My Puppy has Lyme
She and I were diagnosed around the same time. Her little heart is taxed, her hair has fallen out in patches, she has had obvious pain. The dogs sleep in the basement, their comfy spots are interchangeable; in various states of cushion.
When I have a flare of Lyme disease, the stairs are the hardest. I could only climb a whole flight 50% of the time for about six months and I couldn’t do it with any extra weight this whole past year. It is great blow to my dignity.
Rosie has the same issue. She makes it up ok, but at the top she is obviously very dizzy and sometimes lays down. Yesterday, I took the dogs for a little walk. Poor Dear, she enjoyed herself immensely, but at times she would need to stop. Her little tongue was gray. I spoke in soothing tones and told her to stay put as long as she needed.
It was a beautiful day. The cool autumn breeze trickled through the dried oak leaves and the sun streamed through the woods. Rosie perked up her ears and bounded to catch up with the other dogs in sheer joy, but her energy quickly faded and she slowed as she approached. I told her not to run and called her an idiot.
But then, I thought she was enjoying herself, why would I try to squash that? I do the same thing. Then, I expanded my thoughts to any chronic pain conditions. Whether one has suffered a physical or emotional trauma, or suffer from disease, disorder or disability, spurts of fun make life bearable.
Of course, I make sure she gets her meds and provide for her comfort. I think we all need to provide for self care too. Rosie doesn’t have thumbs, but we do. People have more resources to provide for our own care. The walk was very painful for me too. In my desire to take them out, I sacrificed limited comfort for them.
Here’s how I cope with chronic pain and fatigue:
Plan. I plan out 40 days or so. I use a paper calendar, but a digital calendar would work the same way. Look at all of the required events and make commitments accordingly. Make sure there are times of rest. Provide for fun and recreation. Plan out what you can spend and how much you need to work.
Leave margins. This is free time and uncommitted resources. Savings are a safety net. Set aside some fun or creative projects. Pencil in time with family and friends that is totally flexible.
Expect the unexpected. Life is unpredictable. No one is immune to sudden difficulty. If we can acknowledge that, it makes it easier to deal with when it happens. Some days, the simplest things can stress me out. I fight with every inanimate object I come in contact with. Getting dressed can be a major challenge. This year, I have made the leap to being able to talk myself out of frustrations a little better.
Upgrade our foundations. Know that you are important. It is not what you do, what you’ve done, what you have, what your talents are, how many resources you have. You are important because you are a person. You do not deserve to be treated badly. Knowing that you are worthy of love is a foundational principle in healing.
Say No. Many of us want to please other people to a fault. It becomes a problem when we are over committed. Declining invitations can be empowering and preserving. Be careful not to offer help to your detriment. Catch yourself and always wait to offer to help others. Give yourself time to consider implications.
Grieve. We need to recognize the losses. Loss of autonomy, finances, time etc. are real losses and they have meaning. I used to diminish them all the time, but now I recognize it and cry or talk it out when I need to.
It’s all about managing our lives. The ability to manage my life has been a slow and uneven development.
What suggestions do you have to manage life?