Re: Wanting Life Back -Cathy

[Guest guest]

,

ALL of my books have come from & Noble. I absolutely love

that place, and could spend days in there just browsing. Finding

your new place in the world, and how you want to live your life now

come from the inside out. I'm glad to hear that you are seeing a

therapist, because they can help make the transition so much easier,

as well as teaching you valuable coping techniques.

Jen

[Guest guest]

Thanks Jen. I found one at the local library that I am reading right now. It

is called " Feel Better Fast " Overcoming the emotional fallout of your illness or

injury. So far it is very good. Thanks again.

[Guest guest]

,

You are so very welcome sweetie! I hope it helps to get going on

the right path. Finding your balance in all of this is hard, I

won't lie. I still struggle with it from time to time, and having a

place like this to come, where the people understand what it's like

to go through every day with unrelenting pain, is priceless to me.

I forgot to mention to you and Dave the most crucial piece of what

helps me keep my life in balance. My family. Not the extended

ones, because they can sometimes be more of a challenge than a help,

but rather my daughters and my husband....especially my husband.

Without his love, understanding, help, and support, there would be

no way I could get through this every single day of my life. He is

sometimes the glue that holds everything together.

When this all first happened, back when I had the reaction to

Levaquin that started the ball of my pain rolling, I was very, very

ill. There were days when I could hardly get out of bed, much less

do the normal things for my family. He really stepped up to the

plate and kept things going. Then I got deathly ill again just

after shoulder surgery, again from an antibiotic, with a very severe

case of colitis that lasted 2 months. I was so sick and weak that I

could hardly get up and move around, and he had to sit by and watch

me literally start wasting away. He was my nurse, my friend, my

cheerleader, whatever I needed him to be, all the while keeping his

fears to himself. Now, he's very actively involved in my treatment

regimen, and knows my illnesses and treatments almost as well as I

do.

My daughters were a little longer in coming around. They were 10

and 12 when all of this happened, and understandibly scared. All of

a sudden, mom was different, sick all the time, and it wasn't going

to go away. Now, they are my exercise buddies, taking walks with

me, stretching with me, and sometimes, they are even my memory.

They're great about leaving me notes now, because they know I will

forget, and are very patient (most of the time...they're STILL kids

after all!!) when my symptoms pop up. So I truly believe that

having my family has really made the transistion a lot smoother for

me.

By the way, could you tell me the name of the author of the book you

are reading? I haven't read that one, and would like to check it

out!

Also, if you'd ever like to talk privately, please feel free to

write me off the group any time you'd like! I would be happy to

teach you, or anyone in the group meditation or guided imagery

techniques that I was taught to help relax and they help somewhat to

control the pain too.

All my best,

Jen

[Guest guest]

Thanks. The author is Dr. .