That's some headache

So I watched "The West Wing" tonight, only because I wanted to see what this president with MS was all about.  I don't watch much network television, being a CourtTV/A&E/Bravo/TLC/Discovery addict.  This was the first episode of the show I'd ever seen, aside from that awful post-9/11 episode that turned me off to the whole series permanently.  I didn't find their portrayal of the president's MS all that accurate, but apparently it's been that way since this particular story arc was introduced.  After the president lost feeling in both of his hands and one of his advisors said "For an MS patient, this is like getting a headache," or some such nonsense, I realized that I shouldn't expect much of the script.  When I get a headache, I take 3 Advil and I'm right as rain in 20 minutes.  If there is such a treatment for numbness, I'd sure like to know what it is!  If there isn't (and there surely isn't), their writers might want to actually ask a few people with MS what they think, because I doubt any of us would say that losing feeling in both hands is like getting a headache.  I mean, duh!

Comments

[barrie]

Oh dear. I didn't watch it. I liked it the first season but I couldn't cope with the MS storyline and when I saw them put him on the backboard to carry him out of the oval office in the promo I knew that it was not going to be good for my mental health to watch this episode.

Sigh. Stay well :)

[mdmhvonpa]

Standard tactic. Take something that people know very little about and scare the bajeebers out of 'em with misrepresentation. Cancer doesnt scare people as much as ALS or MS does. I once encountered a person who though MS was the disease that 'Jerry's Kids' have. Argh.

[Becca]

Barrie--The whole backboard thing, totally unnecessary, he wasn't even in the Oval Office, he was actually on Air Force One. Just a clip they could exploit in the promo, I imagine. It didn't bother me at all to see it, because for the most part I live in the land of denial--helps me get through all of this. :) Seeing Martin Sheen in a wheelchair didn't bother me either, but I think it may have affected Mike...

M--"Cancer doesn't scare people as much as ALS or MS does." I must admit that ALS scares the hell out of me, and I am ashamed to admit to occasionally thinking to myself "At least I don't have ALS." It is awful but true. And if Jerry would like to send any of that cash our way for MS research, I'd be happy to be thought of as one of his kids. ;)

[barrie]

ALS is WAY scarier than MS! I just saw an ALS bumper sticker the other day and said the exact same thing to myself Becca!

The not being able to walk thing is my true fear so the wheelchair would have upset me. Although if I could get one of those wheelchairs that that guy who created that weird scooter thing (aphasia moment compounded by sheer laziness in not looking it up < g > ) came up with and, of course, get to take my dog everywhere with me maybe I could live with it ;)

[Becca]

Barrie--I think you're thinking of the Segway. I didn't know about the wheelchair, but I did a little sleuthing and found it, it's called an iBot and it certainly is different! It's pretty cool, for a wheelchair, or at least it looks that way (what do I know?). It can go up & down stairs and operate on two wheels. Trippy. (Ouch, bad pun, Rebecca!)

http://www.independencenow.com/ibot/index.html

[Erik]

For someone who lost significant function in my hands I find that REALLY offensive!!! :-(

[barrie]

That's it exactly Becca :) I saw a Dateline or something where they interviewed the inventor and he demonstrated it. I wrote him an email thanking him for inventing it and explaining about the MS and how knowing that that wheelchair existed lessened my panic about the possibility of not being able to walk but the addy bounced back :(

Seriously though, wouldn't that wheelchair and a lovely service dog at least make it somewhat less awful?

Erik, should we do a letter writing campaign to NBC?

[Melissa]

Funny I just finished posting on my blog about this episode and being wary of watching it. Ultimately I did't find it that bad, trying to keep in mind that they have to take a certain amount of dramatic license to make for good TV.

Of course in reality we all know he'd have hit the steriods about an hour after he told him MD wife he was having trouble seeing in the previous episode.

The wheelchair self push was a bit of a streatch though.

Ultimately though I think this show has created more awareness. At least when I tell people about my MS now, I have a reference for them they can relate to.

[Angel]

I've seen a few episodes of "The West Wing," curious about this whole MS-President angle, and was mostly discouraged. I think it's doing the MS community a huge disservice, possibly the greatest one since the infamous "Baby M" case in the 80's, in which the hopeful adoptive mom-to-be claimed she could not have kids because it was "too dangerous" to her "fragile health." She, naturally, had MS. And even got some doctor to go on the stand and tell the judge, jury and televised world how pregnancy could be "life-threatening" to a person with mild to moderate MS. Sigh.

[Emily]

I've never had a problem with the way President Bartlet has been portrayed. Remember, this is a series about his presidencey, not his MS. To me, it shows that even people with a chronic illness are strong and capable of doing the most difficult of jobs. Life has to be more than always focusing on one's limitations, whatever they may be. I don't think I'd want to watch a series about the daily difficulties the character faces because of MS. I already live it. I watch TV for entertainment, not to have my life portrayed by someone getting paid a whole lot more money than I do :D

My only complaint about the episode was the comparison of the hand paralysis to a headache. Like I said in my blog - at least there's a cure for a headache (no not a divorce...LOL!!), but aspirin!!

[Becca]

Wow, who knew such a crappy show could engender such strong feelings? Like I said in my post, my big beef with it WAS the hands comment, I didn't mind the backboard/wheelchair/etc. because I understand that it is a fictional show and that they have to do stuff to get ratings. But the hands/headache comment was just insulting.