So, physician...

So the saga of the 19-plus-year-old cat continues in an unusual way... My wife took her to a Special Animal Doctor Place yesterday, where they did all this stuff and such, but my wife described it as a very dear, caring, gentle place.

Not like a human doctor visit, eh? I mean, one's MD may be gentle and kind, but the waiting room? Full of happy patients and their caregivers? No wall-mounted TV saying that "If you die, ask your doctor if XYZ is right for you," or any of that nonsense.

Apparently, the doc told my wife, those happy people and animals are all chemo patients. Ever hear of human chemo victims being radiantly happy?

Apparently, doc said, they don't use even close to the nearly-killer dosages they use with humans. Their goal is not to eradicate the disease, but to keep it contained. And, more importantly, to help the animal to live comfortably.

Now that's a goal, ain't it? Live comfortably?

My personal MS experience, and let's be honest, everybody's MS-experience is personal and completely unique despite maladies we share ("Everybody with MS goes through this," my urologist told me about joining the Cath Club), is that nothing helps. Nothing makes things better. But there are things to do that increase comfort... Take a little of these herbs, have some tea, keep the air conditioning going at whatever level is comfortable, pet the Cat while we still have her, listen to things that warm my heart.

Comfortable is a very, very worthy goal. Which having been attained, is darned comfortable.

Now, how would the western "treat MS" world be different if the primary goal was "get the patient comfortable?" I certainly don't think being ravaged by DMDs that do nothing but make you feel worse counts as "comfortable." As certainly, allowing one's self to sink into the mire of "it used to be so wonderful before The Disease" or whatever, that certainly doesn't count as "comfortable." That, at least, is non pharmaceutically treated: Change your consciousness and your world changes.

Try that, DMDs. Bitter, moi? Probably. Definitely...

So then,  "changing consciousness" to increase comfort...?

No side effects there...

So, physician... Heal thyself.