Beth, I went and looked at your artwork. Wonderful. I also wanted to tell you how much I appreciate your posts. They are insightful, informative, and have such a reality ring to them. I know that sounds weird, of course it is reality. As you know I am new to this disease and it scares me to think about he future and what it holds for me. But I know I will always be influenced by your posts and I hope I can deal with this half as good as you have. Right now I am trying to get through the next day and hope nothing happens that I notice is new. But sorry to say I believe my speech is getting worse. I am going to look into getting set up with a speech writer or something before I lose it all together. Humour is one of the strongest weapons we have for anything bad that happens in our lives.
I was at a function on Saturday and it was the first time I have seen a lot of people for awhile and also the first time that I have seen them since they found out that I have a "Fatal Disease". So many of them came up to me and took my hand and smiled so sweetly at me and asked "How are you feeling, dear" Just what I have said I did not want to happen. I have become the elephant in the room! At one point I told my husband and a friend who was with us. The next time someone asks me how I am feeling in that manner, I was going to talk like I always have and tell them that"I am feeling F------ great!,. Sorry, from Steel Mill country. What a shock for them to realize that I have not suddenly become this sweet, unassuming, frail woman who is DYING! Why is they think we change who we are? Talk to me just like you did last week before you knew. And I have noticed that my husband now takes his conversations on the phone out to the back porch, out of my earshot. Because he doesn't want me to know that he is talking about me. People are so weird. I wish I could take a movie and show the difference in how they looked at me two weeks ago and how they look at me now. I am a new species!
Anyway, I sure appreciate all that you have to say and the way you say it. I hope we are bantering around with this disease for years to come or at least til they find the cure!
NancyS