Personal Woes and Advice 2

[Kitten Champion]

@kitten champion...
I just love meeting people like that.. they're so much fun to watch implode when you burst their bubble

If she were stupid, or believed in obviously self-defeating logic I would agree with you. Unfortunately she's likely more intelligent than I, certainly her argumentative skills surpass my own. So if anyone's going to pop her bubble it will be her, at some point, having some epiphany.

It's more of an issue that her values as a human being frighten me. She professes to love human civilization - but in the abstract. She holds nothing but disdain for the elements of civilization, and humanity, which I think makes us human and civilization have any value. The soul, as it were.

Well, that is certainly different. I don't know what exactly constitutes a "sociopath" but just from that description she sounds at least unpleasant. I don't envy the position you are in, but I guess you are doing the best you can in avoiding any topics that will...turn out badly for either of you. I guess all you can do is leave things as they are. Doesn't sound like she'd be willing to listen to any possible advice or criticism that anyone would try to give her.

But this is something you said you generally enjoy. I'd hate to hear of you giving up on it because of one (admittedly scary sounding) person.

I think a sociopath is someone who doesn't blush when they tell you they'd sterilize the disabled. I'm... not getting over that anytime soon.

I was afraid this would be it. For the life me, I couldn't find a moral method to remove her from my life, short of abandoning something I value in exchange. As much as I fail to respect her as a human being I can't honestly see myself deliberately interfering in her life by disrupting her volunteering with spurious complaints or other pettiness. This would be much easier if she were a racist, corrupt, incompetent, or was sexually harassing me or something.

I guess I'll just have to somehow compartmentalize those thoughts and focus on the positive of what I'm doing.

[dehro]

more than a sociopath, se sounds to me like someone who needs to get her head out of the books and look a bit closer into what life is really like.. and I realize you're volunteering together so she's probably exposed to some of it, but not in her head.. she's probably taking it as a chore that she can file away as soon as she hops in the car/bus and goes home.

on a not entirely unrelated note, whenever red cross volunteers are mentioned, I cannot not think of this gag:

[TaiLiu]

I'm absolutely pissed right now. Not only do I need to endure the tediousness of retaking it again, but also the fact that New York State WON'T TELL MY WHAT I GOT WRONG, meaning I HAVE NO CLUE what to study!

Ethically: try to think back to the test and what you found confusing or difficult, and try to study those.

Not So Ethically: this method involves pdf files and password cracking...

[Grinner]

Well, that is certainly different. I don't know what exactly constitutes a "sociopath" but just from that description she sounds at least unpleasant.

Absurd degrees of egocentricity combined with social cunning and an absolute disregard for emotion, both their own and other's. There's a bunch of other criteria too.

Factor 1: Affect

• Glibness/superficial charm
• Grandiose sense of self-worth
• Pathological lying
• Conning/manipulative
• Lack of remorse or guilt
• Shallow affect (genuine emotion is short-lived and egocentric)
• Callousness; lack of empathy
• Failure to accept responsibility for his or her own actions

Factor 2: Case history "Socially deviant lifestyle."

• Need for stimulation/proneness to boredom
• Parasitic lifestyle
• Poor behavioral control
• Lack of realistic long-term goals
• Impulsivity
• Irresponsibility
• Juvenile delinquency
• Early behavior problems
• Revocation of conditional release

Traits not correlated with either factor

• Promiscuous sexual behavior
• Many short-term (marital) relationships
• Criminal versatility
• Acquired behavioural sociopathy/sociological conditioning (Item 21: a newly identified trait i.e., a person relying on sociological strategies and tricks to deceive)

I'd qualify her more as a narcissist, but I'm not in a position to make judgements.

[TSGames]

That is a fantastic description of a sociopath, Grinner. I'll also second that she's probably not a sociopath; at least she does not sound like any of few true sociopaths that I have known. That's not say that she's perfectly normal. She probably just needs to grow in maturity; experience teaches lessons to those who are willing to learn. Sometimes it teaches lessons to those who aren't willing as well. Give it time, she will get worse or she will get better; it comes down to her.

[EDIT]
Oddly enough, I'd be curious if she has read Ayn Rand or Nietzsche. Her views may fit well with the former, but many people do not read Nietzsche and end up at a similar viewpoint while professing to understand his work... I'm just curious if she may be one such person.

[theangelJean]

This may sound fairly minor, but god-DAMMIT I need to get this off my chest.

So, I got my report card back a few days ago, I did well in everything except for my English Regents, which I got a 77 on. At first my parents thought it was a mistake and contacted the school, but once the school checked their records and said that it was in fact my legitimate score (which I still have a hard time believing), my mother said I would have to retake it in August.

I'm absolutely pissed right now. Not only do I need to endure the tediousness of retaking it again, but also the fact that New York State WON'T TELL MY WHAT I GOT WRONG, meaning I HAVE NO CLUE what to study!

What kind of exam is it?

I'm asking because the English exams in my area are essay-based, and you're marked on your skill at expressing yourself (ie your ability to use expressive and informative English as well as correct language) in addition to your ability to answer the question. Is it the same situation where you are? Are you required to answer questions in an essay format, or is it all short factual answers? Because if it's an essay-based exam like ours, then your mark may mean that you didn't get anything actually wrong, it's just there are people at your level who can demonstrate a better usage of the English language.

This is the reason I only got 75 in English in high-school: while I knew the texts extremely well, there were people who were able to express themselves in a more readable, interesting and informative way as well as knowing the content. And a part of that was lack of practice on my part.

So, if your exams are essay-based, I would suggest you practise writing, and especially the art of writing. You may have been taught to analyse texts and describe writing techniques, but you'll get a better mark if you're also able to actually apply those techniques in your own writing.

As for how to practise, I am not the best person to suggest study techniques. However I can tell you what didn't work for me: leaving all my assignments to the last minute/not completing them at all. I can also tell you what helped my now-husband: making a commitment to complete a timed piece of writing (equivalent to one essay out of a three-essay exam) every day over a decent period of time (he practised creative writing, which was one of the topics required in our exams, but I don't know what the content of your exams are. If you are feeling really creative, you can try to guess what kind of things you could be asked to describe from the texts you've studied, and practise that too.) You have until August? Maybe that might work for you.

[Sholos]

Absurd degrees of egocentricity combined with social cunning and an absolute disregard for emotion, both their own and other's. There's a bunch of other criteria too.

*snip*

It scares me how many of those I match...

Anyways, how do you stop feeling bad about something that should be seen as a good thing? A friend of mine just got engaged tonight, and my first thought wasn't, "Good for her!" it was, "Another one?" As is, yet another friend of mine getting engaged and here I am completely alone with no prospects of anything happening. It's the fifth engagement in 3 years with all but 2 of the people involved being quite younger than me. It's troubling me and then I feel bad about feeling bad about it.

[WarKitty]

Warning: The following comes from the dirty mouth of an ignorant formal cripple that hasn't lived nearly as long as life as he should have to speak the volumes that he does, and probably should be taken with a grain of salt.

Those are probably the worst kind of people to think about in the grand scheme of it all. You can imagine people who do Bad things for genuinely Bad Reasons as the villains that they are, and hopefully they'll get what they deserve in the end. Not so much for those that are Well Intentioned but just plain wrong.

I haven't ready too much, but it looks like you're about to leave your situation involving said W-I-person. In that case, and especially in other cases where there might not be all that much you can really do, just learning to let it die and not affect your life too much more than it already does is probably the best thing you can do. And hopefully things will improve as you continue to work hard.

Just keep doing your best with the power that you've got, and don't let things like that, which it doesn't seem you really can do much about, eat away at you. Take care and be safe.

I should take some time to read up and see what else has been happening in my lapse of checking this thread: I've just been doing general prayers for "Friends from the Playground", with a few names in mind from before.

I do get it. Bad Roomie is just dredging up other memories. I grew up in an environment that I would describe, looking back, as nearing cultish. Highly sexist, extremely don't-question-anything, we have to shelter ourselves from the evil outside, you get the idea. Were they well intentioned? You bet. They had a completely screwed up paradigm which it was absolutely essential to hammer into children lest said children end up ruining their own lives for lack of proper guidance. They'd probably have been less dangerous as just bad people.

Hell, I've dealt with an outright well intentioned sex offender and the equally well intentioned people giving such completely stupid advice as "boys are just like that". These people can be dangerous.

[Haluesen]

I think a sociopath is someone who doesn't blush when they tell you they'd sterilize the disabled. I'm... not getting over that anytime soon.

I was afraid this would be it. For the life me, I couldn't find a moral method to remove her from my life, short of abandoning something I value in exchange. As much as I fail to respect her as a human being I can't honestly see myself deliberately interfering in her life by disrupting her volunteering with spurious complaints or other pettiness. This would be much easier if she were a racist, corrupt, incompetent, or was sexually harassing me or something.

I guess I'll just have to somehow compartmentalize those thoughts and focus on the positive of what I'm doing.

I guess that is the best you can do. She doesn't sounds like someone who will listen to reason, or at least to someone else's reason. I wish I knew more to assist you here, but having never dealt with someone like that I don't have a clue. I typically just go with the policy "avoid people who either anger me or make me uncomfortable" and while that generally works, it doesn't sounds so great here. So I wish you the best of luck and hope someone has some better advice than this to give, I'm sorry.

Absurd degrees of egocentricity combined with social cunning and an absolute disregard for emotion, both their own and other's. There's a bunch of other criteria too.

This and everything else you posted were quite educational, thank you. Sounds like a scary type of person to be around. I don't think I know anyone like that though. I know plenty of bad people or wrong people or sometimes those with just odd views. But never someone so focused on themselves and the manipulation of others.

Hell, I've dealt with an outright well intentioned sex offender and the equally well intentioned people giving such completely stupid advice as "boys are just like that". These people can be dangerous.

Okay I need to ask a bit here. What in the world makes a sex offender well-intentioned, ever? The whole first thing you said I understand to a degree and agree with whole-heartedly, that kind of thing can be dangerous. People who do bad trying to do good. I could almost imagine some of my friends as being that way, if not for them not actually getting anything they intend done.

And as an off topic thing, can someone tell me how to quote multiple posts, short of what I did here with copying and pasting? I've only worked out how to quote one post.

[Castaras]

Press the quotation mark next to the quote button on all posts you want to quote.

[Haluesen]

...oh. Why have I never seen that before? It even says multi-quote. Well thank you, you have taught a very dumb man a quite useful skill. I really am very appreciative, thank you.

[TSGames]

Press the quotation mark next to the quote button on all posts you want to quote.

Thank you! I've been doing it manually for the better part of 10 years lol XD

[Coidzor]

Thank you! I've been doing it manually for the better part of 10 years lol XD

Multiquote's only been around for... 2 now? 1.5?

[Grinner]

This and everything else you posted were quite educational, thank you.

I'm always to happy to edify.

[Castaras]

Multiquote's only been around for... 2 now? 1.5?

It's been there since I joined, though was taken away for a while due to server stuff.

[Velaryon]

I realized recently that I never replied to this thread and gave an update. Although my problem was very small compared to what a lot of people are dealing with, perhaps the update can bring a little positivity and uplifting into this thread, which I think may be of some help.

Here's my original post (minus some bits that related to other people in the thread):

Incidentally, this segues nicely into my own current problem, the reason I came into this thread. Compared to some things people are posting it seems rather minor, but it's bugging me nonetheless. In order to apply to grad school I need two letters of recommendation attesting to my academic ability and professional promise. Professors, academic advisors, supervisors, whoever.

So I wrote an email to two of my old professors, the ones I had the most classes with and enjoyed the most. I also did well in both of their classes. Today I got back an email from my favorite professor, with whom I had about seven classes during my time in college. I was greatly saddened to learn that he doesn't really remember me. His records show that I got good grades but didn't participate much in class (which is probably why he doesn't remember me).

He's willing to write the letter for me if I want him to, but since he doesn't remember much it wouldn't be a very glowing recommendation. He suggested that I And if THIS professor, whom I had a class with almost every semester I was in college, doesn't remember me, then how could anyone else? With no one to give me a very good recommendation as far as my academic career, I'm now worried that I won't be able to get into grad school and thus pursue the career direction I've finally figured out after so many years.

So, I chose to go ahead with the recommendations from this professor and from another one whom I only had two classes with but claimed to remember me. I decided to drop off the recommendation forms in person, both as an excuse to visit my college campus again and with the thought that perhaps seeing me in person might help jog the professor's memory.

And it did. He remembered me, we had a nice conversation and I got both recommendation letters mailed in. I received my acceptance notice last September, started school in January, and have now completed four of the twelve courses in my program. It hasn't always been easy, and the graduate schedule combined with my poor time management skills and bad procrastination habit has sort of killed my social life for the time being, but I am making it through grad school with good grades so far. I'm piling up an uncomfortable amount of student loans (and had to take out another loan to replace my car in March as well), but I've found that this is something I not only can do, but want to do and enjoy.


By the way, thank you MonkeyBusiness for replying to my original post.

[Grinner]

And it did. He remembered me, we had a nice conversation and I got both recommendation letters mailed in. I received my acceptance notice last September, started school in January, and have now completed four of the twelve courses in my program. It hasn't always been easy, and the graduate schedule combined with my poor time management skills and bad procrastination habit has sort of killed my social life for the time being, but I am making it through grad school with good grades so far. I'm piling up an uncomfortable amount of student loans (and had to take out another loan to replace my car in March as well), but I've found that this is something I not only can do, but want to do and enjoy.

Congratulations.

[Dr. Bath]

It scares me how many of those I match...

Anyways, how do you stop feeling bad about something that should be seen as a good thing? A friend of mine just got engaged tonight, and my first thought wasn't, "Good for her!" it was, "Another one?" As is, yet another friend of mine getting engaged and here I am completely alone with no prospects of anything happening. It's the fifth engagement in 3 years with all but 2 of the people involved being quite younger than me. It's troubling me and then I feel bad about feeling bad about it.

You can't really make yourself be happy for others but like you said your sadness about this almost certainly stems from your own life, not others' lives. Therefore: perhaps look there first. Of course you can't really snap your fingers and find the love of your life (or whatever you happen to be looking for) but you can work to be more content in yourself without any partner which in general makes it easier to find happiness in other peoples situations. Not great advice perhaps but it does kinda work.

I've come across the same problem to a lesser extent (not engagements, just friends all pairing off) where at one point I felt a bit of a 19th wheel most of the time. Made me a bit more bitter than is helpful but these things pass.

[WarKitty]

Okay I need to ask a bit here. What in the world makes a sex offender well-intentioned, ever? The whole first thing you said I understand to a degree and agree with whole-heartedly, that kind of thing can be dangerous. People who do bad trying to do good. I could almost imagine some of my friends as being that way, if not for them not actually getting anything they intend done.

Simple, really. Take someone who's convinced himself that he knows what people really want. Add in a lot of patriarchal blankety-blank about men's and women's roles.

[Haluesen]

Simple, really. Take someone who's convinced himself that he knows what people really want. Add in a lot of patriarchal blankety-blank about men's and women's roles.

Hmm, you either just have good explaining skills or made a masterful Diplomacy check there, because I actually can't reason against this. It is still a bad frame of mind to me, and I still feel strongly on the issue, but here at least I see just what you mean about well intentioned. Still a bit of a scary thought though. Thank you for the explanation.

[theangelJean]

Okay I need to ask a bit here. What in the world makes a sex offender well-intentioned, ever?

Simple, really. Take someone who's convinced himself that he knows what people really want. Add in a lot of patriarchal blankety-blank about men's and women's roles.

Hmm, you either just have good explaining skills or made a masterful Diplomacy check there, because I actually can't reason against this. It is still a bad frame of mind to me, and I still feel strongly on the issue, but here at least I see just what you mean about well intentioned. Still a bit of a scary thought though. Thank you for the explanation.

It scares me that sometimes it really is that simple ... and it demonstrates why those attitudes are so dangerous, and also explains why these offenses are so common. People who hold these attitudes can end up doing hurtful things without necessarily ever thinking they've done anything wrong, unless someone pulls them up after the fact. I just hope that as these attitudes get addressed and hopefully become less common, there might be a corresponding drop in the rates of such crimes.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Going through a rough time right now, and this time my mom and I are in full agreement.

My aunt, my mom's sister who's dealt with cerebral palsy and other stuff since birth, is in the hospital right now after a severe head injury. She's currently bleeding in her brain, and the doctors are doing their very best to help her, but operating on her brain directly would likely cause more harm than good. My mom and uncle, the siblings who've been there for her the most, taking her out of the group home once a week and bringing her to every family function, have said that they may put her on a respirator to allow the doctors to work a bit easier, as whenever my aunt's been awake she thrashes around and wants to get out of the bed, and it took 3 people holding her down for almost 45 minutes. She's a spitfire like that, never content to sit still, always eager to crawl wherever she wanted in the house, and never took "no" for an answer. Anyway, my mom and uncle said if the respirator didn't help, they weren't going to take any extraordinary measures to keep my aunt alive. I understand their viewpoint and agree with it, but that doesn't make it hurt less.

My aunt's been a part of my life since the beginning. She outlived the odds by a mile. When she was born, she was so frail the doctors said she wouldn't live to see two years old. She's now 53 years old. I know we can only wait and see, and she's not down yet. But the worrying is eating at me. My mom's got a stronger bond with her than almost anyone else. She practically raised her, and it was my aunt's condition that inspired my mom to become an occupational therapist. And we sort of inherited that bond, as we always went with her. It was always great to go out for ice cream with her, or breakfast, or to bring her to Disney World to celebrate her turning 50. I've encountered death before in my life, and even though there's still hope she'll pull through this, I don't know how to deal with the knot of emotions this is bringing up.

Just sort of wanted to get this off my chest, and you guys have always had good advice and been very supportive and caring. I know whenever I've got a problem, The Playground's always there to help.

[Kindablue]

I need advice on handling a phobia.

Spoiler

Show

Suddenly, out of the blue and within the last few days, I gained an extreme phobia of driving over bridges. At least, I think that's the right word. I live on a small island and so have to drive across a very tall and long bridge at least twice a day, and up until the last few days, I was fine. But now, the second it goes from highway to bridge my grip tightens, my pulse quickens, and I start screaming in short bursts. I mean, literally, screaming. I turn the radio up and yell really, really loudly. I don't know if it's a phobia or whatever because the thought of it doesn't scare me, and I don't really think it's a height thing either. The shoulders disappear and it's a bridge over shipping traffic, so not flat—it feels like I don't have anywhere to go, like I'm a cow being funneled into a slaughterhouse. Maybe that's not it—I don't know; I'm really just looking for some sort of coping strategy. So far I've tried deep breathing and the screaming thing, and neither of those seem to help at all.

[Haluesen]

@Zousha- I really do wish the best and pray for the well-being of your aunt, if you're the type for praying. Otherwise just well wishes, but I'm very sorry for this happening to you and you're family. I believe that it is still best to hope and believe that things will be okay, it is much more positive and beneficial than thinking negatively, no matter what is happening or how bad and scary things seem.

I can't speak for everybody of course, but as one Playground denizen I have my fingers crossed and all my wishes sent for all of you and especially your aunt right now. It sounds like she's very much a fighter, as you said a spitfire, and I hope she continues to be that way.

@Kindablue- I'm sorry for this sudden fear. You said this started recently? How strange. Unfortunately I don't really know a lot for how these sorts of things happen. Any advice I have is typically only useful if you aren't driving...I hope that there is someone in the Playground who knows better how to handle fears. I do wish you the best for getting better with it. Any attempt to deal with your fear is a step in the right direction.

[Moriwen]

I need advice on handling a phobia.
Suddenly, out of the blue and within the last few days, I gained an extreme phobia of driving over bridges.

General advice for dealing with phobias:

1) Desensitization. Sucks, but it's a thing. Find some aspect that scares you a little (maybe a pedestrian bridge? Some other enclosed/narrow space? Just guessing here, since you say it's not a height thing) and work on that until you're comfortable with it. Then try something a little harder.

2) As a corollary: Reward yourself. Think Skinner box. Try to build some positive associations with bridges - eat a chocolate whenever you go over one, or put a cute sticker on your dashboard, or something. Make it be immediate, though; don't think "if I go over the bridge every day for a week without panicking, I'll go out for dinner." You can do that too, but the immediate reward is really important.

3) If it continues, gets worse, or starts to interfere with your life (e.g., it scares you so much you have to stop going to work, or sit at the bottom of the bridge for an hour every morning working up your nerve) see a therapist.



General disclaimer: I am not a doctor. I am not a therapist. I have dealt with anxiety disorders, both in myself and in family members. Advice on the internet is what you pay for it.

[Coidzor]

Rant on emotions and sympathy and compassion:

Spoiler

Show

I really hate myself and my unrealistic expectations of basic emotions and what my emotional response is versus what it should be and never knowing how to actually show sympathy or compassion even when I actually do legitimately feel that way and want to express such... words and actions feel like completely meaningless ash and a charade that everyone knows is stupid and ridiculous and that even trying to voice sympathy is a waste of time that makes everyone judge me negatively for not seeing through the farce of it all.

It's bad enough that cruelty comes to me more quickly than feelings of compassion and wanting to help others, but feeling completely unable to give comfort if I can't give true aid has got to be the most paralyzing and frustrating feeling I've felt.

I suspect I may be some kind of emotional cripple or something for even caring about it when I know that it's ridiculous and that people don't actually work that way and almost everyone has trouble with things that actually call for compassion or condolences being tendered.

edit: Hoped this would pass quickly. No such luck. Wrestling with it only seems to make it turn to darker things.

[Kindablue]

Spoiler

Show

@Kindablue- I'm sorry for this sudden fear. You said this started recently? How strange. Unfortunately I don't really know a lot for how these sorts of things happen. Any advice I have is typically only useful if you aren't driving...I hope that there is someone in the Playground who knows better how to handle fears. I do wish you the best for getting better with it. Any attempt to deal with your fear is a step in the right direction.

Thanks.

General advice for dealing with phobias:

1) Desensitization. Sucks, but it's a thing. Find some aspect that scares you a little (maybe a pedestrian bridge? Some other enclosed/narrow space? Just guessing here, since you say it's not a height thing) and work on that until you're comfortable with it. Then try something a little harder.

A part of me was hoping someone was going to say, "drive over a lot of bridges at once."

The problem is that I already go over a lot of bridges in my day-to-day. It's really only the one big one that freaks me out, and I also go over that every day too.

2) As a corollary: Reward yourself. Think Skinner box. Try to build some positive associations with bridges - eat a chocolate whenever you go over one, or put a cute sticker on your dashboard, or something. Make it be immediate, though; don't think "if I go over the bridge every day for a week without panicking, I'll go out for dinner." You can do that too, but the immediate reward is really important.

Yeah, I never would've thought of that. I think I'll try it, thanks!

3) If it continues, gets worse, or starts to interfere with your life (e.g., it scares you so much you have to stop going to work, or sit at the bottom of the bridge for an hour every morning working up your nerve) see a therapist.



General disclaimer: I am not a doctor. I am not a therapist. I have dealt with anxiety disorders, both in myself and in family members. Advice on the internet is what you pay for it.

I think I figured it out. Hurtling 200 feet in the air at speeds upward of 65 miles an hour over shark infested waters is scary. Not irrationally scary, normal scary. You have to be irrational to live in a world where that's mundane.

I'm overthinking it, basically.

Thank you for the advice.

[dehro]

Rant on emotions and sympathy and compassion:

Spoiler

Show

I really hate myself and my unrealistic expectations of basic emotions and what my emotional response is versus what it should be and never knowing how to actually show sympathy or compassion even when I actually do legitimately feel that way and want to express such... words and actions feel like completely meaningless ash and a charade that everyone knows is stupid and ridiculous and that even trying to voice sympathy is a waste of time that makes everyone judge me negatively for not seeing through the farce of it all.

It's bad enough that cruelty comes to me more quickly than feelings of compassion and wanting to help others, but feeling completely unable to give comfort if I can't give true aid has got to be the most paralyzing and frustrating feeling I've felt.

I suspect I may be some kind of emotional cripple or something for even caring about it when I know that it's ridiculous and that people don't actually work that way and almost everyone has trouble with things that actually call for compassion or condolences being tendered.

edit: Hoped this would pass quickly. No such luck. Wrestling with it only seems to make it turn to darker things.

You could try the "going in at the deep end/swim or die" approach.

If you fear not having good feelings towards others within you, or an inability to express those, carve out a little time to do volunteer work. Nothing helps finding empathy and a kind word for everybody like facing the destitute in a soup kitchen, the terminally ill in a hospital ward, bringing the groceries to an old lady that can't leave the house because she can't manage the stairs or help a mentally disabled child with his school tasks.
You may find you're crap at it..for a while..but when you see firsthand that the people you're being crap "at" really depend on you not being crap..you learn.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

After a few hair-raising days worrying, my aunt is back at the group home, no worse for wear. It turns out her fall was CAUSED by the bleed in her brainstem, not THE CAUSE of it, and thanks to some very great doctors and nurses, that bleed's dissolved and her blood pressure's back to normal. And more recently she was back on solid meals and sat in her wheelchair for over 3 hours. This is a great relief for us, and once again she's proven the odds mean nothing to her. I'm so glad she's okay!

[Grinner]

After a few hair-raising days worrying, my aunt is back at the group home, no worse for wear. It turns out her fall was CAUSED by the bleed in her brainstem, not THE CAUSE of it, and thanks to some very great doctors and nurses, that bleed's dissolved and her blood pressure's back to normal. And more recently she was back on solid meals and sat in her wheelchair for over 3 hours. This is a great relief for us, and once again she's proven the odds mean nothing to her. I'm so glad she's okay!

Good to hear.