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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 illness I live with is Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (aka Pseudotumor Cerebri)
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 10 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.
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 about 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.
Click this image to read more 30 Things Memes and learn about Invisible Illness Week.
Heavenly Father, thank you for each beautiful soul reading this. Surround them with our love and comfort. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DX28iLQR2BE
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
All I can say is that I was saying AMEN on almost every thing that you said!!!
I loved this one … “The nicest thing someone did for me when I wasn’t feeling well was listened” … so often people are just too busy to listen … REALLY listen.
And I KNOW that I was so very guilty of this before I became ill,
but Praise God that He has taught me how to listen … to REALLY listen.
And the one that I REALLY “amened” on was … “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.””
And the one I APPRECIATE the most is … A new hobby I have taken up since my diagnosis is writing.
So thankful for this one because it helps me so much
Love you sweet friend, Barb
I love you right back, sweet Barb!! Heart Hugs, Shelly <3
Well said. Loved your devotional on Monday as well. I recently read that story and totally missed the point you made. Thank you for your ministry. It is truly a blessing.
Ps. If you’re interested in my 30, it’s in the notes on my fb page. I haven’t posted it in a while as my circle of friends hasn’t increased dramatically. I keep thinking “next year” I’ll post the 30 ways I have been blessed by my illness.
Now THAT is an idea I love!! If you do that, I’ll join in… we can start a movement! 🙂 Heart Hugs, Shelly <3
Thank you, Will! It’s great to see you here! Heart Hugs, Shelly <3
love this list. and may i offer up that they reason people say that about the teacher or that God won’t give you more than you can handle is because they don’t know what to say. they feel like they need to give a response when in reality they don’t.
i was just thinking last night if i could have 1 day without pain I don’t actually know what i’d do.
I love what you said about being more than you can offer…. we are more than we realize. all of us!!
Just clicked over from my Bloggers Care Group to see if the links are working. 😉 they are.
big hugs
Marie
@spreadingJOY
Blogger Care Group
Marie recently posted…Back to School 2014 UPDATE
Love you, Marie, and am so excited about the Blogger Care Group! Heart Hugs, Shelly <3
Shelly you are amazing and a warrior on behalf of the Kingdom of God! Thanks for sharing. I am blessed to have you as a friend. < Cathy
Cathy, it’s definitely YOU who blesses ME! Love you! Heart Hugs, Shelly <3
I love getting to know you through posts like this one….and it was good to know that those silly emails that say : God is quietest during a test ….are not fun at all…..in future I will refrain from the insensitivity of posting these ones 🙂
I was skyping with Amy and she is suffering intense frustration with friends who say:o h, have you tried ……. she, like you, is a world class expert on the condition she has…even doctors at the hospital don’t seem to understand it nearly as well as she does. I think writing a post such as this one is an excellent idea, which hopefully educates and means fewer frustrations having to go over the same stuff, time and again! It will help me to be a better friend, I hope!
sending love by the truckload……Mary. xx
Mary, you are a priceless friend. I never believe that the people repeating these things are trying to be insensitive. I just cringe because I can’t help but think that when they reach that first real, dark chasm in their faith, they just might get lost if these are the things they are clinging to. It’s the difference between sand and stone. Scripture is always best. And you know that already. You are a balm and a boon in my life and I love you. Heart Hugs, Shelly <3
I am so glad to know more about you Shelly. Learned so much from this post. Invisible illness includes mental illness such as anxiety and agoraphobia which I suffered from for years. God is a good God.. I am thankful for your friendship. God Bless and hugs to you.
You are so right about mental illness, Angie. A much-misunderstood category and it should be brought into the light much more often! Your testimony is powerful. Love you. Heart Hugs, Shelly <3