Its often said that we don’t know what we have until it’s gone.
In this past Q&A , I can’t tell ya how many questions I got related to my health. What’s it like to live with chronic illness? What do I miss doing? Will I get better? How do you stay positive?..
Well, I don’t think anybody can fully understand chronic illness unless you experience it yourself. I do miss the life I had before I was sick! There’s no way around that. No amount of positive thinking I do can change the fact that my chronic illness has taken away many things I enjoy.
These past 8 years there have been multiple periods of time where I get along pretty dang well. However, bumps in the road do happen.
For example, this past spinal cord operation is FOR SURE one of the bigger bumps I’ve hit. I still can’t walk independently. All feeling hasn’t yet returned in my left leg. So I could go on and on about what I miss doing. I could tell ya how tough it is....
Instead I’ll tell ya this. Out of all the things that are tough- I have to remind myself that I’m tougher! Simply answered: I just try my best. That is all I or anyone can do. Always count your wins! Find out what motivates you and USE IT! What motivates me is the goal. Getting closer and closer to it. Never giving up- especially on the days you want to say to heck with it all. This maybe a hard truth but I personally have had to teach myself how to just “live with it”.
The learning to live with it helps the impatience and overwhelm. The fear and anxiety. When I say live with it I don’t mean be okay with it. I mean don’t let it affect my growth. Living with it, understanding it, and being mindful of a new normal for awhile. Living with a new type of normal takes time. (I know we have ALL struggled with that in 2020). But I try to stick to what I know.
I KNOW that if I wear a mask and practice social distancing i will be safer. I KNOW that if I work hard in physical therapy each week I’ll get better. I KNOW that even though I hate them, my infusions each week also keep me safe. And I KNOW keeping a healthy mindset is KEY.
However, I do miss sitting on the bathroom sink to get ready! 😂 Is it just me or does anyone else do this?
