How have these illnesses affected your life?
Oh my... well, I'll start with the fibromyalgia I suppose. Fibro has made it a challenge to plan my life. Not in regards to long term goals but in day to day things that need to be done. Sometimes I can get a to do list finished and some times I can't. Now, this is no different from the way it was before and I'm sure is true of many people who do not have a chronic illness. The differences now are the reasons why the to do list gets behind. Instead of being distracted by a different activity, I'm distracted by pain.
Fibro causes me to dress for comfort. This has pretty much always been the case but has become even more of an issue. I cannot wear certain fabrics. I cannot wear shirts with tags. I cannot wear shoes that do not provide proper arch support. Not even just to be cute for a little while. I cannot tolerate strong smells, loud noises, or bright lights. I cannot tolerate heat, especially humid heat, and I ache when I get cold.
How has my life been affected by IBS? Well, there aren't many ways my life hasn't been affected by IBS. My diet is always being adjusted and scrutinized. I have become best friends with my hot water bottle. I also have a microwavable heat buddy and those stick on heat patches are pretty great for when leaving the house can't be avoided or when knock you down with pain spasms start away from home. Figuring out how to handle being on medicine that affects my body's ability to regulate its temperature has been interesting. That little pill friend gets saved for extreme emergencies. I am familiar with the location of the restroom in every establishment I frequent. When I find myself in a new location my first order of business is to locate where the restroom is, and to perform a complicated mathematical equation to determine how quickly I can get there, should the need arise. I have many more good days than bad, especially now that the issue of my anemia has been resolved. Oh! And no more coffee. No. More. The repercussions are so bad I gave up COFFEE. Luckily I have been able to replace my morning cup of coffee with hot tea so at least I can still enjoy a little morning energy boost.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder is probably the most aggravating issue I deal with. Irrational thoughts and worries. Nine times out of ten I don't even know what brought on the anxiety attack. I take anxiety medicine on an as needed basis. Sometimes I can go months without needing it. Other times I need it daily for up to a week at a time. No rhyme or reason.
The worst affect of any of these illnesses without a doubt has been time lost with my family.
I'm sure I will think of a handful of ways my illnesses have affected me as soon as I hit publish but... these are the ones that jump to mind.
Oh my... well, I'll start with the fibromyalgia I suppose. Fibro has made it a challenge to plan my life. Not in regards to long term goals but in day to day things that need to be done. Sometimes I can get a to do list finished and some times I can't. Now, this is no different from the way it was before and I'm sure is true of many people who do not have a chronic illness. The differences now are the reasons why the to do list gets behind. Instead of being distracted by a different activity, I'm distracted by pain.
Fibro causes me to dress for comfort. This has pretty much always been the case but has become even more of an issue. I cannot wear certain fabrics. I cannot wear shirts with tags. I cannot wear shoes that do not provide proper arch support. Not even just to be cute for a little while. I cannot tolerate strong smells, loud noises, or bright lights. I cannot tolerate heat, especially humid heat, and I ache when I get cold.
How has my life been affected by IBS? Well, there aren't many ways my life hasn't been affected by IBS. My diet is always being adjusted and scrutinized. I have become best friends with my hot water bottle. I also have a microwavable heat buddy and those stick on heat patches are pretty great for when leaving the house can't be avoided or when knock you down with pain spasms start away from home. Figuring out how to handle being on medicine that affects my body's ability to regulate its temperature has been interesting. That little pill friend gets saved for extreme emergencies. I am familiar with the location of the restroom in every establishment I frequent. When I find myself in a new location my first order of business is to locate where the restroom is, and to perform a complicated mathematical equation to determine how quickly I can get there, should the need arise. I have many more good days than bad, especially now that the issue of my anemia has been resolved. Oh! And no more coffee. No. More. The repercussions are so bad I gave up COFFEE. Luckily I have been able to replace my morning cup of coffee with hot tea so at least I can still enjoy a little morning energy boost.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder is probably the most aggravating issue I deal with. Irrational thoughts and worries. Nine times out of ten I don't even know what brought on the anxiety attack. I take anxiety medicine on an as needed basis. Sometimes I can go months without needing it. Other times I need it daily for up to a week at a time. No rhyme or reason.
The worst affect of any of these illnesses without a doubt has been time lost with my family.
I'm sure I will think of a handful of ways my illnesses have affected me as soon as I hit publish but... these are the ones that jump to mind.
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