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Readers Respond: What comment about your MS was the dumbest?
Responses: 136

By Julie Stachowiak, Ph.D., About.com

Updated October 02, 2008

User responses are not monitored by About.com's Medical Review Board.

i hate when people use the word retard

as in " stupid is as stupid does" comment. It is offensive when used in that context. How would you like someone being so inconsiderate about M.S. which by the way I have... and a little girl who happens to have mental retardation aka developmental delay. Just like we are people who happen to have M.S.
—Guest tbella

That is just a sign of getting older

A lady told me I looked fine how does MS effect you? When I told her about the fatigue and cognative she told me "everyone gets that way as we age." She had no idea ! I just walked away wondering how anyone will ever understand........
—coyotelnds

50/50 chance

on telling my sister about my diagnosis she said your sister (who recently recovered from cancer) has a 50/50 chance of the cancer returning, count yourself lucky
—Guest lesley

You were always lazy!

So, they say it is MS. That doesn't give you the right to avoid working and housework. You always have an excuse!" said by my loving mother after learning of my diagnosis.
—Guest JERMS

Is it contagious?

Yep, I have been asked that and "Are you on antibiotics?" If I mention I also have FIbromyalgia, then a light bulb kinda goes off, and if I try to explain the difference, well - you know what a deer looks like in headlights?
—janster51

On the Ninth Hole

Let me first say that I love my boss. We have similar personalities and deal with hardship by laughing. So two months after dx, we go golfing. As we approach the green he looks at me with concern. "You're not gonna like die are you?" he says. I still laugh with him about it today, three years later. Tied for stupidest... My father at the MS Walk 2008, "Do they give different colored shirts to everyone who has MS? No dad, everyone who raises more than $2000 gets a different shirt." Thats one he will never live down.
—Guest Matt Silvia

What does MS look like?

Had a medicalprocedure recently. When asked by the nurse if I had any medical problems I answered honestly (rarely admit to MS).The nurse said "you do not look like you have MS. I expect that response from non-meidcal people not a nurse.
—Guest Marc

What ??

My Neuro doctor(and yes he is still my doctor)told me that MS is usually the absence of pain because of numbness and the interruption of the nerve signals. So why did I come to the doctor with one of the symptoms being constant headaches, with numbness on the left side of my body?? Aren't headaches, pain ??
—harleymann28

Why are you parked there...

I have a handicap parking flagger on my rear view mirror...I was at Target one day picking up a few itmes and when I got out of my car an older woman in her 60's said....you need to move your car, your not sick, you cant park there, if you dont move i will call the police.....i laughed and told her go ahead.....i will be out of the store in 15 minutes waiting for you and the officer....I was so mad...ignorance...if they only knew what i deal w/ everyday....i have 32 lesions on my brain and 2 on my spine
—Guest Nicole

"You don't look sick"

I stupidly told my employer my dx and almost every day he said "You don't look sick". I stopped his mindless comments when one day I commented to him that "you know, you don't look gay"!
—Guest Rebecca

Illness will correct the old one

Ten years before being dx with MS, I had suffered a severe neck and chest injury which left me with limited range of motion. After being dx, my brother's reply was "good, maybe now your neck and chest injury won't bother you anymore." Dah!
—Guest Nancy

whatever!!!!

wow u look greeeeat today, are u sure u have ms?????
—tawnjoplusone

Tennis is Easy, just hit the ball

I have a friend who asked me to play tennis. I said I was unable to move that way (clearly). My friend told me how easy tennis is, you just have to hit the ball...you don't have to run or anything. Right.
—Guest Emsmom37

How about this job?

A neighbor who knows I don't work because of my MS, took it upon herself to tell me that there was a "teachers aide job opening" that maybe I could get since I went to college.....uggh....luckily my husband spoke up and explained I'm not working or driving because of cognitive problems. I can barely take the noise of dishwasher,tv, traffic at same time, what a nightmare, little kids....that's exactly why I chose to only have indoor cats....duh....
—catlover68

Really?

"But you don't look like you have MS." I wonder what it looks like.
—Guest Erin

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