I promise you, it’s no vacation

December 1, 2011

A medical leave of absence is work.  It’s hard mentally, physically, and emotionally.  I’m sure that some people who ask about my time off as if it was a vacation mean well.  They probably just don’t know how else to ask.  They feel awkward asking directly about my health.  But then others really do seem to think that it’s a vacation.  They seem to think I’m having a ton of fun, enjoying myself, living it up.  I’m so sick of those people.  I just want them to live in my body for a day or two, just so they’ll understand.  This is no vacation.  This is hell.  I would love for it to end.  I hate my job, but I would gladly go back if it meant I was feeling better.  But it doesn’t work that way.  I feel like crap.  When I find myself watching tv in the middle of the day, I start getting depressed.  I wish I could go out more and do more.  I wish this was fun.  But it’s just not.  No, this is definitely not a vacation.

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Posted by chronicrants

The 1/2 mile decline: reaccepting old limitations

November 30, 2011

When I moved into my apartment, I didn’t even consider walking to the grocery store.  Even if I could have walked the 1/2 mile there, I knew I couldn’t carry groceries home.  So I drove to the store.

Over the years, I increased my walking.  I finally got to where I could walk that distance.  Then I worked on carrying.  The day I carried a quart of milk home I was ecstatic.  When I carried home 1/2 gallon of milk, I could hardly believed it.  I still drove to the store when I had to get a lot of heavy things, but when I just needed a few items, I could walk!  It even got the point where I didn’t think too much of the walk.  It was an effort, of course, but it was very doable.  As long as I was having a good day, I knew I could do it.

My recent decline has been tough.  I’m trying to continue to get at least some exercise, like short walks and running errands.  Today was 60 degrees and sunny with a slight breeze.  Perfect.  I needed just a few things at the store, so I headed that way.  Halfway there, I was exhausted.  I wanted to come home and get the car.  No, forget that.  I wanted to come home and sit on the couch!  I pushed myself, though, and made it to the store, stopping just before I got there to sit on a bench for a few minutes.  Walking through the store took much more effort than I’m used to.  By the time I paid for my groceries, they felt surprisingly heavy.  I sat on a bench again for a few minutes before I left the store.  Then it was time to trek home.

The walk home felt longer than I remembered it being.  Did the street stretch out?  I just kept putting one foot carefully in front of the other.  I stepped over the tree roots pushing up the sidewalk, felt bad for the 3-legged cat that was meowing piteously, thought about how much I wanted to sit down.  When I got home, refrigerated stuff when in the fridge, the rest was left on the counter, and my butt went to the couch.  I had to rest for a long time to get over that.

I’m glad I pushed myself (well, I say that today; I’ll have to see how I feel tomorrow.)  It felt good to get some fresh air.  My knees hurt less after I’d walked for a while.  I know it was good for me.  But emotionally, it was tough to realize just how much I’ve declined.  It took so long to build up to that simple walk, and now it’s been snatched away from me so damn quickly.  I’m not ready for that.  I could accept that I wouldn’t improve more.  I was ok with that, actually.  No, really, I accepted that years ago.  But I could not,  I can not, accept getting worse, especially not so soon.  I always knew it would happen “someday,” that mythological day in the distant future.  I’m not ready for it now.  Not yet.  So I’ll do the only thing I know how to do: I’ll accept it so that I can fight it.  I may fail, but at least I’ll try.

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Leave a Comment » | Decisions, Expectations, Frustration, Limitations, Milestones, Pain, Rants, Symptoms, Unpredictable | Permalink
Posted by chronicrants

I told me so

November 28, 2011

It was hard to admit that I needed to take a medical leave of absence from work.  A part of me knew it was necessary, but another part kept questioning if I really needed to do it.

When my doctor asked me how long I thought I’d need to be out, I said 2-3 months, but hopefully only 2.  I said that to everyone: hopefully only 2.  I even said that to myself.  I was trying very hard to ignore the little voice in the back of my head that was saying I would need at least 3 months.

We talk about the “masks” we wear, the image we try to project for the sake of others.  But what about the lies we tell ourselves?  Denial is a powerful thing.  I have been in denial over many things in my life, from my own health, to the health of loved ones, to job conditions, to sexual orientation.  Denial is powerful, and lately it has had a lot of power over me.

Yes, I knew I wasn’t getting better as quickly as I expected.  Yes, I knew I wasn’t where I needed to be at this point.  I thought about these things, but I didn’t accept them.  That little voice was pointing them out, but I kept ignoring it, trying to believe that the little voice was exaggerating everything, that my symptoms really weren’t that bad.

This evening I spoke with my doctor.  The short term disability insurance renewal paperwork is due next week, and she wanted to see when I would be returning to work.  The original goal was January.  That is looking very unlikely now.  Even typing this out, it’s hard for me to admit the truth.  Telling her everything was extremely painful.  I had to admit my lack of progress, my increasing pain, my difficulty sleeping, my weight gain…. all of it.  Finally, the denial was gone, and I had to admit the truth.  That conversation was excrutiating.

When I got off the phone I cried.  Actually, I sobbed.  I was probably a month overdue for that crying session.  I don’t cry often, but this was a good time for it.  And in the back of my mind, there was that little voice, reminding me that I had really known all of this all along.  It had told me so.  It knew.  I knew.

Goodbye denial.  Until next time.

 

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Leave a Comment » | Decisions, Expectations, Fatigue, Frustration, Isolation, Medication, Pain, Rants, Symptoms, Unpredictable | Permalink
Posted by chronicrants

Self care is *not* a vacation

November 24, 2011

Family gatherings.  They’re different things to different people.  With just one exception, I really enjoy spending time with my family, and today was no different.

For the first time in days, I got out of the house and had contact with people, which was nice.  I feel very lucky that family gatherings are generally fun and are usually not stressful.  I know that’s rare, or at least more rare than we’d all like.  Still, it wasn’t easy.  I put on a smile and acted like everything was fine around most people.  When a close relative asked how I’m enjoying my “break from work,” though, I had to say something.  I explained that this wasn’t a vacation, that I’m really not feeling well and I’m trying to use it to get better.  I said that the last time I left the house was on Tuesday, and that was only to get groceries for my Thanksgiving cooking.  Before that, I hadn’t been out since Sunday.  I pointed out that if I’d tried to go to work this week, I probably would not have felt up to attending the Thanksgiving meal.  So this “break” is allowing me to take care of myself.

I said it nicely, just to educate him.  Thankfully, he got it right away.  It’s frustrating to have to educate people over and over, but in this case it’s worth it; it means that next time he’ll understand and he’ll ask how I’m doing instead of if I’m enjoying the “break.”  Either way, I know he’s always going to be supportive, and I appreciate that.

I’m not going to do a big Thanksgiving article, but I will say that I am very thankful for my amazingly supportive family and extended family.  As we all know, many of us couldn’t get through this without the help and support of our loved ones, and I feel very fortunate to have a great group of relatives around me.

Life can be shitty, no doubt.  So when I’m having tough weeks like this one, I try hard to remember the things I’m grateful for.  After all, it’s not all bad.  The important thing is to remember that.

 

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Leave a Comment » | Educating, Frustration, Insensitive, Isolation, Kindness, Limitations, Rants, Support, Symptoms, Thoughtfulness | Permalink
Posted by chronicrants

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