Category: Chronic Illness
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Love, Marriage & Mental Illness
Been married 22 years today. Started dating 25 years ago. Some of us living with mental illness can and do have stable relationships. Some of us need someone else in our lives. My husband and I support each other, help each other, complement each other. Plus, we made a kid, now a young adult. Not…
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I Will Not Cry Now
To avoid feeling overwhelmed and hold back the tears due to loss, stress and worry, I’ve started delving into my ancestry online. My therapist reframed what I was doing as focusing, rather than avoidance. She thought it was healthy. Now that my father has passed away and my mother’s health has faltered, I’m really, really…
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Exhausted While Bipolar
Recently I’ve been totally overwhelmed and exhausted. A virus almost took my mother’s life. Thank God she survived. Loving someone who is struggling for their life is hard. Really hard. I, too, was sick and avoided seeing my mother until she got so sick that cross-contamination was no longer an issue. Now, I’m still recovering,…
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I'm at a Loss…
My son has missed WAY too much school this year. He’s attending a private school where he gets one-on-one attention and learns at his own pace, so he simply falls behind and the charges for missed classes just keep adding up. He had gastroenteritis earlier this year (which we all had and which we all…
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Online High School
My son struggles with multiple health issues: migraines, cyclic vomiting, weak immune system, allergies, eczema, depression, and anxiety. The newly defined spectrum syndrome ALPIM (Anxiety-Laxity-Pain-Immune-Mood) describes his constellation of symptoms, but does not yet give us answers as to how to cure or treat the underlying genetic disorder. Monday, August 31st would have been my…
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Sometimes Taking a Bath is an Achievement
Sometimes simply taking a bath is a major achievement. Not quite sure when I last bathed or showered – Friday, perhaps? I really can’t recall. Yesterday I actually exercised. Yes, that’s right, I exercised. Worked out with weights, used a treadmill for a couple of minutes (very little), and used an elliptical for several minutes.…
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Chronic Illness is Chronic Illness is Chronic Illness
Chronic illness is chronic illness is chronic illness. I so wish that I had a magic wand that could make my son better, that would stop his migraines, asthma, eczema, allergies, depression, anxiety, GERD, and stop him from getting every single virus that comes to town. But, I simply cannot. I’ve taken him to numerous…
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Prayer for Healing
My son has been sick WAY TOO MUCH this year. He is sick again, this time only with a cold virus, but resulting in another school absence. This year seems to be a record year for pollen and viruses. Add to that the stress of beginning high school with a challenging course load and a…
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Fear of Loss
Thursday night I saw my psychologist over the disaster that was Tuesday. First I had her listen to the distraught voice recording I made that night. I told her about my son’s recurring gastroenteritis. He’s suffered from migraines with vomiting since he was a toddler, has gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and gets gastroenteritis regularly during the…
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My Son’s Heroes
My mother lives with lymphoma and my mother-in-law lives with multiple sclerosis. My son considers them his heroes, for they are strong women who do not let their illnesses defeat them. I, too, find them courageous and greatly respect them. Here is content from the Lymphoma Research Foundation‘s page on Coping with Lymphoma During the Holidays.…