Sunday 22 May 2016

Living in the Medzone - It's a Mindset

It's funny how after a while of chronic med issues how your mindset changes. We seem to find a new normal with each new escalation of things and we adapt in order to keep functioning to the best of our abillities. That's my own personal theory anyhow.

People ask all the time about my legs being wrapped or the brace and how it must hurt so bad. Honestly, I rarely notice anymore. I have to have seriously overdone it to notice anymore. Though after 20+ years of dealing with chronic Lymphedema -- it's just part of life as I know it now.

I'm asked regularly when I'm due, and after explaining the massive hernia gifted from my extended hospital stay, the question most often asked is if it hurts. Does it cause any complications. It sure does, but I don't live there.. I refer to it as my alien. You just have to laugh, right?

Truthfully, if we paused to give favor to ever ache or pain nothing would ever get done, and that's simply not acceptable.

I think we come to ignore what hurts because it never goes away anyhow, and react only when it's something unusual or extreme -- at least I do. I always laugh at the folks complaining loudly over a hangnail or papercut or some other trivial item -- not because I'm mean but I can't help but think the rest of us should have it so easy.. LOL

When I think of the hurdles we jump through each and every day to try to best the med issues and get to the end of the day, I have to admit the trivial things some will complain about just makes me shake my head.

Seriously overdid it yesterday.. had a tough time getting these poor legs to walk this morning. Better once they were wrapped with the brace on but they haven't hurt like this in a very long time... hubby told me to take it easy today but I'd already built my list.  

Isn't it funny that despite our challenges we can still set our minds to something and get it done even if that means you have to modify the method, or take it in smaller bites. It's a mindset.

I had a conversation the other day with our famliy doctor talking about where I was even a few years ago, and where I am now. Gearing up to get a new leg brace that's much smaller than the one I have since I've lost so much more weight. Joking about the array of medical aids and implements that I have collected over the last few years. Enough to almost create my own museum. Thousands of dollars spent on things I now thankfully no longer use very often.  

He'd laughed when I said, do you know how many times we've postponed our wedding plans in favour of buying this "crap"?

Long trips still require the wheelchair or walker, though I often choose obstinence simply because I fought so hard to get back on my feet, sitting in the chair seems like a such a giant step backwards.

Sometimes we all have to accept our limitations I guess.. we're only human, right? Today is not that day! I have much to do, and summer plans of family and friends afoot..

Anything worth having is worth fighting for, working for, and I'm looking so very forward to the rest of this life. To my teddybear, to our children, to our grandchildren (present and future) and everything that comes along with it. <3

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