Re: Asymetric, Dawn

[Guest guest]

: My asymetric joints are all large joints:

Shoulder, Knee and Hip. I have had minimal probleems

with my small joints, though I did have a flare that

made everything go haywire for a few weeks.

Dawn: Coping with any chronic illness is difficult

for the sufferer AND for their family. We often

forget that not only have OUR lives changed, but THEIR

lives have changed too. I TOTALLY get 'I miss me'.

It rang so true and so close to what I have felt.

Sometimes we have to educate our families on what we

are going through. I highly recommend sending your DH

to http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com and the 'spoon

theory' page. It helps explain just how difficult it

is to deal with constant pain.

I second Betz' suggestion that you investigate the

possiblility of depression along with you physical

symptoms. I am totally lucky that my health care team

DOES get it, and have left that option up to me.

I printed out the following and posted it by my desk -

it was tucked into a post from this list a couple of

months ago:

Accept that you are a living organism with limitations

and do not measure yourself by what you used to do or

what others expect of you. Accept that you have a

life-altering disease, do the best you can, and find

the joy!

I am keeping my fingers crossed that I don't come down

with the 'galloping crud' that is currently making the

rounds at my office. I am taking care to get ample

rest and quiet time. (Quiet time is very healing for

me) Between the meds and the new way of looking at

things (and DS being out of Iraq) SOMETHING is

working. I actually sewed after work two days last

week! that is a VERY thing to do! I haven't

been able to do it for months...

CMPete

Quilts With Poodle

'.....now times are rough and I've got too much STUFF!!'

J.D. Buffett

I have a blog now!! And there is ACTUALLY stuff on it!

http://cmpetequiltspoodle.blogspot.com/

________________________________________________________________________________\

____

Cheap talk?

Check out Messenger's low PC-to-Phone call rates.

http://voice.