Last night after finishing my Chinese carryout, it was cookie time! When I broke open the fortune cookie and read it to my husband, we laughed while making R-rated comments to each other with the proverbial “in bed” that one adds to the end of a fortune.
My fortune read, “When you learn to be flexible, amazing opportunities reveal themselves!”
Later, while cleaning the kitchen, I found the fortune and read it again, only this time my thoughts were on a more serious level. I couldn’t help but think to myself, “With arthritis, learning to be flexible is a must!”
I’m not referring to flexibility as in bending and moving, but rather every day life and health related situations. Anyone living with a chronic illness has to learn to make adjustments in their lives and accept last-minute changes. This includes the individual with the illness, as well as family and friends.
When sharing my story with the public or raising awareness about the severity of arthritis, I’ve often said:
“As a family, we’ve had to learn to be flexible. Arthritis interferes with our decisions about 1) Where we’re going on vacation; 2) What we’re doing this weekend; and 3) Whether Mom’s fixing dinner or Dad’s getting carryout.”
As you know, life in general is difficult and unpredictable! But when you factor in a chronic illness (especially one that seems to have a mind of it’s own like the beast living inside of me), the equation becomes more complicated.
It’s bad enough having to deal with the extremes such as, the need for surgery, spending hours receiving intravenous infusions, financing medical needs, “blowing a joint” (see Word Association blog), coping with continuous mental and physical pain, etc. But how do you cope with the little things that occur when you least expect them?
Have you ever been in motion, moving around busily, then have your knee or hip freeze, literally stopping you in your tracks? How many mornings has your alarm clock gone off, yet your body is so stiff you cannot sit up to reach it? I routinely use my computer and often my fingers will curl into a painful position, leaving me unable to grip a doorknob, hold a glass, steer my car or tend to personal matters.
How many times have your plans been interrupted by arthritis or an illness? For me, the answer is, “too many!”
What do you do when the frustrations that accompany the unexpected interfere with your plans? Once in a while, I’ll scream, cry or get angry, but honestly, it doesn’t help. My leg remains stiff, the alarm clock continues to blare, and the cramps in my hand lasts for hours or days!
Since the beast is out of my control and often strikes without warning, the best I can do for my mental stability is to accept it for what it is and deal with the disappointments as they happen. Learning to be flexible is the only thing that’s kept me from going insane.
Yeah I know, nothing about arthritis, just an amusing antidote.