Comment on Rant Thread

Hello All,

I am a very old timer here who hasn't been around much of late due to some serious health matters - both UC and non-UC related. I am in a nursing home still from March and scheduled to go home October 1.  I have had my share of hospitals, doctors and the like and miss my home and wife terribly.

I also have a great deal of affection for this support group and forum.  I love the exchanges of ideas and the communal spirit you can gain from this group of beloved. 

I haven't responded to many posts lately, but this one made me a bit sad.  Not because of anyone's individual post - not at all in fact.  But it is the spirit of the thread that made me sad.  Instead of being uplifting - I was brought down by a spirit of negativism vs. optimism.  We need to offer hope, even in the bowels of despair - no pun intented.

Again, I am not speaking to anyone, or their remission strategy, alternative or conventional or both.

But could we offer up hope, support, lifting, joy, compassion, empathy and love.  At least for me, that's why I am here - and back after six months of illness.

Does anyone else feel this way?  Or am I just being, or bringing emotions that evoke the joy we need - even when we are at our sickest moments.

With love and respect to all here,

bob 

It is so important to be positive, I just told my friend today who is going through a hard time, "you made it through yesterday, you made it through the day before that, the week before that, last year, etc.; you can make it through today and you can make it through tomorrow".

I had a pity party for myself yesterday, it was needed, then I got annoyed w/myself and picked myself back up again. My 26 year old step sister passed away last week and I took a good look and realized how much I really have and how much she will never get to experience and it could all be taken away at any time, life really is so very precious.

You have gone through so much it really amazes me. Take care!!!!

You're right, it's important to be positive and uplifting, unfortunately dealing with a chronic disease can make it tough and unrealistic to have nothing but happy postings...it's just as important to cry as it is laugh, same goes with venting, afterall support should be equally distributed on all texts, happy or negative...we all get "bummed" out at times, angry and frustrated too and although it's not easy to deal with negativity it's a reality...there is a positive in negative posts/replies in that we are able to get some frustration off our chests without being judged because we've all had many crappy days and can relate to what each of us are going through....it's not always pretty, but neither is life.

:)

Sorry if the post ended up so negative, it started off as a rant only with an expression of personal opinions and freely shared information. There was no interest in pushing information or opinions on anyone. When you click the post seeing rant you kinda know what your getting into. I've always been under the impression that by rooting out the negative and recognizing it, positives can be the conclusion.

You cannot have one without the other. There would be no day without night, no superhero without a supervillain. The rant post ending up twisting and turning into something kinda ugly and beautiful at the same time. It was a frankenstein project that worked in allowing touchy subjects and obviously repressed feelings to be vented and things let off people's chests. There would be no support or stress release in a group that focused on the positives all the time, especially concerning potentially life-threatening chronic illnesses and the myriad of treatments and therapies that accompany it.

Bob I'm glad you are on the mend after 6 months, October 1 is just around the corner! Hang in there bud and you will be home before you know it. I will pray for your return home and continued building of health. Thanks for the kharma check. :)

Eva Lou said...
there really is no need to take things posted on here "personally".... it's just people's opinions, nothing more. And even if someone on here specifically targets another poster (which never happens!), who cares? I liked that rant thread, but it was a bit....much. Seems like too many posters took it as a personal affront on their beliefs, which I don't feel that it was. but anyhow, glad to hear you are on the mend, Bob! It's nice to see you posting again.

I can tell you who cares - the administrator and owner of this forum who has to pay for the bandwidth we use without charge. This is a support forum, and extended arguements, debates about the healthcare system, etc. use the bandwidth in ways this forum was not meant for.

There's nothing inherently wrong with these conversations, only with them appearing here. This is a support forum, not a social networking site or a debate site. Other forums are available for those purposes, including IM programs. We do exchange ideas and we seldom all agree. However, it's entirely possible to express your own beliefs and ideas without condescending to those who believe differently. Some feel "sad" to see people taking drugs for UC? Believe me, there are just as many on the other side who feel "sad" for those who choose alternative therapies. We just need to be respectful of one another and supportive, or take it somewhere else.

If you have questions about this, read the rules again - and this time please consider the context and philosophy as you read.

Yes, discussion is fine, within the bounds of remaining supportive and informative. I'm glad you weren't offended. Many others were.

Seconder...if you have a problem w/ any comment/suggestion left by a moderator feel free to hit the admin alert button in the upper right hand corner of the post box. This will send an email to Peter, our administrator.

We have no issues w/ people ranting here as long as they do no attack each other. I've ranted on many occasions. As for now the thread in question has been locked.

Let me preface this by saying everyone here has the right to say anything and everything he/she wants.

However...

We all know how terrible, life-changing, and depressing UC/Crohn's can be. We must also remember that many, many readers here have been, currently are, or will be in severe depression due to the prognosis of our condition(s). I was to the point of suicide just weeks ago, and I'm sure I am not alone.
We must remember that, just like the drunk and belligerent fan at the baseball game, we might actually affect the outcome of the game because of the words we choose. While we have the right to say whatever we want, we should temper our comments and try to put a positive spin on things instead of leading others further down into the depths of sorrow.

I expect people to disagree with this.

Well said Judy. I support you fully.

Yes, that's me right about now.