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Dear Kathleen:

The elections here in the US are coming up and I just dont know what to do this time. I voted for Gore last time - for all the good it did, but now I have real doubts about Kerry. I think Bush has done a fairly good job, but there are so many claims that he didnt fulfill his military obligation, that he has lied about important things and I dont think the economy is recovering like they say it is.

What should I do?

Leslie

Washington, USA

 

Dear Leslie:

This is a hard one. I dont think well ever fully know if Bush fulfilled his obligations with the Air National Guard simply because the records are incomplete at this point. Positions on this pretty much follow party lines, so I am pretty neutral on the subject. There is little doubt in my mind that he was given help obtaining his position with the guard and was put into a training program that was not impacted even though he showed very little tested aptitude for the job.

Has he lied to sway the American public for support? Yeah, I think so. The claim of weapons of mass destruction was a clear lie and there have been others. Is it worse than what any other president has done? In some ways, yes. I think what concerns me the most is the constant spin of everything in one direction, only to have the entire administration back away from it as soon as its successfully challenged.

I dont know if Kerry is the man to beat W., and I wouldnt throw my vote away on Mr. Nader, but I personally dont think giving W. another four years will be good for the USA or the rest of the world for that matter. Consider all the facts you can gather and make the best moral choice you can.

 

Dear Kathleen:

My wife was recently diagnosed with fibromyalgia, which I dont really understand to start with. She just isnt the woman I married, thats for sure. She spends most of her time in bed, she doesnt seem to be able to remember things and shes always tired. We wanted a family, but I cant imagine her trying to handle a pregnancy and she wont even discuss it - she just cries.

What do I do?

Harry Smyth

Texas, USA

 

Dear Harry:

Fibromyalgia is considered an immune system disorder. The good news is it wont kill her. The bad news is there is no cure. Its a collection of symptoms that are confusing, and many other illnesses have to be eliminated before FMS is diagnosed. Some of the major symptoms are wide spread pain, a mental "fog", fatigue, and more. Just about the only way to treat it is to treat the symptoms.

Your wife needs to go back to her doctor and you with her. You need to tell the doctor about the problems your wife is having and ask if there is more that can be done to alleviate her symptoms. If her doctor cant come up with any ideas, ask for a referral to a Rhuematologist or a pain management clinic. She may also benefit from seeing a psychiatrist, as many sufferers of this syndrom are also quite depressed, and medication can help with her mood and fatigue.

My other suggestion would be to encourage her to do gentle exercise. Get a yoga tape and do it with her. Make a spot in the living room just for her to sit and make it comfortable with everything she likes within arms reach. Make it a nice temptation to get her out of bed. Get her books shell like to read or crafts that she might enjoy doing.

And more than anything, talk to her. Try to understand where and how much she hurts. Understand how she is feeling. The more she can talk about it and feel you are understanding, the less frustrated shes going to feel about her situation and allow it to become your situation.

As far as having a family goes, talk to her doctor. He should be able to give you the best advise.

Kathleen

Have a question for me?  Just e-mail me at kathleen@thecheers.org