July 23rd, 2011 -- Posted in massage/physio/chiro, pain / disability, painkillers |
I wrote this little note to a friend who has started to go down the same path that I have – discovering that her pain just won’t go away, finding out she has a condition that has lifelong repercussions, getting inundated with comments from friends and relatives who think they know the answer, feeling worried about addiction to pain medication she thought would only be temporary.
I offered her a few thoughts and then I realized I should share them with others, too. It took me years to “figure it all out” so why not save someone a few steps if I could? For some things, there are no shortcuts; you need to try as hard as you can to get better to your own maximum potential before you can really believe that your condition is something that is with you for the long-term. But for other things I have discovered, I wish there had been someone ahead of me to let me know what I was in for… it seems I am always in the reverse role!
No one warned me it would be like this... but I'm keeping a brave face for my family (like the photographer of this pic, my 12-year-old!).
Here is that note to a friend… I hope you find it helpful:
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July 8th, 2011 -- Posted in family, future / dreams / goals, love & marriage, pain / disability |
Back in September, I wrote about our family’s difficult times. It was something above and beyond what we’ve struggled with the past 3 years since my car accident, and something beyond what normal families have to cope with.
I’m ever so glad to be able to say we’re coming out the other side now, and can at least return to “just” difficulties we were having before… I know it’s not much to celebrate (going from “very very miserable” to just “miserable”), but every little bit of stress that can be relieved makes a huge difference.
Our family has worked hard over the past 9 months. We’ve struggled, we’ve argued and discussed late into the evening to the point of exhaustion! We’ve learned a lot, we’ve tried some things that failed, we’ve tried some things that worked really well. We’re growing together and we’ll have to keep at it.
But at least now we’ve reached a point that we know we’re in this together for the future… We weren’t sure if we would make it, but we’re now re-committed to living together and staying a family of FOUR.
We already had the challenges of being a blended family. Then we had to suddenly adjust to being a family with a disabled mom who isn’t able to fully parent as she used to be. When my spouse first had to step into the role and tasks that I could no longer do, he faltered. Too much was piled onto his shoulders in too short a time. There was a huge lack of help and support. But over time, he has grown into his role and become a much better dad and step-dad.
Our house may not yet be “peaceful” or “running smoothly”, but we’re getting there… We are moving out of crisis mode as much as we’re able to. There is hope. Please keep your fingers crossed (and keep our family in your prayers, if that’s part of your belief system) that our situation will continue to improve so we can stay together and be happy.
April 18th, 2011 -- Posted in EZ-blog Oven, pain / disability |
As you’re able to see in the right menu bar, I’ve created a new blog “page” (different from an entry in that it will be a permanently-linked-to page that will be regularly added to and updated)… it is dedicated to my journey through chronic pain and my hope is that it will help others who are going through the same thing. Although the focus on my blog has shifted away from that area over the past 2 years, it is headed back towards being able to be more open in that area.
The new page will include some of the many many resources I’ve consulted over the past few years… books, articles, and treatment info. Many of them also have links to other sites and articles as well, so they can be a resource in and of themselves or merely a jump-off point.
Check out the page here: Chronic Page, read the “article” (non-changing part) of the page which has been copied below, or click the new link in the right-hand colmun ——–>
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As someone coping with spinal injuries, early disc degeneration, disc bulging in the cervical and lumbar spine, and other body damage from multiple car accidents as well as post-traumatic Fibromyalgia, chronic pain is something I cope with on a daily basis. It is a constant presence in my life, something I have to factor into every planned event, every life decision (big or small).
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