty. No longer being able to dance, sucks. Having to take five minutes to haul your laundry up the stairs sucks. Realizing that you forgot something downstairs and having to think long and hard about whether it’s worth the effort to go back, sucks. A stress-induced searingly painful fevery rash of DOOM sucks ass.
And I am fucking allowed to complain about these things. CENTER CIRCLE, BITCHES.
It does not mean that there’s nothing more to my life. The new kitten does NOT suck (except when she jumps up on the bathroom counter and knocks over a glass that shatters allllll the fuck over my bathroom floor). The fact that I am still able to work does not suck. Birthday cake Oreo cookies do not suck. Friends who are willing to help me get wherever I need to go do not suck. The good far, far, far, FAR outweighs the bad. All the time. And always will.
But knowing this, and having a fantastic attitude towards life, the universe, and everything, is not going to save me from an early death. And that’s OKAY. I’m alright with that. It doesn’t mean there’s no point to having a good mentality, it just means it’s not a cure. You *can’t* cure this disease. All you can do is treat the symptoms. And a good goddamned attitude is an amazing restorative.
In the meantime, you’re essentially telling me to just put a superficial happy face on a horrible and serious fucking situation, and that’s selfish. All you’re really telling me is that I can’t turn to you when I’m in a low spot. You’re making me resent you because you’re negating my frustration. You’re telling me I’m not allowed to be unhappy.
You’re telling me that it’s *my own fault* I’m dying because I’m just not happy enough.
And that is COMPLETE FUCKING BULLSHIT.