To preface this, I've been dealing with my usual arthritis flare that hits in the fall, and this week has really been painful. It could be worse, I know.
Anyway, a friend calls me up Tuesday to remind me of a film showing she set up at church. I had already told her Sunday when she asked me about it that I probably wouldn't be able to make it. Again, I told her that I most likely wouldn't be able to come. When pressed, I told her that I have trouble sitting for long periods due to arthritis and frankly, sitting on my hiney has been really painful due to nerve damage and disease at my anastomosis, which is at my rectum. Sitting in church is a challenge, and at home I'm either standing or lounging most of the time to avoid it. I also told her that I'm really worn out in the evenings and don't usually go anywhere at night unless I'm forced due to that problem, plus the medications I take in the early evening are sedating.
She then proceeds to ask me what I take, and tells me I'm taking too much (which I take very low doses as my doctor prescribed: Neurontin 300mg, Elavil 20mg, and Talwin 25mg-twice daily). She grills me about my diet and tells me how I shoud be eating, tells me what supplements I need to take, and about one home remedy that she knows would stop my pain and spasming. The main supplement that she mentioned I've taken before and had to stop because I was having chest pains from it. She told me I needed to try it again anyway! All of this was unsolicited advice, of course. She knows nothing about my disease, but thinks she does because of junk she sees online, usually about "cures" that are worthless. This isn't the first time she's done this to me, and I'm actually not the only one that's been the recipient of her "sage" advice.
I have a sister-in-law that does me the same way. I'm so sick of this! Do any of you have this problem, or do I have a sign on me that says, "I'm too stupid and my doctor is too stupid to treat my disease, so tell me what to do!" Or am I just too sensitive? My husband tells me to let it go in one ear and out the other, but that's not easy to do for me. I'm really hurt that instead of support, I get treated like I'm idiot and a wimp all rolled into one.