I LOVE having MC because...

MaggieRedwings · Post by **MaggieRedwings** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 6:53 am

MC has truly helped me to learn the real me and acknowledge what I can and cannot accomplish.

MC has given me the family I never had - a real family.

MC has taught me that we are not alone.

Love, Maggie

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 11:18 pm

We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have. ~Frederick Keonig

Linda in BC · Post by **Linda in BC** » Mon Oct 11, 2010 10:30 pm

I love having MC because:

I don't have to feel guilty for frequent snacking (on the "right" foods of course)

It has forced me to identify foods that I should not be eating because they are harming me

I get "dibbs" on the bathroom

I have learned to cut myself some slack when I don't feel well

I get to make myself yummy " milk" shakes for breakfast and sometimes lunch

and all the other things everyone else said.

Great thread, Zizzle.
Linda

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Thu May 12, 2011 12:18 pm

When Sara alluded to an actual "benefit" of having MC, I thought of this old thread started by Zizzle, which I absolutely loved at the time, and still do. I have a feeling that there are lots of new people here who might not have seen it, so here it is again.

Love,
Kari

Martha · Post by **Martha** » Thu May 12, 2011 12:25 pm

I hadn't seen this before, as it was just before I joined, and I didn't read all the posts.

I love the benefits you all listed. It's easy to focus on the hardships of MC, and a good reminder to me to look at positives, and take myself a little less seriously.

Thanks for starting the thread, Zizzle, and thanks for bringing it to my attention, Kari.

Love,
Martha

nancyl · Post by **nancyl** » Thu May 12, 2011 8:00 pm

I'm with you Charlotte - MC has brought all of you into my life. Such wonderful, caring people. I am going to print this and post where I'll see it when things are not as good as they are right now.

I can add - MC has taken my cellulite.
MC has made me cook more from scratch and experiment. Today a whole batch of muffins went into the trash, but the next batch was great. I didn't even get upset about it. WOW, I just thought of that. That's funny, usually I would get so upset, but I just moved on to another recipe.

Thanks for starting this thread.

Nancy

MBombardier · Post by **MBombardier** » Mon May 16, 2011 8:09 pm

I love this, and ditto everything everyone has said, and will add one:

MC has taught me that I can no longer try to be all things to all people. And I am learning to be okay with that.

hoosier1 · Post by **hoosier1** » Mon May 16, 2011 8:40 pm

I am pleased that MC brought me to meet all of you. That is truly a tremendous benefit. Friendship and empathy. The medical community is so very lost, but this group is not.

But I am not feeling very eloquent tonight and am having difficulty seeing any other benefits... Being the glass is half empty kind of person (as if you guys didn't already figure that out), I struggle with questions like this.

Rich

P.S. I thought of another benefit. A selfish one. The GF diet has improved my heart numbers significantly.

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Mon May 16, 2011 10:17 pm

Rich,

The secret of the glass-half-full/half-empty trick is... it's the same glass.

Your associate suffering from Friday night's dinner... that's most people. It's kind of like the Matrix movies... you get a dose of reality, but then you're wearing weird clothes and eating gruel on a spaceship, instead of imagining you're having wine and steak in some virtual reality.

The dose of reality is pretty rough. And it doesn't let up, or at least not predictably; every victory is hard won, and you can't relax your vigilance. It's probably more like real life than what most people are living (sure, put anything in your mouth, it will be fine!).

I am a dyed-in-the-wool optimist, but I'm doing that with effort - not just by temperament. I just wanted to chime in, as the poster kid for "great attitude" (which I highly recommend, but again - I am doing that on purpose) - with serious sympathy for the struggle to see the benefits. I have probably eaten less food coloring, corn syrup, and preservatives than anyone I know, for 30+ years, and here I am figuring out my lock-down diet. So far so good, but I don't have to tell you how it impacts everything. I have a friend probably facing surgery for diverticulitis, who might be the runner-up poster child for healthy eating. How is that fair? I am not complaining - I can afford to tinker with my diet, and have time to play in the kitchen, which I know is not a luxury available to you, plus I have an awesome dog (owe you pictures!), joyful marriage, and many other good things in life. Against all that, not being able to munch junk food seems pretty trivial... till I'm stuck unprepared with nothing but an ocean of junk food in sight.

Please don't feel as though you're missing something, or not "doing MC right" if you're not feeling Pollyanna-ish. I, for one, am glad you're here, and sorry as all get-out that you found yourself here.

Dog is snoring and dreaming and twitching... hope you can get a vicarious smile ;)

And please hang in there till I get there with the pitcher to refill your glass.

Love,
Sara

hoosier1 · Post by **hoosier1** » Tue May 17, 2011 5:07 am

Sara,

Thanks for the note. I am also fortunate to also have a great wife, an elderly yet awesome German shepherd, and a pretty strong support network of family. So the glass isn't completely empty. But these parts of my life have always been there.

Regarding having time to tinker and the luxury of cooking for myself, I actually do have that option available to me (how is that for a revelation?). I just haven't brought myself to making those life changes out of an overly strong commitment to others and an unwillingness to completely accept the limitations this ailment presents to me. But it crosses my mind each and every day. Perhaps this indecision is something that is eating me up a little.

I continue to try to find ways to cope, and in retrospect, the list of ways is now quite long. So progress has been made. But I still wrestle with the uncertainty of my work schedule - which throws my time clock all over the place - and then the added stress of travel. That has really become a burden and an impediment to feeling better more expeditiously.

How's that for an attempt at optimism?

Rich

MaggieRedwings · Post by **MaggieRedwings** » Tue May 17, 2011 7:30 am

Super Attitude Zizzle.

It has taught be to memorize where every bathroom is in a store and become a guide to them for others.
It has taught me PATIENCE
It has taught me that I am so fortunte it is just MC and not more devastating diseases
It has taught me to love the good days and cherish them
It has given me a wonderful appreciation for real family - the Potty people

Love, Maggie

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Tue May 17, 2011 9:31 am

hoosier1 wrote: How's that for an attempt at optimism?

Sounds good to me! - like you're striving for balance, and it's not a simple equation. On the one hand, you have to take into account the realities of health and how MC constrains your travels, and on the other hand, that 'costs' you more in health and energy than it used to, which brings other things you value to mind (like kitchen time, reduced stress... I don't have to tell you the list!

If this were some other chronic disease, and you hadn't 'succumbed' to accepting its limitations, but kept striving to keep your other values intact, meet your other commitments, and help/serve others, you'd call yourself a hero. That doesn't mean you have to keep making the same choices - I applaud you for asking those questions, for which there's no simple answer.

Thanks for making me think, too ;)

--Sara

Gabby · Post by **Gabby** » Tue Dec 20, 2011 8:42 pm

Dear PPs,
Kari resurrected this thread last spring and I think it was one of the first threads I read after I stumbled upon this board. I dug it up again because I think it is a good one to read at the end of the year. And a good one to share with the many new folks who have joined since May. I am grateful to Tex and all of you who share your knowledge and struggles and joys here everyday.

Love,
Gabby

maestraz · Post by **maestraz** » Tue Dec 20, 2011 9:10 pm

LUV this thread, which I had not previously seen.

MC led me to this group because, after my diagnosis in March 2011, my sister, an RN, said "I'll betcha you can find a message board of people who have what you have, and even if you never post, you'll learn a lot."

MC has taught me to think a lot more about what I eat, with positive results.
MC let me lose 10 lbs w/o really trying.
MC led me to find some foods that I like better than what I formerly ate.
MC has connected me with folks whose voices and ideas I REALLY enjoy reading.
MC has taught me that I need to be patient with myself when I'm not feeling good.

Lesley · Post by **Lesley** » Tue Dec 20, 2011 10:10 pm

This is a lovely thread. I didn't notice it is an old one resurrected till I got almost to the end.

I am, at my advanced age, having to learn patience. Persistence I have always had, but I am short on patience.

I am back in the kitchen cooking and baking! I hate tasteless food, and I get sick of the same food over and over, so I am having to be REALLY creative to have edible food.

I am finding really lovely, helpful and creative chefs in restaurants who will go out of their way to make something special for me.

Although my new doctor hasn't answered my email questions, I am managing to grit my teeth and tell myself "he listened, so it is all good". See? Patience!

Happy Hanukkah to all!