There are few things that make me angrier than when people come into facebook groups about my illness and start talking about how they can cure this and fix that through some combination of diet, exercise and/or supplement pills....
The latest is a woman extolling the virtues of a Raw Vegan diet. Ok. I understand vegan diets have their place in this world, but DO NOT tell me that the "medical establishment" wants me to be sick. My doctor would like nothing more than to never have to see me again. I think he'd be the first to tell me about the MIRACLE CURE.... especially if it was so easy. If I had to eat nothing but raw radishes for the rest of my life, I would. I don't like radishes by themselves, either. It isn't for lack of effort that I am sick. Boy, do I wish it was. Oh man, would that ever be nice.
I think the reason it annoys me so much is because it's like these people think I WANT to be sick and I WANT to get IV treatments every month. Let me just tell you how much fun it is to sit in a chair, get poked several times, have refrigerated plasma protein pumped into your veins, and cost the insurance company $10-12k per month. SUPER FUN HAPPY TIMES! Everyone should do it. Uh. No. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. I wouldn't allow someone to do it for me, even if they offered. It is kind of awful. I glaze over it a lot, but it's really terrible and I wouldn't want to put that on someone else. If there was any viable choice for me not having to do this for the rest of my life, I would take it. I would even be willing to participate in dangerous medical trials (depending on the hospital, of course, I'm not completely crazy) if it meant a cure for me or for people I've grown to love through this disease.
I wouldn't trade or change my experience for anything, as I think it has made me a stronger person, but I really would love it if no one had to become stronger in this way. It's not fair, it's not fun, and it's most certainly not a choice.
Thank you so much for this amazing post. I get so many people trying to "help me" by sharing these natural "secrets to a real cure" and they just don't ever seem to get it at all. It is even worse when it is someone who is basically saying that the medical profession has been lying to us all this time. Yes... because we enjoy this torture so much... I am with you, if I had to eat nothing but a specific vegetable for the rest of my life for breakfast lunch and dinner in order to stay healthy I WOULD DO IT IN A HEARTBEAT BELIEVE ME.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion a raw vegan diet would be a very small improvement from your current situation. I guess it works for some people but for me it would be a quality of life issue. Salads from here to eternity? I think not. I say we keep looking. We should be able to do better than that!
ReplyDeleteIf it required salads from here to eternity, I would do it. I am sure I would find a way to make it more fun/palatable. Granted, it would mean more lunch packing and taking my own food to events, which doesn't sound fun, but if it meant being 100% healthy all the time? heck yeah, I would do it. I would even go gluten free. !
DeleteWell I did say it would be an improvement, however small. I still say - "Raw vegan?! BLECK!" But I totally get what you are saying.
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