“There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head. 'I think I'll braid my hair today.' So she did and she had a wonderful day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head. 'I think I'll part my hair down the middle today.' So she did and she had a grand day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed she had only one hair on her head. 'Today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail.' So she did, and she had a fun, fun day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed there wasn't a single hair on her head. 'YAY!' she exclaimed. 'I don't have to fix my hair today!'”*
I have a refrigerator magnet with the saying, “Attitude is everything.” This morning, while hobbling through the kitchen, I turned the magnet upside down!
Most days, my attitude is as accepting as the woman looking in the mirror above. But once in a while, the reality of arthritis gets the best of me and I literally ‘take on an attitude.’
Living with a severe chronic illness, day in and day out, cannot be described with words. It’s impossible to comprehend an illness that will last, ‘the rest of your life,’ when your expected lifetime is decades away – waking each morning knowing there will be good days, bad days and worse days. Whether or not the predictions come true, facing the future of ‘unknowns’ becomes a person’s most feared enemy.
In my blog, “I’m good. How are you?” (7/28/10) Tim posted, “I make every attempt to give a cheerful greeting despite the severity of my pain or fatigue.” In “Pain” (8/2/10), Dee comments on being positive and not letting others see her true pain. She also writes, “I would love for my family, friends and coworkers to understand my pain. Understand why I needed time off. Understand why I skipped Girls' Night out. Understand why mommy takes a nap every day after work. Understand why I cry for what seems like no reason at all. Understand that I feel like I whine all the time and that I'm failing my family. Understand that I'm afraid that I will never get better and that this is the best it will ever be.”
I can relate to these comments and so many of the others! Can you? Is attitude everything? Why do we, the people with an illness, feel it’s necessary to hide our pain, fatigue and fears? Would you describe this as an added burden or a necessity to cope? Do those in your life understand the issues posted by Dee? If so, how did you explain them?
*Source: Unknown
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"Understanding Arthritis" is the first in a series of trying to understand this complex disease. Please check back and post your comments. I believe many (including families and friends) will benefit.
Emotionally - I am in pain alot. And in order to not allow myself to go into a pit, I try to get my mind focused on something else or something positive. Because I don't like ME that way - so why would anyone else?
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