I got a wonderful massage for my birthday, (a gift from my mom) that was just heavenly.  The massues is a friend of my mothers and she is really good in therepy for Fibromyalgia.  For anyone who has a muscular-skeletol condition, deep tissue massage can be a great pain reliever.  I know it was ordered for me when I first diagnosed, and really need to keep it up.  But it really does wonders for me!

im scared os spiders, ur porlly thinking who isnt, right?

Im deathly scared of them. If i see a spider i cry, scream, tremble and freak out. If i feel something slightly like a spider touch me the same thing.

Most people laugh at me cause they think its funny and then that makes me depressed cos i feel like a loser for acting like that over a spider, even daddy long legs.

Im scared im going to pass this on to my kids. Its already started they r scared of spiders and wont go anywhere near them

Imagine Me and my 2 girls, we live alone and 1 spider. Its hell. My mother instincts kick in cos i have to protect them from it so ill spray a whole can of repelant on to the poor thing till it dies them use like a whole roll of toilet paper to pick the damn thing up and flush it cos then i know it cant come back to life and get me back.

Ur laughin by now right.

Well i had the worst week last week because i wnt out side to do my routine spraying of the outdoor furniture and i tipped a chair over to find 2 yes 2 Redbacks, big ugly ewwww... Redbacks. I screamed cryed and went ans sat in my car (kids were at school) I sat in my car and called everyone i know to come save me. lol. I rang my land lord he came strait over and we ended up finding 18 redbacks in my yard.

I couldnt sleep for ages.

Is anyone else like this??

hi all well i hope winter is almost done as i went into sever depression as i didnt want to nothing ,but i did stop smoking been 53 days.also in past few weeks a i had a ms scare as i could not walk i was so scared i didnt no what to do doctor said get a cane and i bursted in tears just thing holy crap iam 31 years oldnever did get one as my feeling in legs camw back but i guess i should for the bad balance days i just hate the syares i get  i guess i should care well hope all of ya are doing good and are feeling good

 typical migraine headache attack produces some or all of these signs and symptoms:

Moderate to severe pain — many migraine headache sufferers feel pain on only one side of their head, while some experience pain on both sides
Head pain with a pulsating or throbbing quality
Pain that worsens with physical activity
Pain that hinders your regular daily activities
Nausea with or without vomiting
Sensitivity to light and sound
When left untreated, a migraine headache typically lasts from four to 72 hours, but the frequency with which they occur can vary from person to person. You may have migraines several times a month or just once or twice a year.

Not all migraine headaches are the same. Most people suffer from migraines without auras, which were previously called common migraines. Some have migraines with auras, which were previously called classic migraines. If you're in the second group, you'll likely have auras about 15 to 30 minutes before your headache begins. They may continue after your headache starts or even occur after your headache begins. These may include:

Sparkling flashes of light
Dazzling zigzag lines in your field of vision
Slowly spreading blind spots in your vision
Tingling, pins-and-needles sensations in one arm or leg
Rarely, weakness or language and speech problems
Whether or not you have auras, you may have one or more sensations of premonition (prodrome) several hours or a day or so before your headache actually strikes, including:

Feelings of elation or intense energy
Cravings for sweets
Thirst
Drowsiness
Irritability or depression

Chronic migraine is a disorder in which a person experiences migraines 15 or more days each month. The cause of chronic migraine isn't clear. Some research suggests that it may be due to changes in parts of the brain that control pain. Chronic migraine is not due to overuse of pain medications.

Treatment of chronic migraine may include certain antidepressants, anti-seizure medications or cardiovascular drugs. However, even with such treatment, migraines may persist.

Sometimes, episodic migraines increase in frequency to daily or near-daily migraines — often without the usual features of a migraine, such as nausea or light sensitivity. In such cases, these migraines are referred to as transformed, or evolved, migraines

Depression for me sends me to bed whenever it hits because the only way I've discovered that lets me forget the bad feelings is sleep. All I want to do is run away from me and be somebody else somewhere else.

just want to know if it would be appropriate to leave a comment on someones blog entry or would it be better to minti mail them?

I have just noticed that I can have an absolutely excellent day with everything going well, when all of a sudden its like being slammed in the face with this terrible feeling of gloom and that nothing is ever going to be right again. This weekend was terrible and I am so annoyed that instead of fighting it I once again succombed to hiding under the duvet and crying and feeling sorry for myself!!
I feel so stupid again now. I want to beat depression yet I still keep giving into it!
I can't even prepare myself, it doesn't even creep up its just WHAM there it is again.
It is such a terrible terrible thing, I used to keep thinking it was all in peoples heads and they should get a life! Well now I know, i have first hand knowledge and I would not wish this on anyone.
But I'll brush myself off and start again. The dark, deep well that I keep falling in, ok so I slipped a bit, but I'll keep climbing out, maybe I'll get higher and higher each time and not slip so far one day. Wouldn't that be great.
.

HI i'm glory i'm 24 years old and i suffer from chronic asthma , depression and migran. i have being at the hospital with asthma attack. i'm taking medicine every day to prevent from having another attack.

Learning behavior management techniques is considered to be an essential part of any successful ADHD treatment program. Most experts agree that combining medication treatments with extended behavior management is the most effective way to manage ADHD in children and adolescents.

There are three basic categories or levels of ADHD behavioral training for children:

1. Parent training in effective child behavior management methods.
2. Classroom behavior modification techniques and academic interventions.
3. Special educational placement.

Behavior management is most often used with younger children, but it can be used in adolescents up to 18 years old and even adults. In children and adolescents, the two basic principles are:

• Modeling behavior by encouraging good behavior with healthy praise or rewards. This works best if the reward or praise immediately follows the positive behavior.
• Negatively reinforcing bad behavior by allowing appropriate consequences to occur naturally.

Behavior Management Strategies for Preschoolers (Age 5 and Younger)

• Provide a consistent routine to the days and structure to the environment. Let them know when the routine is changing or something unusual is going to happen, such as a visit from a relative, a trip to the store or a vacation.
• Give your child clear boundaries and expectations. These instructions and guidelines are best given right before the activity or situation.
• Devise an appropriate reward system for good behavior or for completing a certain number of positive behaviors, such as a merit point or gold star program with a specific reward, such as a favorite activity. Avoid using food and especially candy for rewards.
• Engage your child in constructive and mind-building activities, such as reading, games and puzzles by participating in the activities yourself.
• Some parents find that using a timer for activities is a good way to build and reinforce structure. For example, setting a reasonable time limit for a bath or playtime helps train the child to expect limitations, even on pleasurable activities. Giving a child a time limit for chore completion is also useful, especially if a reward is given for finishing on time.

Behavior Management Strategies for Children Ages 6-12

• As much as possible, give clear instructions and explanations for tasks throughout the day. If a task is complex or lengthy, break it down into steps that are more manageable, keeping in mind that as the child learns to manage their behavior, the steps and tasks can become more complex.
• Reward the child appropriately for good behavior and tasks completed. Set up a clear system of rewards (point system, gold stars) so that the child knows what to expect when they complete a task or refine their behavior.
• Bear in mind that as your child gets older they will be more sensitive to how they appear to others and may overreact or be unduly ashamed when they are disciplined in front of others. It is important to have a plan for appropriate discipline for misbehaving that does not require carrying out in front of others. Setting up a specific consequence for a certain behavior is probably the best method of providing consistency and fairness for your child.
• Communicate regularly with your child's teachers so that behavior patterns can be dealt with before they become a major problem and before the teachers get overly frustrated with the situation.
• Always set a good example for your child. Children with ADHD need role models for behavior more than other children, and the adults in their lives are very important.

Behavior Management Strategies for Teenagers

• As your child matures, it is important to involve them in setting expectations, rewards and consequences. Empowering them in this manner will improve their self-esteem and reinforce the concept that they are ultimately the masters of their own behavior and can create positive results with good behavior.
• Teenagers are often very sensitive of how they appear to others and may overreact or be unduly ashamed when they are disciplined in front of others. As adolescents they are experiencing hormonal changes and sexual development, and this brings up a whole host of new issues. Teenage years can be tough enough without ADHD, so be gentle and understanding. Communicate openly with them about the issues surrounding physical and sexual maturation.
• Continue to communicate regularly with your child's teachers so that behavior patterns can be dealt with before they become a major problem and before the teachers get overly frustrated with the situation.
• Continue to be consistent and fair in your own behavior. Having a predictable, reasonable parent is always an asset for children with ADHD.
• Continue to set a good example for your child. Children with ADHD need role models for behavior more than other children, and the adults in their lives are very important.
• If you find yourself becoming overwhelmed by the situation, speak to a professional. It is only natural that you have needs and questions in this process, so seek help when needed.

Researchers say men and women respond to trauma and stress differently, and the criteria used to diagnose PTSD may help explain the higher rates of the disorder among women.

PSTD is an anxiety disorder developed after experiencing a traumatic event. Symptoms may include flashbacks or re-experiencing the trauma, sleep problems, nightmares, panic attackspanic attacks, and depressiondepression.

"Cognitive and emotional responses to traumatic events make a diagnosis of PTSD more likely," write researchers David Tolin, PhD, of the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, and Edna Foa, PhD, of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, in Psychological Bulletin.

"So even though men may experience more traumas, they don't seem to have the same emotional responses to traumatic events," the researchers say.

In contrast, men are less likely to experience anxiety or depression but more likely to report behavior or drug problems after trauma, they say. Men are also more likely to become irritable, angry, or violent after experiencing a traumatic event.

PTSD More Common in Women

For their study, the researchers reviewed 290 studies conducted between 1980 and 2005 to determine who is more at risk for potentially traumatic events and PTSD -- men or women.

The results showed men have a higher risk of experiencing traumatic events. But women have higher rates of the disorder.

Specifically, the researchers found women are more likely to have experienced sexual assault and child sexual abuse, but less likely to have experienced accidents, nonsexual assaults, disaster or fire, combat or war, or to witness death or injury.

Multiple Traumas May Play Role

The researchers say the results suggest sexual trauma may cause more emotional suffering and be more likely to cause posttraumatic stress disorder than other types of trauma.

But this only partially explains women's higher PTSD rates.

The study showed women still had higher PTSD rates than men when both sexes were compared on the same type of trauma. For example, female survivors of motor vehicle accidents were more likely to report symptoms of PTSD than male survivors.

Instead, researchers say experiencing more than one type of trauma may make women more prone to PTSD than men.

"The data suggest that the female victims will have brought to the table a much greater risk of abuse and sexual assault prior to the accident; this could place them at higher risk of developing PTSD after the accident even though the current accident may not have caused all the symptoms," Tolin says in a news release.

Researchers say understanding that responses to trauma vary by gender as well as by individual should help experts develop better tools for diagnosing posttraumatic stress disorder in both men and women.

"Simple checklists or short interviews are insufficient for assessing trauma, and this is what is used most in these types of situations," they say.

 You Have Bipolar Disorder: Tips for Taking Control

Reduce stress. Many experts believe that stress may play a role in triggering recurrences of bipolar disorder. Sit down with someone who knows you well. Talk about things that have been sources of stress in the past for you. Look for creative solutions for:

• Reducing stress at home and at work
• Getting more exercise
• Getting more relaxation time
• Sharing excessive responsibilities
• Avoiding common conflicts

Enhance your life with enjoyable things. Feeling good is something we all need. What are your interests or hobbies? Do you love cooking, sports, gardening, pets, reading, music, painting, photography, or taking an occasional academic course? Make it a priority to find time for things you enjoy doing. Make it one of your goals to do more things that make you happy, that give you a sense of peace or achievement.

Communicate with your health-care team. You may have one health-care professional who treats you or you may have many different ones. Do your best not to miss appointments. Ask a family member or friend to help you out if you sometimes forget about appointments or travel is a problem.

When you visit a health-care professional, you can usually count on answering some basic questions. For example, he or she may want to know about how you have been feeling and acting and if you are taking your medications as prescribed. This is information your healthcare professional may need to make decisions about your treatment. One way you can help is by giving the most complete and truthful answers possible.

Be prepared to ask your doctor questions, too - remember, good communication works both ways!

Get regular sleep. During a depressive episode, it is common to sleep too much (hypersomnia) or to not sleep enough (insomnia). During an episode of mania (severely elevated mood), a person may need less sleep or feel that sleep is a waste of time. In addition, two substances known to interfere with sleep-wake rhythms are caffeine and alcohol. It may be helpful to avoid these if you want to improve your sleep pattern.

Take steps to control anger. Of course, you can't always avoid becoming irritable or angry. But you can learn to control your reaction to the situation so you don't get out of control.

According to the American Psychological Association, being assertive, not aggressive, is the healthy way to let others know you're upset with them. Make your needs clear without hurting or upsetting others.

Here are some tips for staying calm and working through stressful situations without letting anger take over. Practice them each day so they'll become automatic when a potential conflict arises:

• Relax - Try these simple techniques to help you keep anger under control:

  - Breathe deeply, not from your chest (which isn't relaxing) but from your diaphragm; visualize your breath coming from your abdomen.
  - Plan ahead to think of a certain calming word or phrase to repeat to yourself if anger starts, such as "Relax," or "Slow down". While you're repeating it, keep breathing deeply.
  - Visualize a relaxing experience, whether real or imaginary.
  - Schedule relaxing "personal time" during the day at the times when stressful situations tend to occur.

   

• Avoid your anger "triggers" - Look for ways you've fallen into the "habit" of getting angry, such as nighttime arguments with your partner, or taking the same congested route to work every day. Try changing the times or circumstances: For example, map out a new, easier drive to work.

   

• Use logic and humor to change your anger "vocabulary" - Even anger that's "justified" can turn irrational in a flash. Do you tend to use over-dramatic, strong, even offensive language when you're angry - language that comes from thinking that "all is lost if I don't get my own way"? If so, you aren't likely to get the results you want, and you could ultimately feel even worse.

  Next time you feel anger erupting, try using "logic before language." Choose words that show you respect the other person, even if the two of you don't agree. And look for humor in the situation: Often a tense moment can turn into shared laughter - and anger is forgotten.

   

• When serious problems arise, don't get mad, get moving - Anger is often a normal response to serious life crises, like losing a job. But it's a feeling, not an action, and action is what you need to solve problems.

  When you face a crisis, expect to feel angry at first. But don't "go there" for long. Instead, quickly make a plan for resolving the problem. Then put your plan into action, check your progress often, and don't be too hard on yourself or others if results take longer than you expected.

   

• If your anger feels overwhelming, consider counseling with a psychologist or other licensed mental health professional.

Plan for the future. Simply talking openly about the future may help you, as well as your loved ones, feel a little more in control.

You and your loved ones may want to discuss the best ways to help you through future episodes. It is also a good idea to talk about possible crisis situations. For example, what should your family members do if an episode of severe mania causes you to make decisions that could physically or financially hurt you or someone else? Would you mind if they temporarily withheld your credit cards, banking privileges, and car keys?

You may also want to consider thinking in advance about the kinds of things people would need to know or need to do if you were ever hospitalized for a severe episode. For example:

• Responsibilities for children, pets, bill paying
• Notification of employer
• Insurance information (plans and coverage, approved providers, etc.)
• Health-care professionals and pharmacy (names and phone numbers)
• Medication names and dosages, mood chart, etc.

Take your medication as prescribed. Medication is a mainstay for treatment of mania. To have medication work effectively, you must take it exactly as your health-care professional tells you to. This is called medication "compliance."

Sometimes complying with your medication regimen is easier if you have the help of someone that you trust. This could be a family member or a close friend. This person should be responsible enough to help make sure you are taking your medicines when you should.

After you've been using medication for awhile, you may start feeling better. At the same time, you may also start missing some of the old feelings that are a part of your illness, and you may be tempted to stop taking your medication to get those feelings back.

If this happens to you, it's a good idea to stop and think about how those feelings that started out "good" could get out of control. Remember what they did to your life, and the pain and heartache they may have caused you and people close to you?

You can feel proud that you take action every day to control your symptoms. By doing so, you're giving yourself and those around you the peace of mind and hope for the future that you all deserve. Just keep remembering: It's the medication, along with the support of your health-care team, that's helping you keep your symptoms, and your life, in control.

welcome to all that have joined wow.....ty nicole thanks all  i just want us to be avle to vent  and complain  cause here i go,om monday i woke up i was fine i  left the house to pick up emily from school as i was walking  i just couldnt catch my breath and then a man walked passed me and said hi how are you i told him omg i cant breath he just walked and never turned back.....rude.so i did ended up making it to the school and i started to spin  i thought holy crap i better go in and sit down.........welllllllll i woke up in the ambulance,i guess i had passed out and had  very low blood sugar huh i thought i told them i beleived i had a panic attack and  all that  but now today i have had a ms attack from all this my left side is all numb and i have to just  get better. once you tell  doctors   what u think they just ignore you once they find out you have panic attacks and ms they just blam it all on that well i telll you they better be right but dont have to be soooo rude,i asked the doctore in emerg if he new anyrhing about ms and he said noooooo omg this doctor is treating me and had no clue anyway take care talk tomorrow

How did you come to get my info to join this group i have joined others through minti and its the same thing i have had those same problems as other in here is the same

I have a condition called fybromyalgia it is hard to do things some day the energy levels are very low indeed but i get through i have to ive got kids

I all so have post traumatic stress disorder due to insident when i was a kid and ive been involved in now 2 major car accidents and after the last I was diagnosed with the ptsd this is not very nice at the best of times i get very nervy when i hear cars out of control or just coming out of a street fast my heart races ninty mile an hour and i feel dissy and just want to go home and stay home im lucky my doctor says to me as i have kids and i dont let this stop me i get out of the house to do things for them this is what saves my life at the end of the day.

so what with fybromyalgia and post traumatic stress disorder every day is a stuggle but with my boys its a lovely struggle

 

Thanks for inviting me to join this group. We who have challenges in our lives to overcome need to stick togeather.

I have a few problems my main problems is I have alot of allergies and some of them trigger off different responces some set off my asthma some set off my skin as I have a condition known as contact dermititis and some set off severe allergic reactions called Anaphalaxiswhich are the most severe allergic reaction you can have. When I go to a doctor or the hospital I have to go through lists of allergies especially to drugs that I have reacted to in the past and I often see Doctors cringe as they ask about the allergies.

The other main problem I have is I have Austio Arthritis, Rhumatoide Arthritis, and I also have Gout and although years ago they use to say that you get gout from excesive alcohol consumption it has since been proven wrong it is caused by a build up of uric acid in the blood which form into crystals in the joints usually in the feet which make it very painful to walk and do most things that require you to stand for any length of time. But we all can and will survive and we will continue to raise our children with courage and strength.

Iwish for you a holiday
That’s better than your dreams,
Filled with peace, good will and hope
And firelight that gleams,

 

Overflowing with holiday spirit
Good food and holiday laughter;
And when it’s done, I/We hope that you
Live happily ever after!

While it is most often diagnosed in young adults, aged 15 to 40, we know that it affects children, some as young as two years old. The impact is felt by family, friends and by the community. MS is unpredictable, affecting vision, hearing, memory, balance and mobility. It    s effects are physical, emotional, financial, and last a lifetime. There is no cure..Did you know ...

• Canadians have one of the highest rates of multiple sclerosis in the world.
• MS is the most common neurological disease affecting young adults in Canada.
• Every day, three more people in Canada are diagnosed with MS.
• Women are more than three times as likely to develop MS as men.
• MS can cause loss of balance, impaired speech, extreme fatigue, double vision and paralysis.
• MS was first identified and described by a French neurologist, Dr. Jean-Martin Charcot, in 1868.
• We don't know what causes MS but researchers are closer to finding the answer.

wow in the past cople of days i have researched ilnesses i really new nothing about.and wow if you read the mombo jumbo it all seems like the same symptoms as we all have just a diffrent name of the disease kind if makes me wonder.

Epilepsy can put a strain on families. Everyone is in it together. So each member of the family needs to understand what epilepsy is, how it's treated, and what to expect. (The level of understanding will depend on each person's age and abilities, of course.) Families can be a great source of support for someone with epilepsy-but it might take some work. Encourage all members of your family to learn as much as they can. Then you can share with each other your feelings, fears, and hopes.