But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves;we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing;persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. – 2 Corinthians 4:7-10
1. The illnesses I live with is Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (aka Pseudotumor Cerebri) and a neuro degenerative disease, as yet unnamed.
2. I was diagnosed with it in the year 2011.
3. But I had symptoms since 2003.
4. The biggest adjustment I’ve had to make is not being able to take care of my family.
5. Most people assume that I will be healed, but there is no cure.
6. The hardest part about mornings are the pain and exhaustion. I hate not being able to always get up to get the kids off to school, leaving that to my hubby.
7. My favorite medical TV show is None…. I do not watch medical tv shows. I get enough of that in real life. :p
8. A gadget I couldn’t live without is my laptop.
9. The hardest part about nights are the pain and inability to fall asleep.
10. Each day I take 12 pills & vitamins. (No comments, please)
11. Regarding alternative treatments I am open to try most, but would consult my doctor first.
12. If I had to choose between an invisible illness or visible I would choose a visible one. Due to my nerve damage, mine is mostly visible now, as I have to use a power chair to get around.
13. Regarding working and career, I will never be able to work again.
14. People would be surprised to know that I have hardware in my brain, and cannot remember approximately a year of my life.
15. The hardest thing to accept about my new reality has been being homebound and dependent.
16. Something I never thought I could do with my illness that I did was survive it.
17. The commercials about my illness are non-existent.
18. Something I really miss doing since I was diagnosed is driving.
19. It was really hard to have to give up running and playing with my kids.
20. A new hobby I have taken up since my diagnosis is writing.
21. If I could have one day of feeling normal again I would cook and clean and dance with my hubby.
22. My illness has taught me that I have value outside what I can offer.
23. Want to know a secret? One thing people say that gets under my skin is “The Teacher is always quiet during a test.” or “God doesn’t give you more than you can handle.”
24. But I love it when people mean it when they ask “How are you?”.
25. My favorite motto, scripture, quote that gets me through tough times is:
“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.” – 2 Corinthians 4:16
26. When someone is diagnosed I’d like to tell them please give yourself grace. It’s ok to not embrace this right away.
27. Something that has surprised me about living with an illness is how it affects every single aspect of my life.
28. The nicest thing someone did for me when I wasn’t feeling well was listened.
29. I’m involved with Invisible Illness Week because I want to raise awareness and let people know they are not alone.
30. The fact that you read this list makes me feel thankful.
Heavenly Father, thank you for each beautiful soul reading this. Surround them with our love and comfort. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Thanks you for sharing. It makes me not feel alone in this path of chronic illness.
Love, love 2Cor. 4, especially verse 7! Thanks for sharing your list, Shelly. It’s quite insightful. Sometimes when I don’t know what to say, I don’t say anything, which isn’t helpful to the other person. God bless you in your writing! and thanks for inviting me to be your friend on Goodreads 🙂 ~Joyce
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