“Avoid stress and get more sleep.”
That was my doctor’s advice when I was first diagnosed with an autoimmune condition. After 11 years of symptoms, I finally had some idea of what was wrong, and the best he could do was “avoid stress and get more sleep”??? Was he kidding me? After all, if it was so easy to do, everyone would do it, right?
Well, it’s not easy, but it is possible. And I’m pretty good at it, especially for an uptight type A control freak.
But sometimes stress isn’t so easy to avoid. There’s the stress of meeting a work deadline. There’s the stress of handling these damn CIs. But then there’s the stress involved with the illness or death of a loved one. I’m doing pretty well with the first two, but this last one is really a problem.
I know what can happen if I let the stress get to me, but when the doctor says a loved one could die “any day now”…. well how is anyone supposed to not feel stress? Today was a tough day. She was in the hospital for the second time in just a few weeks. And it was also the anniversary of the death of another loved one. I couldn’t visit the hospital thanks to my crappy immune system, so I stayed inside, did laundry, watched tv, and worked on a project that I know she’ll love. I just hope she’s around to see its completion.
Anyone would feel stress at a time like this. I just have to find a way to handle it the bet I can. Because I know what the stress can do… and I have to somehow make sure that doesn’t happen.
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Chronic Rants 