SEVERE STRESS

[shirley]

I was just wondering how SEVERE STRESS effects all of you?
I just lost my neighbor...she had Lupus as long as I have had SD.
It made me think of my own mortality... I cried for 3 days ( off and on...not constantly ) ...could not sleep.
I know that STRESS can hurt us very bad. I am in remission with the SD and I want to keep it that way...

In your opinions...do you think that when we are under severe emotional distress that we should get something from our Dr's to take for a few days to help us thorugh it or just deal with it the best way we can and hope that the stress does not make us worse?
In saying all of that...please tell me how severe stress effects you with you having SD.
Thank you,
Shirley

[steve201]

this is a really hard question to answer shirley
stress is what got me into the mess I'm in now with SD...ok...albiet that I'm not in an active stage right now...but Stress is what kicked it into high gear for me....Between working at boeing...being a professional photographer doing weddings and portraites on the side, teaching photography.....and then buying a boat!!..plus a labor union strike I had to attempt to deal with....I can only say that YES!!!...stress is a very big part of this disease....
how to handle it is another story....you need to understand the stressors involved...and deal with it...in many ways that's why I go boating...when things get tough..the tough go boating.... ;D ;D

When I first got ill, I had to not only go thru the process of seeing a dozen doc's doing a bizillion tests and asking even more questions...I had to see a shrink for 4 yrs....now if that won't drive you crazy I don't know what will.....but it did help me deal with alot of things I had questions about and what caused me to implode the way I did....so...now I try not to get all stressed out....tain't easy...life's hard....there are stress's at just about every turn.....but....you do what ya gotta do....
and if speaking to a shrink or someone about what is going on in your life works..do that...
as for your neighbor...sorry to hear about it...
but being a bit on the flipant side.....nobody gets off this planet alive.....trust me when I say she's alot happier than when she was here.....that I truly know...

Steve

[shirley]

Thank you Steve for your answer....In other words...
I take it you do not take anything as far as a pill goes to help you out during very STRESSFUL times?
I agree with you about Stress making us so sick. I believe it caused my SD also. I do not handle stress well...especially SEVERE STRESS like a death. It actually puts me in the bed.
I do want to keep my SD in remission and never see it rear it's ugly head at me again.
Hugs,
Shirley

[steve201]

Shirley
I don't take anything per se....at nite I need something to help me get to sleep and stay asleep...otherwise the rollodex in my head starts rattling and stay awake all nite thinking about EVERYTHING!!!....
but usually...I try to keep myself calm...at work here at the bomber factory...i like things nice and smooth...no stress...don't mind work...don't like stress, and I'll avoid it like the plaque...so..I make jokes...keep things light...don't deal with certain people....no stress...even keel type of stuff....don't get excited...don't get depressed...i like things nice and even...if you know what I mean....

for me it got so bad that I'd get panic attacks before going in to shoot a wedding....it was scary for me to be the center of attention while I was shooting ...plus have to take command of the wedding when things slowed down....or direct people to do this..or that....talk about stress...back in the day when I was shooting film...I'd have one chance to get the shots...it was nothing for me to shoot up 15-18-25 rolls of 36print film....then I'd have to get it processed and edited..then into viewing albums....then to the bride....it was unbelievable stress if the bride didn't like the shots.....one bride broke down and cried while looking at the wedding proofs..... ...I about freaked....turned out she thought it was just beautiful and was overcome with joy....after that I'd had about enough..when I got SD marsha finally told me to stop taking portraites and doing weddings....

NO STRESS.....ZERO....now I go shooting at the range every so often....you outa take up pistol shooting....it's better than golf.!!!...great stress reliever.....

Steve

[shirley]

I will tell my husband that Steve...he is a golfer but then again he might just shoot me! I am not ready for that just yet!

I know what you mean about not being able to sleep at night...right now...I am doing ok....If it wasn't for my esophagus and acid reflux...I would eat a big piece of chocolate cake at night with a glass of milk and it would put me right to sleep.
Be careful with that gun now...lol...
Shirley

[Cubby]

SHIRLEY: What treatment got you into remission, did you do the AP?

Regarding STRESS I don't know if stress caused the Scleroderma, but for sure, I believe it triggered something that created it. It's hard to avoid stress, cuz it is everywhere. For me, I go to water aerobics everyday and I think that has a lot to do with controlling my stress. Also, even tho I am hyper by nature, my husband is pretty calm, and that keeps me somewhat in control.

Steve and Marsha met my husband. If he reads this, he probably will agree.

[shirley]

Cubby...I got SD nealry 30 years ago and was diagnosed at U.A.B in Birmingham,Alabama....they never put me on anything at all...They told me that the drugs available at that time could kill me themselves and they preferred to watch how I did with the disease...I was soooooo sick for about 5 years Cubby....Terribly sick but I was not ever put on anything. They gave me meds for my heatburn all the time telling me it caused cancer in rats....
I tried to take arthritis drugs but they hurt my stomach so bad that I could not take them. I did take pain meds when I had terrible ulcers. When I say I am in remission...I mean it is not progressing...my skin has softened up everywhere except my face. and the lower part of my fingers. My heartburn is NOTHING like it use to be. I DO NOT suffer with weakness . I can cook...clean up my house with my hubby's help. It went into remission on it's own. I read that somewhere when I first got SD...It said that in many cases it would be active for 3 to 5 years then it would taper off...that is exactly what happened to me.
Shirley

[steve201]

Cubby is so right...she's crazy hyper.....but her husband is great.....

Shirley.
glad your doing better but dang if that wasn't a rough road to hoe....keep up the good work on recovery....don't stress.....do something that makes you happy....

Steve

[shirley]

Yes Steve,,,it was very very hard for me....
I was not given anything at all....
BUT...they did not have anything back then. I felt so alone in this world with this crazy disease that no one had ever heard about....I suffered alone and it was so hard.
Memories that will go with me forever. I am so thankful that at least they have some meds for all of you to take now.
Hugs,
Shirley

[Randy]

Ref a pill to take to help deal with the stress. That sounds a lot like an anti anxiety med like valium, etc. You do not want to go there unless you absolutely must. Take a look at the benzowithdrawal.com web site if you need any encouragement on why you don't want to start taking benzy's.

[shirley]

Thanks Randy for the info. I know what these pills can do for you if you take them on a regular basis. I have taken Valium many years ago. I Know how addictive they are because I quit cold turkey by flushing them down the commode.
I walked the floor for 3 days and nights....

My question was....If severe stress can make our scleroderma get worse and I am going through something extrememly stressful ...should I take something for 2 or 3 days to help me through the hardest part of my stress so my SD Will not come out of remission? I did not mean to stay on the pills everyday by any means. Yes...these pills are very addictive and no one should take them on a daily basis. Severe stress can cause EXTREME problems for a person with SD...as bad as taking a pill could. You can always come off the pill but if the stress makes your SD worse then I could die or wish I was dead.
I do not take any medicine at all on a regular basis and don't want to but I do not want my SD to come out of remission either. So many meds that we take are bad on our body...they all have side effects but sometimes we are between a rock and a hard place and we have to take them. I would never take anything like Valium on a regular basis.....
Thanks everybody for your input! I do appreciate it.
Randy...I went to that site you told me about. I was surprised that people had such a hard time coming off of these anti anxiety drugs....they must have been taking several a day to get that bad. When I was taking Valium...I just took 1 at night to help me sleep. It took me a couple of weeks to get it out of my system.
Hugs to all...
Shirley

[Randy]

Hi Shirley,

I have restarted and reworded this reply a few times.

We ALL fall into this hole - taking one pill for one thing, another for another, and others to counter the side effects of this pill or that. Alice in Wonderland.

I personally would not take Valium for stress. I think there are better ways to deal with stress.

Randy

[steve201]

Feb 15, 2010 11:36:12 GMT -5 Randy said:

I personally would not take Valium for stress. I think there are better ways to deal with stress.
Randy

yeah!!!...like Taquilla!!!!!

;D ;D ;D


just kidding....

Steve

[shirley]

What an idea Steve! LOL....I love it!


Randy...how does severe stress effect you? I mean like the loss of a loved one that you were very very close to.
It puts me to bed. I personally do not want to take ANY medicine at all but sometimes life forces us to in order to take care of this stupid disease we all have. I would NEVER take Valium or anything else for over a few days duriing severe stress because I have taken it before and I know already how addictive it can be. I am way smarter than that. Been there...done that....

Now...where is my Taquilla? Hand it over Steve! LOL....
Shirley

[steve201]

oh man....loss of a loved one is very hard on a person..especially if thier immune system is compromised.....first off....let me tell you that this is not the end...your only saying goodbye from this planet...
I want to retell the story of my dad's passing.....the year was about 1988...marsha and I had recently moved to newport news, Va....Dad had a really bad attack and passed away....
about 3 yrs prior to that we had moved to mississippi to work at a local shipyard there...
Dad (step dad actually) and I have had a rocky road together...I kinda looked up to him but yet again I hated him for over 9 yrs....9 yrs of my life I will never get back....when I left home for the AF I told myself that, that was it...I'm outa here....
You see...Dad and mom had serious alchohol problems....but...Dad had survived 3 wars...had 2 ships shot out from under him...he'd seen death and destruction on an unprecidented scale...I've got his medals and yes...he really was a WW2 hero, sailed in the North African campaigne and Normandy....Korean war.....then later Vietnam where his second ship was hit by a morter..that's how close they were to shore ....
Dad expected alot from me and I just wasn't going to listen to him...after all..I knew better than he did...the old coot....
later in life after a family reunion...and a divorce on my part...I'd gotten a job out near them at a local shipyard...dad came out to stay the weekend with me in my house about 2 hrs from where mom and dad lived in pensacola....we were driving around the town I was living in and he looks at me and says....
"Son..there's something I want to tell you.....a few months ago I'd had a bad asthma attack and had to get rushed to the ER....I died on the table..."
Now...I've heard of these stories before but I'd never heard anything like this from my dad...he was tough....was always straight with me and never lied to me....and he was never super religious ...he left that to mom with her being catholic...
he continued with ..."it was the most amazing thing I'd ever experienced....I know now that there is another place....I found myself in this beautiful pasture and for the first time that I can remember...I could breath...I felt warm and for the first time, peace..."
about now I'm totally all ears...he'd never talked to me that way...person to person about an event that was life changing...
he stated that he was amazed...the colors were incredible.....the smells were fresh...and suddenly he felt a presence behind him....they talked a bit and the person that was talking asked him....would you like to stay??....of course dad said yes.....he almost jumped out of his skin when he said it.....the person said...well...you will my friend but you have something you need to do.....then he felt the person touch his shoulders and suddenly, as fast as he felt himself arrive..he was back in his body.....people screaming he's back ..he's back......we got him.....
dad told me that he didn't even tell mom this story....and he doesn't know what he's supposed to do..but he'll do whatever needed of him.....
well...dad died about 3 yrs later.......his asthma moved into emphasima, and he had cancer....

Dad was tough....he'd seen things that few had seen in my life time.....but one thing dad never did to me was bs me about anything like this....so...do I believe Dad...of course I do....is there another place than here???..yes...there is...cuz I know someone who has been there and seen it....
so...if you've lost someone...don't worry...they are ok....they're doing fine....
whether you believe in god or not...that's not my worry.....whether you believe in the after life....that doesn't matter too me...but I know there is more and I can only hope that you keep a positive attitude in this life.....

sorry for the long winded post....but don't let the loss stress you out....they are in a much better place......

Steve