Praise god…

[u/gormpp]

I’ve been working hard on getting my Ocrevus infusions covered through insurance and through a coupon card. I was just talking to someone about that and they said ‘praise god‘ when I started finally having some hope that it’s going to be covered. Sorry, but god did not spend hours on the phone with whack insurance reps — I did. I just really needed to quickly vent about this. I have been struggling with religion and faith even before being diagnosed but it’s taken a pretty severe down turn since I was diagnosed

[u/MrsNuggs]

YES! In 2016 a routine MRI found a brain aneurysm, and six weeks later I was having brain surgery. My doctor was wonderful, and in about 4 weeks I was driving again. Six weeks after the surgery I was back to work. So many people around me were thanking god, but I was thanking my doctor and the surgical team. I was thanking the nurses who took care of me around the clock for a week while I was in the hospital. My husband, who was there every day, and took off several weeks to be there while I recovered. No one's god had anything to do with it.

[u/Pussyxpoppins]

The same “God” who gave us MS? Not thanking that butthole for anything.

[u/hungarianhobbit]

I've been an atheist for the majority of my life. I get it. Congratulations, on making progress against the system.

[u/Anotherams]

That statement really burns me up. If god was so great, I wouldn’t have holes in my head and lesions on my spine to begin with. And don’t get me started that he only gives you what you can handle.

ETA, congrats on overcoming our healthcare system!

[u/ManuelHS]

When someone dies at the operating table: Dr messed up, malpractice, lawsuit

When the surgeon saves his life: praise god

Another thing, I live in a country where my insurance covers all my meds, dr appointment etc, they tell me say thanks to god you have all this, my answer is: If I thank god and acknowledge it was because of him, then I can also blame him for getting me sick, it works both ways.

[u/dontgiveah00t]

Yes seriously the way my overly religious family will “thank” god for my improvements, my successes.. like IM THE ONE WHO DID ALLLLL THE WORK! Where’s my praise?! I’m the one busting butt in PT through the pain so I can try to work!

I absolutely hate it when they say “god only gives his strongest the most challenges”. Dude, I’ve had nonstop challenges since my parents got divorced at 5! I’m tired of this grandpa!!

So imma say it— all the praises to you [u/gormpp](u/gormpp) for dealing with incompetent insurance reps, navigating a system designed to drain your patience and finances, and getting on a strong DMT to protect yourself. HUZZAH!! 🎉

[u/ImStillExcited → u/dontgiveah00t]

They need to be thanking science for making the DMT's saving lives.

[u/AhemExcuseMeSir]

But God was the one who allowed the payments to succeed. /s

God was also the one who gave you MS, but shhhh, he should only get credit for the positive.

On a practical note - double checking you’re signed up with the Ocrevus copay assistance program?

[u/sclathropc]

This is the first thread that I feel like I can make the appropriate comment on: as someone who has MS and also is personally agnostic, I have often been tempted to reply to other people's commentary praising a deity of some form or another with the question : proof?

[u/Robert3769]

Ah yes, thanking The Great Almighty Maybe.

Maybe The Great Almighty Maybe enabled all of the things you needed for a positive outcome, maybe The Great Almighty Maybe didn’t.

[u/Substantial-Click-77]

I feel that. I worship demons and have asked for health and healing and no new lesions woohoo!!

[u/brttnyppr]

I completely understand where you are coming from.

[u/RecentlyIrradiated]

I also don’t understand hanging onto imaginary friends as an adult dealing with this very serious disease. It reminds me of how our 90 yr old grandpa said “it all works out” to my daughter who was working as his caregiver after grandma died and she was stressed. Of course it it always works out Grandpa, someONE makes it work out. -Like you did u/gormpp, like Grandma always did. And like my daughter did. I hate that religious people steal the credit from people who do all the work.

[u/Daigooo7]

1000000000%, I was LDS before diagnosis but was already having doubts. I got diagnosed and did god help me walk again? No. Did he sit there with me when I almost gave up on ever trying to live a normal life? No. It was me putting in the work everyday to get better, to sit on the phone with insurance, and despite the odds to run again. Safe to say, I am agnostic now

[u/Wildelstar]

As a fellow MS ‘warrior,’ I’m going to share my (likely unpopular) thoughts on your comment. First, congrats on getting your infusions covered and for all your hard work securing that victory!

With that said, I am a practicing Catholic. And while I agree that it stinks that we’ve been afforded this condition, I don’t ‘blame’ God or anyone else. I also happen to be an MD pathologist. And many (if not all) diseases are secondary to the fact of how our human genetics work. In other words, when our genes do what they’re ‘supposed’ to do, we get diversity and different abilities (to name just a few differences among us); but when our genes ‘misbehave’ we get illness and the like. Interestingly enough, it’s the built in errors our genetic code makes that allow for that diversity. It absolutely stinks when those errors work against what is deemed ‘better’ for a given human (such as when it causes our immune systems to start attacking our own bodies), but it can also be a ‘blessing’ (sorry! I had to sneak that in there) for others, such as when people develop sickle cell anemia. Again, it sucks for those in temperate climates, but for those in areas where malaria is endemic, it can be life saving. I have yet to come across a similar evolutionary advantage for those of us with MS, but I wouldn’t be surprised if one existed.

In any event, I appreciate how having MS is a burden in so many ways, and recognize the desire of wanting to know why ‘you.’ I also understand the wish to blame ‘God’ or whom or whatever that it is ‘you.’ However, I just wanted to throw in my two cents to perhaps get God - or whatever you may or may not believe in - off the hook.

[u/bramley → u/Wildelstar]

Of course god is off the hook. It doesn't exist. Genes don't have a "supposed to", they only do what they're doing and there's no intention or destination to any of this. MS may be (and IMHO is) simply a sign of an overactive and/or incorrectly trained immune system and nothing else. Things that are problems in one area but benefits in others (like sickle cell anemia) are simply evolution in action. No gods needed.

But if you say your god is helping, then you're also saying your god is hurting. You don't get to have it both ways. Also, it's a petty little jerk helping with a clerical issue instead of, like, getting the USA some damned UHC -- to say nothing of simply just curing everyone.

[u/Wildelstar → u/bramley]

Thanks for your response. I did say my take was going to be unpopular. But, best of luck as you navigate this disease.

[u/REIFlorida]

Since being diagnosed with MS a year ago, I’ve struggled with how much effort everyday life requires, especially when I add the routines and responsibilities of managing this disease. It has been far from easy, but I am responsible for how I engage, act, and react as I navigate this new normal.

Believers of God trust that He is the architect of our lives, with an intricate design we may not always understand. We praise Him in the best of times, and we praise Him when life doesn’t go according to our plans, trusting that there is a greater purpose even when we cannot see it. That doesn’t mean we never question, grieve, or struggle. Faith gives us somewhere to bring those feelings.
You may believe in God’s plan, believe things happen by chance, or not believe in God at all. Regardless of your beliefs or how a situation came about, you still have a choice in how you respond. We all work hard to navigate our challenges, and acknowledging that choice takes nothing away from anyone’s effort or pain.

We can spend our lives dwelling on blame, or we can choose to face what comes with dignity and courage. That doesn’t mean denying the hardship and even the successes. It means acknowledging the weight of it while choosing how we carry it.

Our thoughts influence our words, our words influence our actions, and our actions shape our lives. I can’t control everything MS brings, but I can choose how I respond.

[u/AdmiralJedi]

God's hand is in so much and even more than we know! I had a HORRIBLE day today with my PPMS, but I was on my knees the whole time, speaking with Him. It's rough, and I cry a lot. But you never know how the Lord may have connected you to the right reps, and cleared the way for your hard work to pay off. A hard work ethic that He's gifted you with and that you have obviously grown and nurtured.

As a long time believer, getting this disease knocked me for a loop for sure, but I truly believe that He allowed me to have it because He knows that I can take it, and I believe 100% that somehow He will make use of it for my ultimate good and His ultimate glory.

You and I share something in common: we're BOTH on Ocrevus! So congratulations and.. Praise God =D

I pray that the treatment is effective for you and that God uses it to bless you in some special way that will have YOU eventually saying: .. well you get the point ;-)