I personally wouldn't want anyone sharing MY personal health "issues" (for lack of a better word) with anyone. It doesn't matter if it's family or a complete stranger that my friends/family may be confiding in. I don't believe your health is something that should be shared with people YOU don't want it shared with. While I'm sure your parents understand what you're going through becuase they are there for you as parents, I can't imagine they know HOW you feel. Sure you can tell them, but they are not in your shoes, they couldn't possibly understand. Could they? If they did, I don't think you would have written this. I think the important people know, your mom... sister, did you say your aunt knows what's going on too? If other people want to know, they can call you. Maybe that's how your mom should handle it. You have enough going on and souldn't be worrying about who your mom is going to tell... if she needs to talk about it, tell her to go to a therapist. It's YOUR business to share, NOT hers. No offense 'mom'. Be considerate of all your 25 year old daughter is going through- the burden this is... and the way the last few years have severely impacted her life, FOREVER. The changes she is experiencing and the difficulties she is faced with on a regular basis. You're only making things harder for her...

Sorry about that last post, dunno what happened....

I agree with Jessica that it is largely a question of consideration. Personally, I'm a bottom-line kind of guy. No pun intended. What I mean to say is that sure, I would tell my family about any apparent health problems I was facing. But the whole family definitely does NOT need to know about the nitty-gritty details of my DAILY battles or any side-effect illnesses of the greater issue.

My family is totally attached at the phone like yours. It gets pretty annoying, but I can only imagine how magnified it would be if I were in your shoes.

It's been along time since I stopped by; sorry about that! I hope you're doing alright.

Austin

My posting from last night had a dangling sentence at the end. That was meant to be deleted. It was another thought I had going, but decided to not complete the thought.

I think I am with you on this. I remember after my own MS diagnosis not wanting anyone to know anything as I did not want to be treated as the sick person - the idea of the hushed and embarrassed silences when I shuffled into rooms was too much to bear. The result was that it was well over a year before I told my family about it - something looking back I see as a painful mistake and would never recommend to anyone.

My MS is an open secret now - there are enough people out there I can turn to when I need to; there are enough people out there who ask me how things are going from time to time (and not all the time) which I really appreciate. But there is enough space for me to get on with the rest of life as an individual rather than a walking health condition.

The cultural advantages of british reserve and social embarrassment help my cause greatly in this regard, but I hope your mum will understand this need for space, especially around recent developments in your condition. And if she needs people to support her in turn (which is probably only fair) perhaps you can agree a deal on a couple of friends or relatives whose discretion you both trust. I hope they are out there.

A
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