This post is going to be a little bit of this and a little bit of that. When I'm trying to figure out what to write about, a lot of things go through my head, and some of them are just little things that I think are important, but they just wouldn't make an entire post. So, I decided just to use some of those little thoughts and put them all together. I can't promise that it will all go together, but hopefully, you will get something out of it.
One of those of you who read this blog faithfully recently came to a big breakthrough in her life. Yes, Chris, I'm talking about you! Chris and I got to know one another through my pain group on facebook. We have a lot of things in common and got to know each other pretty well. Like all of us who suffer from chronic pain, Chris had gone through a pretty dark period. She even left our little group for her own reasons. Well, today, Chris came home, and I couldn't be happier! This isn't the same lady who walked away a few months ago. She is a changed person and it is just remarkable. Basically, Chris said that she realized she could sit around feeling sorry for herself for the rest of her life, or she could pull herself up and start living again. And boy, did she pull herself up! Chris sounds like a brand new person and I am so proud of her. I hope her new attitude rubs off on me!
I read an article today by someone that I have gotten to know a little bit through facebook. She writes extensively for Psychology Today, and I love her work. The piece that I read today was why the things advised for people with trouble sleeping don't work for those of us with chronic pain. So many of the things she talked about fit me to a tee! The one that especially sounded a bell with me was about "fake sleeping". I do that all the time, and I bet many of you do too. Now, most of the sleep experts advise that when you can't get to sleep in 15-20 minutes, you should get up, leave the bedroom, and do something relaxing. Well, for most of us with chronic pain, we flat out can't fall asleep in that time period, and getting out of the bed is just too painful. So, we "fake sleep" which means that we stay in bed in our normal sleep position. We just lie there and pretend to sleep. Quite often, we actually fall asleep doing this, and sometimes we just rest, but for me anyway, I feel better after a round of "fake sleeping".
This is the last weekend of spring break for my boys. They have bounced back and forth from one friends house to another, and I think they've enjoyed this break from school. But I think I've enjoyed it almost more than they have! I've gotten a much needed break from the normal routine. It's been nice to fall asleep when I was able to, and not worrying about the fact that the alarm was going to sound in 3 or 4 hours. I haven't had to do much of anything, and I have really enjoyed that so much! But come Monday morning, we have to get back into the old routine.
The last thing on my mind today are my allergies! I love spring, but it doesn't love me at all! When I was in the fifth grade, about a million years ago, I went in for allergy testing. Now, I don't know exactly how they do it now, but back in the dark ages, they would make a scratch on your back and then paint it with the allergen. If you had a reaction, which was quite uncomfortable, you were allergic. This testing took place over a series of days. The last day of testing was the pollens and that sort of thing. By the time we got home from the doctor's office, I was practically screaming in pain! When my mom looked under my shirt, she saw a mass of bright red welts. I spent the rest of that day lying on my stomach with ice packs all over my back.
When we went back to the doctor's office the next day, he announced that if it was green and outside, I was allergic to it. I reacted to every single thing! To this day, come springtime, I am miserable. I am sneezing, my eyes are watering, and my sinuses hurt. Thank God for claritin!
I hope you enjoyed these little bit and pieces, and I hope that you keep on reading what little things I have to write about!
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