Monday, August 15, 2011

Day 365 - If Anyone Could Beat This.....

The biggest lesson of this year is something that I just needed to remind myself about. Regardless of our situation, things can and do get better if that's where we put our attention. We do recover. We do make it through life's toughest experiences and we do find happiness and satisfaction as we move forward. That's not to say that going through life's most challenging circumstances isn't going to be tremendously difficult or that our healing will happen with slow but steady progress until one day we wake up and all of our pain is gone. There are major twists and turns on the road to recovery and when we walk that path connected to others we care for and that care for us, we are healed. If we are in emotional pain our bodies suffer and if our bodies are in pain, our emotions are involved with that, too. Everything is connected and healing happens on many levels. 
 
There was a quote I read years ago that has always stuck with me - Forget the experience, remember the lesson. I don't need to remember every wrong done to me or every time I felt physical or emotional pain in order for me to recover. What I do need to do is to use what I've learned in each situation to support me through the next challenge. I have to discipline myself mot to make the same mistakes over and over again and cause the same pain I felt a time before. If I know a certain choice is going to make life more difficult, I need to not make that choice. But life is filled with big and little choices that can impact the quality of our lives without us taking much notice. I know what I need to do with my health care and when I don't do it, I must accept the consequence. Sometimes I go ahead with a bad choice, knowing that I'm going to be in trouble, because I chose to ignore what was good for me. It can be as simple as choosing a food that isn't on my healthy eating plan, or as complicated as continuing to work when I know my body just can't handle the exertion or stress. 
 
Now that I am at the end of my 365-Day blogging journey about seeking recovery from fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, the question for this last post of my 365 Day blog is, Have I recovered? The answer is yes and no. Am I where I thought I would be after this year of effort and focus? No. I fully expected to feel better and to have a big chunk of my life back. I don't, and in some ways I am not feeling as strong as I felt last year at this time. I am dealing with that disappointment, but I refuse to let it get me down. My Lady Doc warned me not to think of this as a one-year project, and I heard what she said. I am a work in progress and there is no end to my managing these conditions, they are chronic. The "yes" part of my answer is related to the fact that medically I am healthier. My blood work is better and I don't have the hidden conditions I was battling when I first went to see my Lady Doc. I am off all toxic meds and I am sleeping through the night. I feel confident in the treatment plan we have laid out and I expect that there are still things we can do to get me feeling even better. I am starting out on another 365 Days to recovery, except this time I won't be writing every day. I am filled with hope, optimism, confidence, and excitement. A dear relative told me that if anyone could beat this, it would be me. I believe her.
 

5 comments:

  1. very encouraging!!! look forward to the next step in your journey as well!!! Thanks for sharing!! :)

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  3. Thanks for your comments. Be well!

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