For the last 48 hours, my head has been a swirl. All the voices of the last few weeks have converged until my head has vibrated loudly with a noisy buzz of all the well-meaning, yet overwhelming advice on alternative treatments, suggestions for holistic approaches, and rants against Western medicine and the pharmaceutical industry. I've listened and I've nodded. Where I have disagreed, I have held my tongue. Now, I need a different approach. 

I think it's hard to understand how overwhelming charting a treatment course for MS is. There is so much conflicting advice and there is tons of downright quackery. Moreover, there are seas of paperwork and multiple insurance hurdles, complex emotions, and a troublesome, complex, overburdened healthcare system full of harried healthcare workers who do not have the time to really help me navigate this illness. Add in all the random, maybe even ill-informed advice on alternative treatments, not to mention the research it takes to sort through what alternative treatments might be helpful, and what I end up with is "overwhelmed soup." 

Ooooffff. 

Worse, still, somehow, amongst all the "have you tried..." and "you should really...." and "I would...", I have felt--as irrational as it is--blamed for this illness. Yuck. 

Time to simplify. 

Today, I plan to focus first and foremost on what I can do to take care of myself right now in this moment and assume that all the complex questions about treatment will resolve themselves in time.