Lyme Life – Assault

Most everyone gets colds every once in a while. When I get colds, it hits me a bit differently than the people around me. When my children were little and they got a cold, I would get really, down-for-the-count sick. I never understood it. All I knew was that my immune system was not working right. Now I know that Lyme tweaks every system after a while. The simplest assault is magnified.

For example, a misunderstanding wherein someone thinks you are out of line might culminate with them grabbing your arm to make a point. When you have a PICC line to treat Lyme Disease and someone grabs your arm, they will hurt the IV site. Lyme puts people at a higher risk of a compounded response to assaults.

Another example might be rejection or insults. They may be slight to a healthy person, but to a Lymie, who lives with chronic disability, it can be a significant blow.

No one is coming through this life unscathed. It may be Lyme or another disease or disability. It could be childhood abuse, sex trafficking, or other personal pain. It could be any sudden traumatic loss. It could be a car accident or natural disaster. We will all suffer life’s assaults.

Yesterday, someone roughly grabbed my arm, at my IV site, of course. For most people, the event would have been upsetting, but for me, it was traumatic. My arm was bleeding and I was crying. I left the area. I did not give that person access to me again, but as I walked through a department store nearby, I kept seeing people differently.

Instead of wondering who they were buying gifts for or imagining how much joy they would experience, I was afraid they were actually mean. I am usually very positive; giving people the benefit of the doubt. Meaning that they may have a moment when they are not kind, but generally decent people.

It will take a lot of work for me to get through this. I avoided the other patrons at the store. My guard is up. This is often how we handle things. By becoming vigilant we may avoid future assaults. I couldn’t have done anything differently. So, I will just try to be more aware of my surroundings.

I’ll remind myself of some key points:

• We live in a dangerous world, it’s not my fault
• When bad things happen, it is a temporary event
• When people hurt us, we need to protect ourselves
• No one should ever treat another person badly
• Forgive doesn’t mean forget; don’t confuse the two
• God will bring justice, but we might need to press charges
• Healing takes time and effort
• Thinking correctly accelerates healing and joy
• I can choose to go down a path of pain or step up valiantly

Do you have any more suggestions?